
The development of sophisticated destroyers is one important reason the U.S. military no longer uses battleships. Guided missile destroyers of the famed Arleigh Burke class, in particular, are some of the Navy’s most formidable. In late April 2026, one of the latest additions to its ranks, USS Patrick Gallagher, began intensive final testing with manufacturer General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, prior to entering the U.S. Navy fleet proper.
The journey took the vessel along the Kennebec River to a harbor in Portland, where it docked to bring on a new crew to conduct further testing. Sea trials for a new naval vessel have to determine whether it can perform according to its design specifications, and they’re typically divided into Builder’s Trials and Acceptance Trials.
The former consists of reviews of the ship’s components individually and its performance while underway, and is carried out by the manufacturer. In Acceptance Trials, the Board of Inspection and Survey for the U.S. Navy is often in attendance and will ultimately bring the vessel into the fleet if it meets their requirements. Even then, Final Contract Trials may be performed after entering service.
USS Patrick Gallagher is powered by a quartet of gas turbines, General Electric LM2500 models boasting a total of 100,000 HP. The generators are developed by Rolls-Royce, and the destroyer itself is set to be a formidable threat to surface, air, and underwater threats. Its arsenal will include MK-46 torpedoes, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, and the Vertical Launch ASROC missile. Like all Arleigh Burke-class vessels, it’ll be a huge asset to the force, but will have to undergo these grueling maneuvering, navigation, and performance tests before officially entering service.
The past and future of the USS Patrick Gallagher
Patrick Gallagher was an Irish American Marine Corps Corporal who served with Hotel Company, 2/4 Marines, 3rd Division during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his valor during the conflict, throwing himself upon a grenade that threatened his comrades when the group was attacked at Cam Lo. He was tragically killed soon afterward in a separate incident, and the mighty USS Patrick Gallagher was named in his honor. It was christened by his three sisters, Rosemarie Gallagher, Pauline Gallagher, and Teresa Gallagher Keegan, on July 27 2024. It was launched about three months later, after construction began in 2018.
The vessel will have a unique place in the history of U.S. destroyers. The newest Flight (or variant) of the Arleigh Burke class is Flight III, the first of which to be commissioned was the USS Jack Lucas. The official website notes that this upgrade is “centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity,” but operational numbers would be severely diminished if only new Flight III models were deployed.
This is why the Navy also uses the Flight IIA Technology Insertion version. The USS Patrick Gallagher will be the last Flight IIA model built, designed to incorporate some of the developments of the Flight III as a still-formidable stopgap between the two. It’s all part of the U.S. Navy’s modernization of its Arleigh Burke destroyers.
