Ex-SASC chair heads to Maine for keel-laying of warship bearing his name

BATH, Maine — Retired Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan is going to witness a milestone in the construction of a warship that’ll bear his name.

Levin, who served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is attending a keel-laying ceremony Friday at shipbuilder Bath Iron Works for the future guided-missile destroyer Carl Levin.

Also attending are Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation.

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The keel-laying ceremony hearkens back to the days of sailing vessels when construction began with a keel upon which the ship is built.

Modern warships aren’t built that way, so the ceremony marks a milestone in steel fabrication.

The destroyers in the Arleigh Burke class can easily top 30 knots while simultaneously waging war with enemy ships, submarines, missiles or aircraft.

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