US Navy commissions destroyer Harvey C. Barnum Jr.

The US Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer during a ceremony on Saturday, April 11.

USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. was built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The ship honours Colonel Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., a US Marine Corps officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.

The destroyer has been built as an Arleigh Burke-class flight IIA ship equipped with improved integrated air and missile defence capabilities, increased computing power, and radar upgrades that improve detection range and reaction time against modern air warfare and ballistic missile threats.