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USS The Sullivans, DDG-68, Arleigh Burke Flight I AEGIS Destroyer
Arleigh Burke Class AEGIS Destroyers
The United States navy embarked on an ambitious ship building program in the 1980s to entirely overhaul and modernize its guided missile destroyer fleet and standardize them on a single, powerful, multi-role hull with the full AEGIS capability that had proven so successful with the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers. In addition, learning from the experiences of the USS Stark, the new class was built as an all steel design to improve battle damage capabilities. In addition, the new class introduced sloping and shaping design into its structure above the water line to reduce its radar cross section considerably.
The result of all of this development was the Arleigh Burke class destroyers, the first of which, DDG 51, Arleigh Burke, was commissioned in 1985.
These vessels represent very powerful surface combatants that can act in any escort role, in surface action groups, or independently to accomplish any anti-air, anti-surface, anti-shipping, or anti-submarine warfare role assigned to them. They are projected to have a 35 year service life. Although the first and second groups (or "flights") of these vessels do not have helicopter hangar facilities, they do have a full size landing pad and electronic capabilities to accomodate and support LAMPS III Seahawk helicopters from their deck, including refueling and arming,
Later, starting with the USS OScar Austin, DDG-79, they added two full hangers to accomodate two heicopters. The Flight IIA, and the new Flight III vessels hhave been built that way ever since, the latest vessel launched ws the USS Rafael Peralta, DDG-115.
So, to date, a total of 65 BUrke Class Destroyers have been launchedin 30 years. Of those, the first 28 had nno helicopter hanger, thpough they have a landing pad and facilities to refuel and rearm heicopters as neeed.
Thirty-six destroyers have been built to the full helicopter standard. Eight more Flight IIA ships are funded and planned. At least 12, and possible as many as 20 Flight III ships will also be built.
The US The Sullvans, DDG-68, is a Flight I vessel without the hanger and displaces, like her sisters, 8,900 tons. The Flight IIA vessel displace 9,300 tons, and the Flight II vessels will displace right at 10,000 tons.
As stated, twenty eight of these 8,300 ton vessels were built.
USS The Sullivans, DDG-68
USS The Sullivans was launched in August 1995 and commissioned in April 1997. She is the second dstroyer named "The Sullivans." She in honor of the five Sullivan brothers (George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert) ages 20 to 27 who were all killed when their ship, the USS Juneau, a light cruiser, was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.
The Five Sullivan brothers killed in November 1942 off of GUadalcanal.
This was the greatest military loss by any one American family during World War II.
The US Navy moved quickly to hponor this family and their loss. A new Fletcher class destroyer, which bwas about to be built, had its name changed to the USS The Sullivans. Five months after their deaths, this vessel honoring them was launched in April 1943 and commissioned in September 1943. She fought throughout World War II and then served in Korea and throughout the Vietnam War period. She was finally struck in 1977 and made into a museum ship and is now an offical US LAndmark as well as a Museum ship in BUffalo New York.
The USS The Sullivans was the first ship commissioned in the Navy that honored more than one person, and that tradition now continued with the BUrke class destroyer, the USS The Sullivans, DDG-68.
The USS The Sullivans, DD-537, a World War II Fletcher Class named for the Sullivans.
After USS The Sullivans, DD-537, was decommissioned, the US Navy bided its time waiting for the moment to name another destroyer after these five brothers.
Before the official keel laying, in 1993, the Secretary of the Navy announced that the next Arleigh Burke class destroyer would be named for the Sullivan brohers. Thereafter, The Sullivans (DDG-68) was laid down on 14 June 1993 at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works Co. and launched on 12 August 1995 sponsored by Kelly Sullivan Loughren, granddaughter of Albert Leo Sullivan. She was Commissioned on 19 April 1997 at Staten Island, New York under the command of Commander Gerard D. Roncolato, Captain Roncolato announced that the offial motto of the ship would be "We Stick Together," a saying that the Sullivan brothers often spoke of beofre and during their service.
The Sullivans is a powrful vessel, as are all Areliegh Burke destroyers.she is fitted with the most powerful sensors, the most powerful battle management systems, the strongest electronics, and the most powerful weapons the USnNavy can place ona destroyer.
Her official specifaltions include:
Displacement: Full: 8,300 tons (9,000 t)
Length: 505 ft (154 m)
Beam: 66 ft (20 m)
Draft: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:
- 4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines,
- wo 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:
- 33 commissioned officers
- 38 chief petty officers
- 210 enlisted personnel
Sensors and processing systems:
- AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar
- AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar
- AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar
- AN/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar
- AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array
- AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar
- AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
Electronic warfare & 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 Mk 41 VLS w/ 29 × SM-2, Tomahawk or VL-ASROC missiles
1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vVLS w/61 × SM-2, Tomahawk or VL-ASROC missiles
2 x Mk 141 Harpoon Missile Launcher SSM
1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm)
2 × 25 mm chain gun
4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns
2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: No hanger,
2 x Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters can be embarked
The Sullivans has been involved in numerous exercises and combat deployements over the last 21 years. Notably she served as a part of Opertion Noble Eagle, the offial US Armed Forces Opertipon related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies in direct response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
She also served as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, whch were the ongoing Military operations in Afghanistan directed against the Taliban and Al Qaeda to find, prosecute, hunt down, and destroy and punnish them for the 911 attacks.
As a direct response, the enemy of the United States sought to attack the USS The Sullivans. Most people are unaware, but al-Qaeda attempted to attack on The Sullivans while in port at Aden, Yemen on January 3, 2000 as a part of their overall 2000 millennium attack plots. They loaded a boat full of explosives and tried to stear it near The Sullivans and explode it. However the terrorist boat was so overladen with explosives that it sank before it could reach the Sullivans and the attack was foiled.
Later, al-Qaeda tried the same type of attack against the USS Cole, DDG-67 in October of 2000. That attack was successful, severelly damaging the vessel and killing 17 US Naval peronnel and injuring 39 more. But the vessel returned to the United States and was completely repaired and has been back on duty ever since.
Like all Burke destroyers, the SUllivans receives regular upgrades to her software, electronics, sensors, and weapons. The entire class was designed with this in mind, providing ample contingency spaces for newer, better equipment long before it ever came out.
To this day, 21 years after her launch, the USS The Sullivans remains a strong and powerful component of the US Navy at-sea capability.
She is expected to serve well into the 2030s.