Winston S. Churchill is one of a relatively small number of US warships named for foreign leaders. Given the great prominence of her namesake, it was no surprise that DDG 81's launch was attended by many important political and military figures, both from the US and the UK. The ship was Sponsored (christened) by Mrs. Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of US Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Mr. Cohen, who was the event's principal speaker, was accompanied by Richard Danzig, Secretary of the Navy, and by Admiral Jay Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations. Notable dignitaries from the UK included George Robertson, Minister of Defense, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, and The Lady Soames, DBE, only surviving child of Sir Winston Churchill. Lady Soames joined Mrs. Cohen in the christening ceremony as the Honorary Sponsor for the United Kingdom. The event was also attended by numerous state and local politicians, and by a audience of over 8,000 BIW employees and members of the general public. Although not the largest-ever attendance at a BIW launch, the crowd was the largest in recent memory.

Churchill was launched by the ancient traditional method - by sliding down an inclined shipway. However, she will be one of the last ships launched this way at BIW. The yard is currently building a new, land-level construction and launch facility, which will replace the old shipways late in 2000, when DDG 90 is laid down.