On Saturday, August 1, Ellwood Chief Executive Officer Ben Huffman joined over. 1,500 shipbuilders, Navy leaders, members of the Charette family and other invited guests at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard in Bath, Maine for the christening of the future USS William Charette (DDG 130).
"It was an honor to attend Bath Iron Works' christening of the future USS William Charette," Huffman said. "I felt immense pride, especially as I reflected on the thousands of hours both the Ellwood and North American Forgemasters teams spent manufacturing critical components for this magnificent ship. Witnessing the christening ceremony reminded me just how significant our team's role has been in supporting such an engineering marvel.
The dedication and passion demonstrated by the shipbuilders at BIW were truly inspiring, and their long-standing slogan, "Bath Built is Best Built" struck a chord with me. It demonstrates the deep pride at BIW and, as a partner, reinforces our own belief that metal is a pillar of human progress and that our metal is Metal with a Mission -- supporting the U.S. Navy and the defense of the Unitest States for decades to come."
Honoring Valor in Service
The ship's name honors Korean War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William Richard Charette. During the battle for Outpost Vegas on March 27, 1953, Charette "demonstrated gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life aboce and beyond the call of duty" to render assistance to wounded Marines in his own unit and adjacent platoons while under intense enemy fire. The ship's motto, "Valor in Service," recognizes both his heroic actions in combat and his lifetime of service to the nation.
A New Genration of Naval Capability
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission surface components that support operations ranging from peacetime presence and crisis response to sea control and power projection. The ships are equipped to operate across air, surface and subsurface warfare domains.
USS William Charette will be the 43rd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the 2nd in the Navy's Flight III configuration, built at the Maine shipyard. The Flight III upgrade significantly enhances air and missile defense capability, allowing the ship to perform air warfare and ballistic-missile-defense missions simultaneously.
The DDG 51 program is the longest-running surface-combatant program in U.S. Navy history. The first ship in the class, USS Alreigh Burke, was commissioned on July 4, 1991, and the class remains in production. As of the Navy's July 2026 program update, 74 DDG 51-class ships had been delivered to the fleet, 25 additional ships were under contract and 12 were in various stages of construction.
Ellwood's Commitment to the DDG 51 Program
Ellwood and North American Forgemasters (NAF) contribute to the DDG 51 program, including the construction of USS William Charette, through the company's vertically integrated capabilities. Ellwood National Forge's delivery of turnkey propulsion shafts to BIW as well as components for 5-inch MK-45 automated naval guns was supported by Ellwood Quality Steels and Alloys' development and productino of large ingots, Ellwood City Forge's open die forging expertise, and the vital partnership at NAF, Ellwood's 50/50 joint venture with Scot Forge, for ultra-large forgings.
These contributions to the USS William Charette demonstrate not only the expertise of the Ellwood team working together to deliver mission critical solutions for the nation's defense, but also the value of the collaborative approach between Ellwood, and Scot Forge via NAF.
About Ellwood
Family- and American-owned since 1910, Ellwood delivers specialty metals, forgings, engineered and finished components, service and distribution for mission-critical applications. Our metallurgical mastery, proactive partnership, and support at every stage provides our customers with the products, partnership, and confidence to advance their business.
We begin by understanding our customers' mission - then deliver the metallurgical and engineering know-how to meet it. Across 25 North American locations, our more than 2,000 team members work with rigor and responsibility to deliver results the right way.
Ellwood. Metal with a Mission.
