USS Fitzgerald

Last updated

US Navy 050813-N-8492C-111 The guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) prepares to get into position with ships of the Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group during a formation exercise.jpg
USS Fitzgerald on 13 August 2005
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameFitzgerald
Namesake William Charles Fitzgerald
Ordered22 February 1990
Builder Bath Iron Works
Laid down9 February 1993
Launched29 January 1994
Sponsored byBetty Ann Fitzgerald
Christened29 January 1994
Commissioned14 October 1995
Homeport San Diego
Identification
MottoProtect Your People
Nickname(s)
  • Fighting Fitz
  • Fightin' Fitz
Honors and
awards
See Awards
Statusin active service
Badge USS Fitzgerald DDG-62 Crest.png
General characteristics
Class and type Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement
  • Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900  t)
  • Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length505 ft (154 m)
Beam59 ft (18 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion2 × shafts
SpeedIn excess of 30  kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range4,400  nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Sikorsky MH-60R

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy.

Contents

In the early morning hours of 17 June 2017, the ship was involved in a collision with the container ship MV ACX Crystal, seriously damaging the destroyer. Seven of her crew were killed. Several others were injured, including her commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson.

Construction

Fitzgerald's keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 9 February 1993; launched 29 January 1994; sponsored by Betty A. Fitzgerald, widow of the late Lt. Fitzgerald; and commissioned 14 October 1995, in Newport, Rhode Island. [4] The ship was then homeported in Naval Base San Diego, California.

Service history

USS Fitzgerald pulls into port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March 2003 USS Fitzgerald DDG-62.jpg
USS Fitzgerald pulls into port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March 2003

In early April 2004, Navy officials announced plans to deploy Fitzgerald, 14 other destroyers, and three cruisers to counter ballistic missile threats worldwide. The next month, she took part in a personnel exchange known as "Super Swap", taking aboard 141 sailors from the destroyer O'Brien and transferring 95 to join the soon-to-be-decommissioned ship's decommissioning unit. [5] Fitzgerald sailed to Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 30 September 2004, and joining the U.S. 7th Fleet's Destroyer Squadron 15.

In March 2011, in company with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, Fitzgerald was deployed off northeastern Honshu, Japan, to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. [6] [7] [8]

USS Fitzgerald fires a missile. Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Fitzgerald fires a missile..jpg
USS Fitzgerald fires a missile.

On 16 November 2011, while docked in Manila, Philippines, Fitzgerald hosted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to sign the Manila Declaration, which called for multilateral talks to resolve maritime disputes and to mark the 60th anniversary of the American–Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty. [9] [10]

On 1 June 2017, Fitzgerald, operating out of Yokosuka Naval Base, was noted for participating in routine exercises with Japan that were described in the media as a show of force to North Korea. She sailed with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, the cruiser Shiloh, and the destroyers Barry, McCampbell, and Mustin, joined by the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, cruiser Lake Champlain, and destroyers Wayne E. Meyer and Michael Murphy, and Japanese ships Hyūga and Ashigara.

In May 2022, Fitzgerald was homeported at Naval Station San Diego and a part of Destroyer Squadron 2, along with Carrier Strike Group 3 led by USS Abraham Lincoln. [11]

Fitzgerald participated in RIMPAC 2022. [12]

Fitzgerald fired a Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC 2024; the Harpoon missile launchers were removed to accommodate the NSM. [13] [14]

2017 collision

Damaged Fitzgerald after the collision 170617-N-XN177-155 damaged Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) in June 2017.JPG
Damaged Fitzgerald after the collision

About 1:30 a.m. on 17 June 2017, Fitzgerald collided with ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship [15] measured at 29,060 gross tons and almost 40,000 tons deadweight. Most of Fitzgerald's crew of about 300 [16] were asleep at the time. [17] The collision occurred about 56 nautical miles (104 kilometres ; 64 miles ) southwest of her homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. [15]

The starboard side of Fitzgerald was seriously damaged. The container ship's bulbous bow penetrated the destroyer's hull below the waterline, flooding a machinery space, the radio room, and two crew berthing spaces. [18] The captain's cabin was crushed. [19] Seven crewmen were reported missing after the collision, but their bodies were found the next day after rescue workers gained access to flooded compartments. [18] [20] The injured include the ship's commanding officer and two sailors. [21]

Within a day of the collision, investigations were begun by the United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan Transport Safety Board, and the insurers of the Crystal. The U.S. Navy's Manual of the Judge Advocate General (JAGMAN) investigation concerns the crew's operations, and is led by Rear Adm. Brian Fort, a former commander of USS Gonzalez, who now commands Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific. [22] [23] [24] The U.S. and Japanese coast guards are investigating the cause of the accident. [25] Steffan Watkins, a Canada-based security analyst, [26] [27] created a Google Maps overlay for the broadcast AIS data points. [28]

