WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer named a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG 131) in honor of Korean War veteran, Navy Cross Recipient, and Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal. Neal served with Helicopter Utility Squadron ONE (HU-1), a rescue unit embarked from Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney during the Korean War. The future DDG 131 will be a Flight III destroyer capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously, and will contain a combination of offensive and defensive weapon systems designed to support maritime warfare, including integrated air and missile defense and vertical launch capabilities. The ship will be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: Secretary of the Navy, 03/26/19)
