USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)
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 USS Arleigh Burke |
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| Career (US) | |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 2 April 1985 |
| Laid down: | 6 December 1988 |
| Launched: | 16 September 1989 |
| Commissioned: | 4 July 1991 |
| Homeport: | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Motto: | Fast and Feared |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2008 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Arleigh Burke class destroyer |
| Displacement: | Light: approx. 6,794.38 tons Full: approx. 8,885.66 tons |
| Length: | 505 ft (154 m) |
| Beam: | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Draft: | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56+ km/h) |
| Range: | 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,100 km at 37 km/h) |
| Complement: | 23 Officers 24 Chief Petty Officers 291 Enlisted Personnel |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
• AN/SPY-1D Radar • AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar • AN/SPS-64(V)9 Surface Search Radar • AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array • AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar • AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
• AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System • AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures • MK 36 MOD 12 Decoy Launching System • AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys |
| Armament: |
1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-66 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked |
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh Albert Burke, USN (1901-1996), is the lead ship of her class of guided missile destroyers. She was laid down by Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine on 6 December 1988, launched on 16 September 1989 by Mrs. Arleigh Burke. The Admiral himself was present at her commissioning ceremony on 4 July 1991, held on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk.
Arleigh Burke's designers incorporated many lessons learned by the Royal Navy during the Falklands campaign. The Ticonderoga class of cruisers were becoming too expensive to continue building, and too difficult to upgrade. The Arleigh Burke design includes what are now better known as "stealth" technologies, which improve the ship's ability to defeat anti-ship cruise missiles. Further, her all-steel construction provides greater protection for the superstructure, while her Collective Protection System allows the ship to operate in environments contaminated by chemical, biological, or radiological hazards.
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[edit] History
Even before Arleigh Burke was commissioned, the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, was involved in the initial phases of testing. New systems, operated by fleet sailors ashore, were examined at land-based test facilities. The combat system testing took place at the Combat System Engineering Development Site in Moorestown, New Jersey. The propulsion plant testing occurred at the Gas Turbine Ship Land-Based Engineering Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These test results supported the acquisition decision to begin limited production of the ship class.
After commissioning and throughout 1992, Arleigh Burke conducted extensive testing at sea. As is often the case with new ship classes, Navy and commercial engineers encountered a number of discrepancies in shipboard systems that required the attention of the relevant design and production agencies. An additional phase of testing was added to verify the effectiveness of the modifications made to these systems--modifications incorporated into later ships of the Arleigh Burke class.
Following her initial operational testing, Arleigh Burke deployed to the Adriatic Sea in 1993, serving as "Green Crown" during Operation Provide Promise. During her second deployment in 1995, Arleigh Burke sailed the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas as "Red Crown" in support of the No-Fly Zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina. During her third cruise in 1998, she sailed the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Red, and Black Seas, exercising every facet of Surface Warfare as a participant in numerous U.S. and allied exercises. During her fourth cruise in 2000-2001, Arleigh Burke saw service in the Mediterranean and Red Seas and the Persian Gulf, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq and conducting exercises with allied and coalition naval partners.
On her fifth deployment in 2003, Arleigh Burke and the other units of the Theodore Roosevelt-led Strike Group participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. During this wartime cruise, Arleigh Burke conducted Tomahawk missile strikes against targets in Iraq, escorted merchant ships and naval auxiliaries through geographic chokepoints, executed Leadership Interdiction operations in the North Arabian Sea, and undertook counter-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden. This cruise, which lasted from January through June 2003, saw Arleigh Burke at sea nearly 93 percent of the time.
Arleigh Burke has earned one Navy Unit Commendation, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, three Battle Efficiency Awards, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, and five Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
A member of Destroyer Squadron TWO, Arleigh Burke operates with the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group under the command of the Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group EIGHT.
In May of 2007 the ship ran what the Navy is calling "soft aground" off Cape Henry Light at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The ship's CO, Commander Esther J. McClure, was relieved of command shortly thereafter as a result of "loss of confidence in her ability to command".
In October of 2007, the ship was involved in anti pirate operations 2007 in Somalia.
[edit] Media appearance
Arleigh Burke appeared throughout the NCIS episode "The Immortals" in which multiple shots were taken of the ship underway and alongside. The footage was of various deployments undertaken by the ship, and though the ship appeared to be moving in close up shots, it was indeed special effects.
The NCIS writers refer to the ship as Foster which is in fact a Spruance class destroyer. The similarity is rather striking, however the lack of passive radar and the more rectangular shape give way to an educated eye. The number that is consistently displayed however, 51, is in fact the number of the Arleigh Burke.
[edit] Ship's crest
The Shield outlined in blue and gold stands for the achievements in battle of Admiral Burke against the naval power of Japan. The fist and mace symbolize the offensive and defensive power of the new destroyer. The mace, also a symbol of authority, represents Admiral Burke's service as Chief of Naval Operations. It also refers to Admiral Marc Mitscher, an influential figure and mentor for whom Admiral Burke served as Chief of Staff. Admiral Burke's Destroyer Squadron 23, represented by the border of 23 ovals, was the only United States Destroyer Squadron awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, signified by the canton of blue, yellow, and red. The ovals also refer to the year 1923 in which Midshipman Burke graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Twenty-three also reflects Admiral Burke's distinguished service on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations as (OP-23).
The mounted figure of St. George recalls Admiral Burke's celebrated victory in the Battle of Cape St. George over Japanese naval forces. His mantle bears a gold cross for the Navy Cross awarded to the Admiral. The birch branch on the helmet represents Admiral Burke himself, a reference to his name derived from his Scandinavian heritage.
The red sea dragon symbolizes Japanese naval power assaulted by forces under Captain Burke's command. It is gorged with the two gold stars he was awarded for outstanding service. The lance impaling the dragon signifies ordnance on target. The capabilities of the new destroyer, the most powerful and survivable ever built, are signified by the full armor and equipment of the warrior St. George. The Admiral's nickname "31-Knot Burke" is recalled by the number 31 on the horse.
The motto "Built to Fight" is from Burke's remarks to the new crew about the destroyer, "This ship is built to fight. You had better know how."
[edit] External links
- Official USS Arleigh Burke Web site
- Naval Vessel Register entry for USS Arleigh Burke
- DDG-51 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.
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