“In 2007, Senator Carl Levin attended a ceremony onboard the USS Harry S. Truman,” Arnold Resnicoff tweeted, adding that a Torah Scroll, which survived the Holocaust, was presented to the ship’s chapel. “As of yesterday’s commissioning of the USS Carl M. Levin, there is now a ship that bears his name,” continued Resnicoff, a rabbi who served as a military officer and a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years.

The USS Carl M. Levin naval ship was named in honor of Michigan’s longest-serving Senator, the late Carl M. Levin, for his years of service as a longtime member and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer on June 24.

According to the press release, The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, the 78th Secretary of the Navy, was the principal speaker. Guest speakers included Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations; the  Honorable Justin Williams, deputy mayor, City of Baltimore, Maryland; Rear Adm. Thomas J. Anderson, program executive officer, ships; and Mr. Charles F. Krugh, president, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.

The sponsors of USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) are Sen. Carl M, Levin’s daughters, Kate Levin Markel, Laura Levin, and Erica Levin. All three participated in the keel laying, mast stepping, and christening ceremonies. Laura spoke on behalf of herself and her sisters to recall their father’s life of service.

During the ceremony, USS Carl M. Levin’s commanding officer Cmdr. Kelly Craft reported the ship was ready. Sen. Levin’s daughters gave the traditional order to “Man our ship and bring her to life!” Deputy Mayor Justin Williams’ pride in Baltimore’s Navy connection was also evident.

Levin began his career as an attorney, professor, and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979. He was Michigan’s first Jewish Senator and the state’s longest-serving Senator, serving 36 years before retiring in 2015.

In the Senate, his top priority was the economic well-being of Michigan families. He supported American manufacturing consistently and was one of the Senate’s strongest advocates for policies that would help American manufacturers compete globally.

As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,  Levin focused on taking care of the men and women of the military and their families, supporting pay raises and improvements in treatment and other policies for wounded warriors.

He led oversight efforts to improve efficiency and reduce cost overruns in expensive weapons programs. Levin also supported military action to eliminate the al-Qaida threat in Afghanistan, investigated Pentagon spending practices, and played a crucial role in overturning the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule that prohibited gay service members from openly acknowledging their sexual orientation before 2011.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface. The ship will transit to her homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.