USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) is a planned United States Navy Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 71st overall for the class. The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr. (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015), the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general. The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from Huntington Ingalls Industries on 30 March 2016. The first "cutting of steel" took place on April 28, 2016.