The United States Navy command has announced that its new warship, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, will be named in honor of Paul Ignatius (Ignatossian), a prominent American military figure of Armenian descent, according to the official website of the United States Department of Defense.
According to the source, the ship’s official commissioning ceremony will take place on July 27 at Port Everglades.
According to Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, the new warship incorporates air, subsurface, surface, missile defense and strike capabilities.
It should be noted that Paul Robert Ignatius was born in Glendale, to Armenian immigrants Hovsep and Eliza Ignatossian.
During the Second World War, he enlisted in the army as a volunteer. From 1964 to 1967, Ignatius served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations and Logistics.
In 1967, under President Lyndon Johnson, he became Secretary of the Navy, serving until 1969.
