Michael Murphy DDG-112 Sail Away Salute planned by Maine Maritime Museum

Photo US Navy

Bath, Maine - The public is invited to join Maine Maritime Museum and a host of dignitaries in a Sail Away Salute to the newest Bath Iron Works-built Aegis guided missile destroyer, Michael Murphy DDG-112, on Wednesday, September 5, as the ship departs Bath for the final time on its way to join the fleet.
            The salute will be held in the Percy & Small historic shipyard. Admission is free, and the gate will open at 2 p.m.
            The salute will feature brief presentations by museum, Navy and Congressional representatives, music by the Bath Municipal Band and a cannon salute as the Michael Murphy sails past. The Museum grounds provide a prime location to view the ship as she departs Bath.
            The ship is named for Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who earned the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan.  During an operation to find a Taliban leader, he and his team of three other Seals were ambushed by at least 40 heavily armed guerillas. During a fierce firefight and although severely wounded, he moved to open ground to radio for assistance and rescue of his team. He was killed after completing the call.
            The longest-running post-WW II program of surface combatants, the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyers are the backbone of the fleet, guarding carrier task forces and carrying out a multiplicity of other duties worldwide.  Michael Murphy is the 34th Burke-class destroyer built at Bath Iron Works, more than half of the Navy’s entire complement.
            After the event, attendees can visit Maine Maritime Museum free of charge for the remainder of the day.  The Museum is open until 5 p.m.    
            “Ship launchings and maiden voyages have been a time of festivities and celebration along the Kennebec River for more than four centuries,” says Jason Morin, director of Programming at Maine Maritime Museum.  “This is a great opportunity and a fun and fitting way to make the public more aware of the 400-year-plus history of this region’s shipbuilding heritage.”