OUR COMMUNITY

T

he naval destroyer named for the 
late Sen. Carl Levin was christened 
Oct. 2 at Bath Iron Works in Maine.
The USS Carl M. Levin, a 510-foot-long 
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, weighed 
7,500 tons when it launched in May. 
Then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus 
announced the naming of the ship in 2016, 
saying he considered Levin to be one of 
the “most influential” members of the 
Senate. “Destroyers are named for heroes,” 
Mabus said. “Carl Levin is an American 
hero.”
Levin, who died July 29 at age 87, served 
36 years in the U.S. Senate. For all those 
years, he served on the Senate Armed 

Services Committee, including 10 years as 
its chairman. 
Levin’s three daughters, Kate Levin 
Markel, Laura Levin and Erica Levin, 
performed the christening. Erica Levin 
delivered a speech her father wrote for the 
occasion before his death. 
Levin’s nephew, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, 
D-Bloomfield Township, said, “My Uncle 
Carl said, ‘I suppose a lot of people might 
say, well, I was chair of the Armed Services 
Committee for all these years, so having 
a mighty ship named after me is a fitting 
tribute.’ That is not how Uncle Carl viewed 
this situation at all.
“
Above all, he loved the commitment, 

sacrifice, patriotism and fellow feeling of 
ordinary Americans like those who will 
serve on this ship.”
Sen. Levin’s wife, Barbara, and older 
brother, retired U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, 
also attended. 
Sander Levin said, “Carl sought to join 
the Senate Armed Services Committee 
both to honor his debt to this nation and 
to strive to ensure that its work was in the 
best interest of all our citizens.
“Our hope is that in the years and years 
to come, it will help us remember him 
and honor all that made him a remark-
able public servant and a glorious human 
being.” 

Sen. Levin’s family attend ceremony in Maine.
Sen. Levin’s family attend ceremony in Maine.

USS Carl M. Levin
Is Getting Set to Sail

JN STAFF

20 | OCTOBER 7 • 2021 

The christening of the USS Carl M. Levin, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer took place Oct. 2 at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. 

U.S. NAVY VIA FACEBOOK

A Special Seal

The motto of the USS Carl M. Levin
is “Tenacious in the Fight,” which 
expresses “the steadfast 
and determined motivation 
of the command and crew 
to triumph over adversity,” 
according to the U.S. Navy.
“The hourglass shaped 
division of the field resem-
bles the shape of the his-
toric Senate gavel, implying 
Mr. Levin’s service as a 

United States Senator,” according to 
its description on the U.S. Navy’s web-
site. “The six six-pointed stars honor 
Mr. Levin’s 36 years in the Senate. The 
seven vertical stripes over a 
blue field denote the USS Carl 
M. Levin (DDG 120) as the 70th 
ship in its class. The national 
colors of the United States are 
red, white and blue.”
It goes on to describe the 
crest on the seal: “The sword 
and Senate gavel allude to Mr. 
Levin’s service as a Senator and 

position of Chairman of the Armed 
Services Committee. The Phrygian 
(Liberty) cap amongst the radiant light 
conveys Mr. Levin’s work to protect 
the Great Lakes and their many light-
houses along Michigan’s coastline. The 
Liberty cap, adapted from the United 
States Senate Seal, conveys the para-
mount nature of America’s ethics and 
values, emphasized by the golden radi-
ant light. Additionally, the eagle is fea-
tured on the coat of arms of the State 
of Michigan, in tribute to Mr. Levin’s 
home state.”

Seal of the 
USS Carl M. Levin

U.S. NAVY

