A fabrication machine starts early work on the future USS Richard G. Lugar at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2024. Bath Iron Works photo

Bath Iron Works marked the start of fabrication of its latest warship, the future USS Richard G. Lugar, Wednesday at the shipyard’s Structural Fabrication Facility in Brunswick.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be the 46th of its class built in Bath. The ship’s namesake, Richard G. Lugar, was a longtime Republican senator from Indiana, serving from 1977 to 2013. He also served in the U.S. Navy for four years, including a stint as an intelligence briefer for Adm. Arleigh Burke himself. Lugar died in 2019.

Kevin Ridley, a structural designer with 43 years at Bath Iron Works, was selected to activate the burning machine to cut the first steel for the ship.

Charles F. Krugh, president of Bath Iron Works, said starting construction on the latest BIW destroyer is an important responsibility that the shipbuilders of Bath Iron Works take seriously.

“This is a ship that will serve to protect our nation and our families for decades to come,” Krugh said. “We recognize how important it is from the first cut of steel to safely execute high-quality work in building this critical asset for the U.S. Navy.”

In addition to the Richard G. Lugar, Bath Iron Works currently has under construction Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Harvey C. Barnum Jr., Patrick Gallagher, Louis H. Wilson Jr., William Charette, Quentin Walsh and John E. Kilmer.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the state Sen. Lugar represented. He was elected in Indiana.