PoliticsAlaska · June 15, 2026
a ship named for Alaska
Alaska is about to host its first Navy commissioning since 2013, for a destroyer named after Senator Ted Stevens.
Daily Alaska staff · June 15, 2026
The U.S. Navy is preparing to commission the USS Ted Stevens, a guided-missile destroyer named for the late Alaska senator, at the cruise ship dock in Whittier later this year. A Navy advance team is already on the ground in Alaska preparing for the ceremony, which will be the first Navy commissioning held in the state since 2013.
Ted Stevens served Alaska in the United States Senate for 40 years. He was known for his military service, his role in Alaska statehood, and his decades of work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Navy chose Whittier for the ceremony because of the site's military history and its connection to Alaska.
The exact date for the commissioning has not been announced. The ceremony itself runs about 90 minutes and ends with the ship's sponsor calling on the crew to man the ship and bring her to life, a moment Navy officials describe as one of the most powerful in military ceremony.
A limited number of Alaskans will be able to attend the event, but sign-up information has not yet been released. The ship's commissioning will mark the first time in more than a decade that Alaska has hosted this kind of Navy ceremony on its own soil.
In this story
Questions people ask
Where will the USS Ted Stevens be commissioned?
At the cruise ship dock in Whittier, Alaska.
When is the USS Ted Stevens commissioning?
Later this year, but the exact date has not been announced.
Who was Ted Stevens?
He served Alaska in the United States Senate for 40 years and was known for his military service, his role in Alaska statehood, and his work on the Armed Services Committee.
Can the public attend the commissioning?
A limited number of Alaskans will be able to attend, but sign-up information hasn't been released yet.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- The USS Ted Stevens is heading toward its official commissioning in Whittier later this year. · alaskasnewssource.com
- The last time a Navy ship was commissioned in Alaska was 2013. · alaskasnewssource.com
- Ted Stevens served Alaska in the United States Senate for 40 years. · alaskasnewssource.com
- The commissioning ceremony runs about 90 minutes and ends with the ship's sponsor calling the crew to man the ship. · alaskasnewssource.com
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →