More than 1,000 people gathered at Bath Iron Works Saturday to christen the shipyard’s latest warship and honor its namesake — a Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Corps commandant.
The future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126) is the 42nd Arleigh Burke–class destroyer built at BIW.
Wilson’s surviving daughter, Janet Wilson Taylor, gave a tearful speech at the ceremony, recalling how her father taught her to drive a stick shift along the tank tracks in Camp Pendleton when Taylor was 9 years old.
“If he were here today, I know he would be outwardly humbled and inwardly thrilled,” Taylor said.
“At boot camp and beyond, when others complained that Marine Corps life was difficult, he would respond, ‘Every day in the Marine Corps was like Sunday on the farm,’” Taylor said.
Wilson joined the Marine Corps in May 1941, seven months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was deployed to the Pacific Theater with the 9th Marines two years later with the rank of captain.
On July 25, 1944, then-Capt. Wilson led his company to take Fonte Hill during the Battle of Guam. He was injured three times during the fighting, advancing over 300 yards of open terrain under heavy fire. During the battle, Capt. Wilson led a 17-man patrol against Japanese forces atop a nearby slope and would ultimately lose 13 of his men before leading the remaining troops to capture their objective.
Capt. Wilson received the Medal of Honor in 1945 for his “indomitable leadership, daring combat tactics and dauntless valor in the face of overwhelming odds,” according to the citation. He would be promoted to general in 1975 and become the 26th commandant of the Marine Corps, advocating for the modernization of the Corps.
Medal of Honor recipient and retired Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., who lent his name to another BIW-built destroyer, spoke at the event. He shared stories of his encounters with Gen. Wilson over the years.
“Our people are driving to get these ships delivered to the Navy, [and] we know the Navy needs these ships as fast as we can build them,” said BIW President Charles Krugh.
In addition to the USS Louis H. Wilson Jr., BIW currently has seven Arleigh Burke–class destroyers under construction, including the Harvey C. Barnum Jr., the Quentin Walsh and the Patrick Gallagher.
