On May 16, 2023, the keel of the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126) was laid at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The keel-laying ceremony marks a significant milestone in turning plans into reality, a characteristic of the future destroyer’s namesake. This event marks the start of Bath Iron Works' venture into building the newest generation of destroyers for the US Navy. DDG 126 will be the first Flight III destroyer built at the Bath shipyard and the third Flight III in the US Navy. Both of the ship's sponsors, Mrs. Janet Wilson Taylor, General Wilson’s daughter, and the Honorable Susan J. Rabern, were in attendance to commemorate this momentous occasion.