DDG-138 USS J William Middendorf Arleigh Burke Destroyer

US Navy - Guided Missile Destroyer
DDG 138 - USS J. William Middendorf

sorry, no insignia

ddg-138 uss j. william middendorf arleigh burke class guided missile destroyer aegis us navy 02x

07/24

Type, class: Guided Missile Destroyer - DDG; Arleigh Burke class, Flight III
Builder: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, USA

STATUS:
Awarded: authorized
Laid down:
Launched:
Christened:
Commissioned:
I

Homeport: -
Namesake: SECNAV John William Middendorf (1924- )
Ships Motto:
Technical Data: see: INFO > Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - DDG

images

USS J. William Middendorf (DDG 138):

John William Middendorf (1924- )

... was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 22 September 1924. After serving as an engineering officer and navigator aboard LCS-53, Middendorf earned his bachelor’s degree in naval science from the College of the Holy Cross. He then earned his bachelor of arts degree from Harvard College in 1947 and a master’s degree from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1954. Middendorf became an investment banker in the 1950s as a partner of Wood, Struthers and Company. In 1961, he and Austen Colgate founded Middendorf Colgate and Company, which became a prominent Wall Street firm. In 1969, he left his investment firm and accepted the role of U.S. Ambassador to The Netherlands, serving there until 1973. After he returned to the United States, he was named Under Secretary of the Navy, and on 8 April 1974, was appointed Secretary of the Navy for President Richard Nixon’s administration.

During his tenure as Secretary of the Navy, Middendorf was able to sponsor through Congress four new major Navy programs: Ohio-class submarines and the accompanying Trident missiles; the Aegis surface-launched missile system; the F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based attack aircraft; and the CH-53E, heavy-lift helicopter for the Marine Corps. He also is credited with creating the Marine Corps Marathon.

After he left the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Middendorf returned to the private sector as president and chief executive officer of Financial General Bankshares (which he reorganized and renamed First American Bank). In 1980, he led the CIA transition team for incoming President Ronald Reagan’s administration, and was later named the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States. He served on that post until 1984 when he accepted the appointment as U.S. Representative to the European Community (today known as the European Union), serving in that role until 1987.

john william middendorf secnav uss ddg 03

john william middendorf secnav uss ddg 02

john william middendorf secnav uss ddg 05

john william middendorf secnav uss ddg 06

patches + more

| seaforces.org | USN ships start page |