Tag Archives: USS Fitzgerald

Fighting Fitz and Big John are back

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Last week, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sailed out of Ingalls after a three-year saga of being put back together following the collision with container ship MV ACX Crystal on 17 June 2017. She is now headed back to her regular homeport of San Diego for a return to service with the Pacific Fleet.

She dedicated a Remembrance Passageway to the seven Bluejackets lost in the incident and flies a special flag in their honor, recalling the 1813 dying command of CPT James Lawrence aboard USS Chesapeake.

190617-N-BR740-1106 PASCAGOULA, Miss. (June 17, 2019) The crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) unveiled a commemorative flag on June 17, 2019, during a remembrance ceremony honoring the Sailors who died in a collision in the Sea of Japan on June 17, 2017. The flag, designed by current crew members, is blue with “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” emblazoned above the names of the seven Sailors. (U.S. Navy photo by Samantha Crane/Released)

Similarly, the crew of the USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), Fitz’s sistership, successfully completed basic phase certification, June 2, following months of training and preparation to return the ship and its crew to operational status. As you will recall, McCain has been sidelined for repairs and extensive, accelerated upgrades over the last three years, following a collision in August 2017.

Vale, Fitzgerald

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Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, answers questions about the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) during a press conference at Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

The list of the fallen are from the Gulf Coast, the East Coast, the West Coast and the Midwest. Going on their names, they encompass numerous ethic backgrounds, all part of the national melting pot. One is a teenager, a striker. Another is a 37-year old PO1, likely well into his second decade of service. There are combat rates, CIC personnel, clerks.

All are American, and volunteered for the service, showing the persistent dangers of sea duty even in today’s environment–  reportedly stricken in a horrific collision and resulting flooding of their berthing spaces while in the slumber of the predawn hours.

The U.S. Navy Identifies 7 Deceased Fitzgerald Sailors

The remains of seven Sailors previously reported missing were located in flooded berthing compartments, after divers gained access to the spaces, June 18, that were damaged when USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) was involved in a collision with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystal.

The deceased are:

– Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Virginia

– Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, California

– Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Connecticut

– Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas

– Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, California

– Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Maryland

– Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio