This RI resident, former Navy secretary, will have a destroyer named after him. What to know.

NEWPORT – The secretary of the Navy announced Monday that a future guided-missile destroyer will be named after J. William Middendorf II, of Little Compton, who served as secretary of the Navy under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro celebrated the “keel plate” unveiling ceremony at the Naval War College with Middendorf, 99, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, in attendance, according to a news release.

“It’s hard to believe that 50 years ago Ambassador Middendorf was championing the Aegis Weapons System as the Secretary of the Navy,” said Del Toro. The weapons system remains "the workforce of our force.” Middendorf also championed the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine.

“In the past two and a half years as the secretary of the Navy, I have been lucky enough to announce the names for a myriad of new ships, as well as attend numerous commissionings, keel-layings, and christenings,” Del Toro said. “The ships we’re building across the country are a key piece of our department’s ability to deter our adversaries, support our allies and partners, and, if necessary, fight and win our nation’s wars.”

New ship will be the 'most capable surface combatant ever built'

When completed, the USS J. William Middendorf will become part of that “storied line of ships,” Del Toro said. “She will be the most capable surface combatant ever built.” Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025.

Del Toro said the United States faces a geopolitical landscape more akin to the Cold War era of the 1970s when the nation faced off against the Soviet Union and Middendorf served as Navy secretary.

Today “The People’s Republic of China is our pacing challenge, and we must restore our Nation’s maritime power to meet it,” the secretary said. “The future USS J. William Middendorf is key to that goal. We look forward to welcoming her into our fleet and are excited for its future crew to represent our nation on a global scale, just as her namesake did throughout his life.” 

Middendorf served in the Navy between 1944 and 1946, before earning a bachelor's degree from Harvard College and then a master’s in business, in 1954, from New York University. He became an investment banker and worked for the Republican National Committee. Shortly after taking office in 1969, President Nixon appointed Middendorf ambassador to the Netherlands. He served in this position until 1973, later becoming the 62nd secretary of the Navy.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: US Navy to name ship after J. William Middendorf II of Rhode Island