First FFG(X): Constellation (FFG-62)

BALTIMORE, Md. – Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite announced Oct. 7 that the first FFG(X) guided-missile frigate would be named Constellation (FFG-62), making the announcement from the second ship to bear that name: USS Constellation, a sloop-of-war launched in 1854 and decommissioned in 1933 that is preserved here as a National Historic Landmark. “George Washington personally selected the name Constellation. It refers to the constellation of stars that have adorned our flag, from the original circle of 13, to the 15 gracing the Star Spangled Banner across the harbor above Fort McHenry, to the 50 that fly from the mast of every Navy ship today,” he said in a video filmed on the wooden-hull warship. SECNAV has total discretion in naming ships. In April, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly wanted to name the lead ship USS Agility. The Navy awarded a contract to Fincantieri on April 30 for the first frigate in class. The $795M contract allows for as many as nine more ships as contract options. Current plans for delivery of the first frigate is by 2026, and initially operational by 2030. On Oct. 6, SECDEF Mark Esper called for a speeded-up production of ships in the fleet through a new Battle Force 2045 plan, including the FFG(X). He left open the possibility of contracting with a second shipyard to build the same designed, much like the Navy has two contractors building the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. (Source: USNI News 10/07/20) https://news.usni.org/2020/10/07/secnav-braithwaite-names-first-ffgx-uss-constellation