Tag Archives: USS Sterett (DDG 104)

Decking the Bulkheads

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Naval Base San Diego’s recent Holiday Lights Surface Ship Competition saw the San Antonio-class gator USS John P Murtha (LPD 26) take “Best in Show,” while the “Steelworkers” of the Flight I Burke-class destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) took “Best Holiday Spirit” and the testbed Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) scored “Best Navy Spirit.”

Those not placing but still looking great included the Flight IIA Burke USS Sterett (DDG 104), Monsoor’s class-leader USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), and the recently commissioned USS Mobile (LCS 26), who looked as good as when I saw her off from the port city she was constructed at in May.

Of course, the practice is nothing new:

USS MOUNT WHITNEY LCC 20 lit for holidays, 2019

USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) lit up for Christmas at Naval Air Station North Island, California in December 1971. U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.039.067

USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) lit up for Christmas at Naval Air Station North Island, California in December 1971. U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.039.067

USS Perry (DE-1034) Christmas lighting aboard ship while at Key West Naval Station Annex, Key West, Florida. The winner for Destroyer Division 601, 25 December 1961. K-26491

11 Months Underway

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Ships assigned to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group sail in formation with Indian navy ships during a cooperative deployment in the Indian Ocean, July 20, 2020. Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Donald R. White, Jr. VIRIN: 200720-N-MY642-0207M

From DOD:

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is returning after operations in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility. It was the first carrier strike group to deploy under COVID-19 protocols. By the time the carrier strike group reaches home, the sailors and Marines aboard will have been gone for 321 days.

The Nimitz, the cruiser USS Princeton, and the destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson made up the group. 

Overall, the carrier strike group steamed more than 87,300 nautical miles during its deployment. The carrier launched 10,185 sorties totaling 23,410 flight hours logged.

I’m not sure the value of wearing out ships and crew on year-long deployments when there are no major conflicts underway, but you damned sure don’t see other fleets able/willing to pull off this type of crap, which is a statement of deterrence all its own, I suppose. 

Of note, Nimitz is our oldest active warship in fleet service– and the oldest commissioned aircraft carrier in the world–  slated to celebrate the 46th anniversary of her commissioning in May. Princeton is no spring chicken either, as the early Tico left Pascagoula for the fleet in 1989.

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.”