Including costs for planned service life extension and other upgrades, repairs for the damage to Fitzgerald are expected to run about $368.7 million, [29] and will take over a year. Repairs on the ship will overlap with planned service life extension and electronics upgrade, but despite the need to replace portions of the ship's AEGIS system the ship will remain in "a legacy configuration instead of upgrading to Baseline 9". [30] [31]

On 17 August 2017, the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor in charge of the naval vessel were relieved of their duties. [32] The Navy planned to discipline up to a dozen sailors, including the commanding officer, for watchstanding failures that allowed the fatal collision. [33]

Damage to USS Fitzgerald Damage to USS Fitzgerald, 2017 (2).jpg
Damage to USS Fitzgerald

In late August 2017, it was reported that the destroyer will be transported by the Dockwise heavy-lift ship MV Transshelf to Huntington Ingalls Industriesshipyard in Pascagoula. [34] [35] [36]

It was announced in October that the vessel would not be upgraded to the latest version of the Aegis system. [37]

On 28 November 2017, the destroyer was further damaged by two punctures to her hull during the loading process to MV Transshelf, compelling her to return to Yokosuka for the punctures to be repaired. [38] [39]

Fitzgerald arrived at the Port of Pascagoula in Mississippi on 19 January 2018, aboard the heavy-lift transport MV Transshelf, after a two-month journey from Japan. She was expected to spend a few days in the port, being lifted off the transport and readied for her trip to the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard, where she was expected to commence an estimated two year repair. [40]

In August 2019, the Japan Transport Safety Board's final report concluded distraction and incomplete radar information aboard the US Navy vessel caused the accident. [41]

On 3 February 2020, USS Fitzgerald exited the Pascagoula shipyard for sea trials aimed at testing all shipboard systems. Following these sea trials, Fitzgerald plans to return to the shipyard to correct any remaining issues and then commence crew training in preparation for its return to active duty. [42] On 13 June 2020 she departed Pascagoula to return to her home port in San Diego. [43]

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Arleigh Burke</i>-class destroyer US Navy guided-missile destroyer class

The Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer centered around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke, an American destroyer officer in World War II and later Chief of Naval Operations. With an overall length of 505 to 509.5 feet, displacement ranging from 8,300 to 9,700 tons, and weaponry including over 90 missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are larger and more heavily armed than many previous classes of guided-missile cruisers.

USS <i>Antietam</i> (CG-54) Ticonderoga-class Guided-Missile Cruiser

USS Antietam (CG-54) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Antietam was named for the site of the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland, between Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee and Union forces under Major General George McClellan, during the American Civil War. Antietam earned the 2007 and 2008 Battle Efficiency awards, also known as the "Navy E" or "Battle E" award, for the John C. Stennis Strike Group.

USS <i>John S. McCain</i> (DDG-56) US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in the service of the United States Navy. She is part of the Destroyer Squadron 23 within the Third Fleet, and has her homeport at Naval Station Everett in Everett, Washington.

USS <i>Barry</i> (DDG-52) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Barry (DDG-52) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, commissioned in 1992. Barry is the fourth United States Navy ship named after the "Father of the American Navy", Commodore John Barry (1745–1803). Her homeport is Naval Station Everett, Washington. Several improvements over Arleigh Burke exist on this ship and all following Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, such as the ability to refuel a helicopter.

USS <i>Robert Smalls</i> Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser built during the Cold War for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1989, the warship was originally named USS Chancellorsville for the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. In March 2023, she was renamed for Robert Smalls, a former slave who freed himself and others by commandeering a Confederate transport ship.

USS <i>Benfold</i> US Navy destroyer

USS Benfold (DDG-65) is a Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is a multi-mission platform capable of anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) with the powerful Aegis Combat System suite and anti-aircraft missiles, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), with towed sonar array, anti-submarine rockets, anti-surface warfare (ASUW) with Harpoon missiles, and strategic land strike using Tomahawk missiles. Benfold was one of the first ships fitted with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and during the 2010 Stellar Daggers exercise was the first ship to simultaneously engage a ballistic missile and a cruise missile.

USS <i>Ross</i> (DDG-71) Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer

USS Ross (DDG-71) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship to be named Ross, the first Navy ship named for Medal of Honor recipient Donald K. Ross and the 21st destroyer of her class. The first Ross, DD-563, was named for David Ross, a captain in the Continental Navy.

