Tag Archives: Arleigh Burke-class

DESRON 15 Flex

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Check out this great formation image of three Burkes— two Flight IIA (USS Ralph Johnson & USS Howard) and one Flight II (USS Higgins)– taken by a fourth (USS Dewey).

240324-N-CD453-1209 PHILIPPINE SEA (March 24, 2024) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), right, USS Howard (DDG 83), center, and USS Higgins (DDG 76), left, sail in formation in front of USS Dewey (DDG 105) while conducting operations in the Philippine Sea, March 24. Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Samantha Oblander)

The four-ship line adds up to some 37,000 tons– fundamentally the weight of a circa 1940 battleship– and brings 378 VLS cells to the fight as well as four 5-inchers and an array of smaller 25mm and 20mm mounts plus eight MH60 Seahawks and 24 Mk 32 torpedo tubes.

Say what you want about the Navy’s lack of frigates and the LCS fiasco, the latter flight Burkes are ton-for-ton likely the best surface combatants in the world.

Three greyhounds, fitting out

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While putting my kayak in at the Point in Pascagoula, I saw these three across the way at Ingalls SB’s West Bank.

Three greyhounds, fitting out USS John Basilone (DDG-122) USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) USS Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) Ingalls Eger July 2019 3000

(Photo by Chris Eger)

PCU USS John Basilone (DDG-122) is afloat and fitting out to the far left, with her bow forward. Meanwhile, PCU USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) is in the center, showing off her stern and twin helicopter hangar. To the far right, with her bridge visible between the cranes, is PCU USS Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), which is still land-bound and nearing launch.

They are named for the famous Marine machine gun Rembrandt of Henderson Field, the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) and the Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I.

All three are Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the 72nd, 70th and 73rd such ships, respectively, of that huge tin can family. All are what the Navy calls “technology insertion” ships, containing elements of the Flight III ships, projected to begin with DDG-124.

More bad finger-painting

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I tried my ever-evolving hand at art by working up a painting “inspired” by a photo of the USS Lassen (DDG-82) under construction on a foggy day at Ingalls in Pascagoula.

Back in my contractor days I worked on a number of the Burkes at the yard including Ramage, Stethem, Benfold, Cole, Milius and Ross (and have the initials in the innerbottom and the christening coins to prove it!) so I have seen a number of those “51s” on mornings such as these with the seagulls and pelicans swarming in to get ahead of the sea smoke on the Mississippi Sound.

With that in mind, and since I did’t work on Lassen, I did not put her hull numbers on, leaving her to represent all of those other DDGs in my memory.

Looking sketchy

The fog rolling in

Man, that is a wonky mast

Still wonky, but at least the birds distract you a bit

Meh, I could sell it in the French Quarter for $11 heheh. I’ll keep working on it.

 

The Rising Sun leading the way

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Click to bigup

Click to bigup

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Shirane-class destroyer JS Kurama (DDH 144) leads the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USS Stockdale (DDG 106) during a passing exercise while under way in the Pacific Ocean Jan. 10, 2011. Stockdale and Gridley were underway at the time with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans, U.S. Navy/Released)

Do you notice how much beamier the two U.S. Burkes are (as Flight IIA vessels they are over 10,000-tons on a 509-foot long hull with a 66-foot beam) when compared to the Japanese ship?

The Kurama is a rather dated Shirane-class destroyer, of which just two were built in the late 70s. Just 7,500-tons full load and 522 feet long, they were big tin cans for thier day, mounting a pair of old school  FMC 5″/54 caliber Mark 42 guns forward to allow room for a large helicopter deck aft that can accommodate 3-4 medium ASW helicopters. They are reported to be excellent ASW ships with an OG style ASROC launcher, bow active and towed passive sonars, and Mk.32 tubes all of which would come in handy against a DPRK or PLAN underwater threat.

Here is a profile shot from the same day, same photographer.

100110-N-7981E-141
PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 10, 2011) The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Kurama (DDH-144) is underway in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans/Released)

Burke Force Four

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Click to bigup. You DO want to bigup.

Click to bigup. You DO want to bigup.

Here we see four Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyers, USS Dewey (DDG 105), USS Sterett (DDG 104), USS Mustin (DDG 89) and USS Stethem (DDG 63) steaming together at the conclusion of exercise Valiant Shield in U.S. 7th Fleet. You are looking at four advanced 5-inch guns, nearly 400 VLS cells, and a quartet of the most advanced sonar and radar suites in the world. Not quite as heavily armed as the four Ticos in the same exercise I posted last week, but not bad for 9200-ton “destroyers.”