USS Mitscher (DDG-57)

Career (United States)
Name:	USS Mitscher
Namesake:	Admiral Marc A. Mitscher
Ordered:	13 December 1988
Builder:	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down:	12 February 1992
Launched:	7 May 1993
Commissioned:	10 December 1994
Homeport:	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto:	Seize the Day
Status:	in active service, as of 2011[update]
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement:	Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t) Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length:	505 ft (154 m)
Beam:	66 ft (20 m)
Draft:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:	4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW)
Speed:	>30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:	4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,100 km at 37 km/h)
Complement:	33 Officers 38 Chief Petty Officers 210 Enlisted Personnel
Sensors and processing systems:	• AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar • AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar • AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar • AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array • AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar • AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
Electronic warfare and decoys:	• AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System • AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures • MK 36 MOD 12 Decoy Launching System • AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys
Armament:	1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles 1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm) 2 × 25 mm chain gun 4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried:	1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked

USS Mitscher (DDG-57) became the second United States Navy warship named to honor Admiral Marc A. Mitscher (1887–1947), famed naval aviator and World War II aircraft carrier task group commander. In 1988 the U.S. Navy contracted with Ingalls Shipbuilding, in Pascagoula, Mississippi to build the seventh ship of the Arleigh Burke class.

USS Mitscher was commissioned on 10 December 1994, and was sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Ferguson. Mitscher transferred to her homeport in Norfolk, Virginia later in December 1994, and has since made three Mediterranean deployments and participated in many Caribbean exercises.

In 2001, Mitscher deployed with the carrier battle group centered around Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). During this deployment, Mitscher visited Algiers, Algeria and conducted joint training exercises with the Algerian Navy. In October 2006, Mitscher participated in Neptune Warrior, a joint war exercise with navies from all over the world.

On 16 February 2007, Mitscher was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.^[1]

Beginning 23 July 2011, during its 2011 deployment, the strike group's anti-pracy capabilities was augmented by the addition of a U.S. Coast Guard 12-person Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) embarked aboard the Mitscher. These deployable Coast Guard boarding teams consisted of highly trained maritime law enforcement specialists capable of Level III non-compliant boardings. As the only organization in the U.S. government with the combined authority of a law enforcement agency, an intelligence agency, and a military service, the brought additional capabilities and expertise to Mitscher's embarked visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team. Mitscher's VBSS team and the AIT trained together between operations to enhance their joint boarding tactics, boat operation skills, and internal movements.^[2]

On 13 August 2011, as part of Combined Task Force 150 operating in the Gulf of Aden, the Mitscher provided assistance the Sri Lankan-flagged cargo vessel Al Habib which was experiencing engineering problems and running low on water. Mitscher's VBSS-AIT boarding party transported supplies to the Al Habib via rigid-hulled inflatable boat, including two 3-gallon (11.36 liters) containers of water and four cases of bottled water (pictured).^[3]

Gallery

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  USS Mitscher on the Firth of Clyde for the October 2006 Neptune Warrior exercise.

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  USS Mitscher at Portsmouth in October 2008 with the masts of HMS Victory in the background.

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  USS Mitscher at Portsmouth in October 2008 berthed with HMS Ark Royal & HMS Illustrious.

References

This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.

External links

• Official USS Mitscher Web site