USS <i>Porter</i> (DDG-78) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Porter (DDG-78) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Porter is the fifth US Navy ship to be named after US Navy officers Commodore David Porter, and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter. This ship is the 28th destroyer of her class. Porter was the 12th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was laid down on 2 December 1996, launched and christened on 12 November 1997, and commissioned 20 March 1999, in Port Canaveral, Florida.

USS <i>Lassen</i> (DDG-82) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Lassen (DDG-82) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient Commander Clyde Everett Lassen. This ship is the 32nd destroyer of her class. Lassen was the 14th ship of this class to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and construction began on 24 August 1998. She was launched and christened on 16 October 1999. On 21 April 2001, she was commissioned at the Florida Aquarium Pier in Tampa, Florida.

USS <i>Kidd</i> (DDG-100) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Kidd (DDG-100) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the third Navy ship named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who was on board Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was the first American flag officer to die in World War II. The ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 1 of Carrier Strike Group 1 which is currently headed by the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).

USS <i>Dewey</i> (DDG-105) Guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy

USS Dewey (DDG-105) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. Dewey is the third Navy ship named after Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, hero of the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka</span> United States Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan

United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka or Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, Seventh Fleet and other operating forces assigned in the Western Pacific. CFAY is the largest strategically important U.S. naval installation in the western Pacific.

USS <i>Zumwalt</i> Guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy

USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is a guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. She is the lead ship of the Zumwalt class and the first ship to be named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. Zumwalt has stealth capabilities, having a radar cross-section similar to a fishing boat despite her large size. On 7 December 2015, Zumwalt began her sea trial preparatory to joining the Pacific Fleet. The ship was commissioned in Baltimore on 15 October 2016. Her home port is San Diego, California.

USS <i>Gravely</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Gravely (DDG-107) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Commissioned in 2010, she has been on several overseas deployments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntington Ingalls Industries</span> American shipbuilding company

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States as well as a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. HII, ranked No. 375 on the Fortune 500, was formed on 31 March 2011, as a divestiture from Northrop Grumman.

USS <i>Ralph Johnson</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Ralph Johnson is the 64th ship of the class and was commissioned on 24 March 2018.

ACX Crystal is a container ship built in South Korea in 2008. In June, 2017, the ship was damaged in a collision with USS Fitzgerald south of Yokosuka, Japan.

USS <i>Fitzgerald</i> and MV <i>ACX Crystal</i> collision 2017 maritime accident

Early on 17 June 2017, the United States Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with MV ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, about 80 nautical miles southwest of Tokyo, Japan; 10 nautical miles southeast of the city of Shimoda on the Japanese mainland (Honshu).

USS <i>John S. McCain</i> and <i>Alnic MC</i> collision 2017 maritime accident

At 5:24 a.m. on 21 August 2017, USS John S. McCain, a United States Navy warship, was involved in a collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker Alnic MC off the coast of Singapore and Malaysia, east of the Strait of Malacca. According to a U.S. Navy press release, the breach "resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms." Ten US Navy sailors died as a result of the crash, which prompted the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore to start a multi-agency search-and-rescue (SAR) effort as the agency responsible for coordinating SAR operations within Singapore's Maritime Search and Rescue Region (MSRR). The Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) also launched a marine safety investigation following the collision in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation's Casualty Investigation Code in Singapore's capacity as a coastal state, and published its final report on 8 March 2018. The U.S. Navy announced on 24 August 2017 that it had suspended search-and-rescue efforts for survivors in the open sea to focus on the recovery of the remains of the missing sailors still inside the flooded compartments of the ship. By 27 August, U.S. Navy and United States Marine Corps divers had recovered the remains of all ten sailors. On 12 September 2017, the United States' chargé d'affaires Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath expressed thanks for Singapore's support during the SAR operations. The McCain returned to service in June 2020.

