laststandonzombieisland

Forward-deployed Yokosuka-based DESRON 15’s Flight II Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) recently hosted a delegation from the Japanese Kongō-class destroyer JS Kirishima (DDG-174) in a Sister-Ship gift exchange to bring in the new year.

Although both Higgins and Kirishima are Aegis destroyers, they date back to the good ol’ 20th Century. Kirishima joined the fleet in 1995, while the Bath-built Higgins was commissionedon  24 April 1999. Steadily updated, however, they are no doubt still on the sharp end of that now somewhat dated spear.

Of note, Higgins is the first warship named in honor of Marine Col. William Richard Higgins (U. Miami ROTC 1967), a decorated Vietnam veteran who was kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah while part of a UN mission and tortured to death over the course of 529 days in 1989-89.

As for Kirishima, well, you know what she is named after.