The Honorable Erik Raven, under secretary of the Navy, will deliver the commissioning ceremony's principal address. Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Kathy Castor, U.S. representative, Florida's 14th District; Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; the Honorable Jane Castor, mayor of Tampa, Florida; and Ms. Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding and executive vice president, HII. The ship's sponsors are Ruby Lucas, widow of the ship's namesake, and philanthropist Catherine B. Reynolds.

DDG 125 is the 73rd Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer to be commissioned and the first in the Flight III configuration. She is the first naval warship to bear the name of USS Jack H. Lucas. USS Jack H. Lucas received its name on Sept. 17, 2016. DDG 125 is named for Pfc. Jack Lucas, who served in the U.S. Marines during World War II, earning the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Iwo Jima, when he was just 17 years old. Lucas was the youngest Marine and youngest serviceman in World War II to be awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor. In 1961, he returned to military service as a captain in the U.S. Army and trained younger troops headed for Vietnam. Lucas passed away on Jun. 5, 2008, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The selection of Jack H. Lucas is a constant reminder of the immense impact that actions taken by any sailor or marine can truly have.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security. DDGs provide a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments.

USS Stethem (DDG 63), USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Dewey (DDG 105), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Paul Ignatius (117), USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), and USS Momsen (DDG 92) are currently deployed overseas. These deployed Arleigh Burke-class destroyers contribute to various manned, unmanned, joint and maritime operations in support of operational commanders' strategic vision.

The ceremony will be live streamed at https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/32606. The link becomes active approximately ten minutes prior to the event (9:50 a.m. EDT)

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on the destroyer program can be found at https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/.