Tag Archives: DESRON 15

Sisters from another mister

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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.

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.