The ship was named for Admiral Günther Lütjens, who commanded a battlegroup comprising the and the cruiser during Operation Rheinübung (Exercise Rhine). Lütjens was killed when "Bismarck" was surrounded by overwhelming British naval force on 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic. She was laid down at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine on 1 March 1966 with the hull classification symbol DDG-28. She was launched on 11 August 1967 and commissioned on 22 March 1969.