References

Notes

  1. "Mk46 MOD 1 Optical Sight System". Kollmorgen. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  2. Rockwell, David (12 July 2017). "The Kollmorgen/L-3 KEO Legacy". Teal Group. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. Hart, Jackie (17 December 2023). "Decoy Launch System Installed Aboard USS Ramage". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. Evans, Mark L. (8 July 2015). "Fitzgerald (DDG-62)". Naval History and Heritage Command . Retrieved 18 June 2017.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. "O'Brien-Fitzgerald crew swap to return sailors to Yokosuka". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  6. Rabiroff, John (17 March 2011). "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas". Stars and Stripes . Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  7. "Warships Supporting Earthquake in Japan". Seawaves. Archived from the original on 23 March 2011.
  8. Stewart, Joshua (14 March 2011). "Navy ships off Japan move to avoid radiation". Military Times . Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  9. "Clinton uses warship to push Philippines alliance". ABS-CBN News Interactive. Agence France-Presse. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  10. "US, Philippines boost alliance amid row with China". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Associated Press. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  11. "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022". USNI News . 1 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker". news.usni.org. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  13. "USS Fitzgerald fires first Naval Strike Missile". DVIDS. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  14. Johnston, Carter (29 June 2024). "USS Fitzgerald and HMAS Sydney Show Up at RIMPAC 2024 with NSM". Naval News. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  15. 1 2 Shane, Scott (18 June 2017). "Sleeping Sailors on U.S.S. Fitzgerald Awoke to a Calamity at Sea". The New York Times . Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  16. Larter, David B. (18 June 2017). "Fitzgerald crew's 'heroic efforts' saved their ship from sinking, admiral says". Navy Times. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  17. "Missing sailors' bodies found in damaged USS Fitzgerald". So Jazeera. 18 June 2017.
  18. 1 2 "Seven sailors missing in ship collision found dead". The Hill . 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  19. Gale, Alastair; Lubold, Gordon (18 June 2017). "Deadly Collision Crushed Captain's Cabin of USS Fitzgerald" . The Wall Street Journal.
  20. "US Navy Identifies Seven Deceased Fitzgerald Sailors". U.S. Navy . 18 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  21. Simpkins, Jon; Larter, David (16 June 2017). "7 US sailors missing after USS Fitzgerald's catastrophic collision". Navy Times . Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  22. Shane, Scott (23 June 2017). "Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship". New York Times . Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  23. "Rear Admiral Brian P. Fort: Commander, Navy Region Hawaii/Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific". U.S. Navy. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  24. Cole, William (23 June 2017). "Incoming Hawaii Navy commander to investigate fatal collision off Japan". Honolulu Star-Advertiser . Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  25. Rich, Motoko (19 June 2017). "As Sailors' Bodies Are Flown to U.S., Fitzgerald Inquiries Intensify". The New York Times . Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  26. Johnson, Tim (7 February 2019). "Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro". McClatchy DC BUREAU. Ottawa-based analyst of unusual ship and plane movements, Steffan Watkins, drew attention to the frequent flights of the 21 Air cargo plane
  27. "U.S. Denies Russian Plane Permission for Reconnaissance Flights, Official Says". The Moscow Times. 12 September 2018. Canadian-based security analyst Steffan Watkins noted that the U.S. refused to certify the Russian aircraft for "absolutely no technical or treaty-related reason."
  28. Watkins, Steffan (26 June 2017). "The leaked statement from the ACX Crystal's Captain is an easily disproven lie".
  29. Werner, Ben (13 December 2017). "USS John S. McCain Now in Japan for Repairs Following Deadly August Collision". USNI News . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  30. Repair for USS Fitzgerald After Collision Will Cost More Than Fix to USS Cole After Terror Attack – News.USNI.org, 27 July 2017
  31. U.S. Navy Won't Upgrade USS Fitzgerald to Baseline 9 Aegis Combat System – News.USNI.org, 16 October 2017
  32. U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs (17 August 2017). "7th Fleet Announces USS Fitzgerald Accountability Determinations". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 21 August 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. "Sailors to be Disciplined". Navy Times. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  34. "Huntington Ingalls Industries Selected to Repair Guided Missile Destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62)". Huntington Ingalls Industries . 23 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  35. Burgess, Richard R. (25 August 2017). "Navy Taps Patriot Shipping to Transport USS Fitzgerald to Pascagoula". Seapower . Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  36. "Dockwise Heavy Lift Ship Will Transport USS Fitzgerald". The Maritime Executive. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  37. LaGrone, Sam (16 October 2017). "U.S. Navy Won't Upgrade USS Fitzgerald to Baseline 9 Aegis Combat System". United States Naval Institute . Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  38. "Crippled US destroyer damaged by transport ship". CNN. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  39. Lardieri, Alexa (28 November 2017). "USS Fitzgerald Suffers More Damage". U.S. News & World Report . Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  40. "stricken-destroyer-uss-fitzgerald-arrives-mississippi-two-years-repairs". usni.org. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  41. "U.S. Destroyer lookouts' failure to follow protocol led to fatal 2017 collision, Japanese report says". 29 August 2019.
  42. "USS Fitzgerald Returns To Sea". US Navy. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  43. "USS Fitzgerald En Route to San Diego". Naval Sea Systems Command. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  44. Dortch, Debbie (5 February 2012). "SECNAV Names 2012 Outstanding Food Service Ney Award Winners". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 4 October 2015.

Sources

Further reading