The Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., commissioned into service during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
NORFOLK, Va. — Sailors ran aboard the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124) as it came to life during its commissioning ceremony Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk, officially marking the destroyer’s entry into active service.
The ship, named after a Medal of Honor recipient and retired Marine Corps colonel, now serves alongside the Navy’s fleet of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. It is the first vessel to bear Barnum’s name. He is one of the few individuals to witness the commissioning of a ship named for them.
“All the hard work, the hours and hours of training, and the separation from your families was not for nothing,” Barnum told the crew. “You have prepared this warship, the newest warship in the fleet. Mission accomplished, bravo zulu, charge on.”
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient and namesake of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors run aboard the Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., during its commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
Barnum received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War. On Dec. 18, 1965, he moved through enemy fire to lead attacks against entrenched fighters, and, after securing the area, he coordinated the landing of transport helicopters to evacuate casualties.
“I don’t know where we get individuals like Barney Barnum, but we’re damn lucky to have them,” said Gen. Eric Smith, Commandant of the Marine Corps. “That is the stuff that legends are made of.”
Before activating the ship, Martha Hill, Barnum’s wife and the ship’s sponsor, bestowed good fortune on the vessel and its crew, describing it as a symbol of the nation as it sails the world’s oceans.
Martha E. Hill, the ship’s sponsor and wife of retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., listens to a speech during the commissioning ceremony of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) in Norfolk, Va., April 11, 2026. (Ellen Guo/U.S. Marine Corps)
“May this ship always be a force of peace through strength. May her crew return home safe from every mission, and may the values she represents endure for generations,” Hill said.
The ship, built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, is a Flight IIA destroyer that brings integrated air and missile defense, advanced radar capability, and increased power needed for modern warfighting, said Navy Secretary John Phelan.
It is designed to detect, track, and defeat threats across every domain— air, surface, and subsurface — while carrying long-range strike capability and providing ballistic missile defense, Phelan said. He added that MH-60R Seahawk helicopters “extend its reach, enhancing anti-submarine and surface warfare capabilities.”
The Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., commissioned into service during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
The Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., commissioned into service during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
“This ship is not symbolic. It is combat power. The ship represents the high end of our fleet, the proven core of our warfighting advantage at sea,” Phelan said.
Barnum was involved in the ship’s construction and was present for key milestones, including the keel laying and christening. Last July, he went underway with the commissioning crew, and fired the first round from the ship’s 5-inch gun. He also spent time engaging with sailors, sharing stories from his own service, and offering the crew valuable lessons along the way.
“Your consistent involvement as the ship’s namesake, and your close relationship with the ship’s crew is important and will influence them well into the future,” said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby. “Your presence gives this crew a unique and powerful connection to the legacy they are inheriting and have an honor of continuing.”
The Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., commissioned into service during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors man the rails of the Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)
