By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 20, 2026 – Lily Stevens Becker, daughter of the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, visited the destroyer named for her father during its stop at Naval Base San Diego ahead of its commissioning in Whittier next month.
Becker is one of three sponsors of the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128). The other sponsors are the senator’s widow, Catherine Ann Stevens, and his daughter Susan Stevens Covich.
The Navy has scheduled the commissioning for Saturday, Oct. 3. The commissioning committee scheduled the ceremony for noon in Whittier, says tickets are required, along with background checks. Guests must check in at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center and travel to Whittier by Alaska Railroad or motorcoach; the Whittier tunnel will be closed to private vehicles that day. Security will be tight; dignitaries are expected.
The ceremony will bring the warship bearing Stevens’ name to Alaska, where he served more than 40 years in the US Senate. Before entering politics, Stevens flew missions in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II. The Navy said it chose Whittier in recognition of Alaska’s maritime tradition and its longstanding relationship with the service.
Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the Ted Stevens is a Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. Its systems include the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system. The Flight III design also adds electrical power and cooling capacity to support its upgraded equipment, according to the Navy.
The ship arrived at its future homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, in May after leaving the Mississippi shipyard. It will be homeported there following the Alaska commissioning.
Photo: Lily Stevens Becker greets a sailor aboard the future USS Ted Stevens at Naval Base San Diego. Photo credit: CPO Dennard Johnson,
