Navy
Navy commissions destroyer USS John Basilone, named for legendary Marine and Medal of Honor recipient
Stars and Stripes
November 10, 2024
U.S. Navy sailors with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) participate in the commissioning ceremony in New York, Nov. 9, 2024. (Alexis French/U.S. Marine Corps)
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry during combat action on Guadalcanal in October 1942. Basilone, later a gunnery sergeant, was killed in action on Iwo Jima in February 1945, and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The second Navy ship to bear his name, the destroyer USS John Basilone, was commissioned on Nov. 9, 2024. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command)
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro speaks to the crew of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) during the commissioning ceremony on Pier 88 in New York City, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2024. (Colby A. Mothershead/Department of Defense)
The crew of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) brings the ship to life during the commissioning ceremony in New York, Nov. 9, 2024. (Edward Hersom/Department of Defense)
Amy Looney Heffernan, middle, and Ryan Manion, right, the sponsors of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122), give the command to “man our ship and bring her to life” during the commissioning ceremony on Pier 88 in New York, Nov. 9, 2024. (Colby A. Mothershead/Department of Defense)
Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer acknowledges the cheers during a commissioning ceremony for the Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG 122) on Nov. 9, 2024, in New York. (Danny Gonzalez/U.S. Marine Corps)