HONOLULU — The U.S. Navy will christen a new guided missile destroyer, the USS Daniel Inouye, during a ceremony in Maine.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii will speak at Saturday’s ceremony in Bath, Maine. Inouye’s widow, Irene Hirano Inouye, will be the ship’s sponsor.

The Arleigh Burke-class ship is being named after the war hero and politician who broke racial barriers in Congress.

Inouye represented Hawaii in the U.S. Senate for a half-century until his death in 2012.

He played key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals and served as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

He received the Medal of Honor for bravery in World War II with the mostly Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He lost his right arm.