USS Decatur (DDG-73)

History

USS Decatur (DDG-73) is one of 68 completed (2018) Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer battleships in the United States Navy (USN). This class represents one of the service's more important surface warfare groups, the warships, which are tasked with a variety of mission types from anti-submarine warfare and cruise missile attack to search and rescue (SAR) and naval support.

Thanks to their state-of-the-art systems, propulsion schemes and powerful "blue water" capabilities, they are designed so that warships can operate completely independently or as part of a workhorse.

Basics

The aircraft carrier USS Decatur, named for Stephen Decatur, Jr., 1779-1820, a former officer in the United States Navy, was built by the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. She was ordered on January 19, 1993, and got out of bed on January 11, 1996. Launched on November 8 of the same year, she began serving in the U.S.

Navy when she was commissioned on August 29, 1998. Since then, she has been writing this article (2018) and fighting under the motto "Pursue Peace".

Structure

When completed, the warship will have a barrel length of 505 feet, a beam of 66 feet, and a draft of 31 feet. The light-load displacement reaches 6,750 tons, and the heavy-load displacement reaches 8,885 tons.

Power comes from 4 General Electric LM2500-30 series gas turbine units delivering 100,000 hp to 2 shafts under the stern. The boat can sail at just over 30 knots and has a range of up to 4,400 nautical miles - giving her "good legs".

As part of the Arleigh Burke class, the USS Decatur follows the same route as the class leader. The forecastle contained a single deck gun with a turret. The forward multi-unit Vertical Launch System (VLS) is mounted aft of the turret, while the bridge section is located forward of the hull superstructure. The structure also houses the returning main mast, which towers above the design and carries various sensors and communications equipment.

The smoke funnels are paired in two separate housings, placed side by side and located near the midship. They feature a low profile design and are fully enclosed to reduce the ship's profile and in-range features. This also caused noticeable damage to the side profile of the superstructure. The aft funnel pair is integrated into the aft fuselage superstructure, which also includes a second VLS unit, a full-service helicopter hangar and a helipad above the stern.

Decatur can carry two Sikorsky Deploy SH-60 Sea Hawk medium helicopters (or similar) These helicopters are further equipped for anti-submarine warfare missions and can assist with Search and Rescue (SAR) work, training, etc - sea resupply, observation/on the horizon Scouting, humanitarian aid, etc.

Personnel and systems on board

There are approximately 280 personnel on board, including 33 full-time officers (CO), 38 chief non-commissioned officers (CPO) and approximately 210 sailors who are assigned various duties on board. Decatur is equipped with the latest suite of sensors, processing systems and electronic warfare (EW) like other U.S. Navy surface combatants, including AN/SPY-1D 3D radar, AN/SPS-67 (V)2 Surface Search Radar and AN /SPG-62 Fire Control Radar.

The AN/SQS-53C is a fixed bow sonar array, while the AN/SQR-19 is a towed sonar array unit. The ship also carries the Advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) series AN/SQQ-28 "LAMPS III" for its Air Force.

The electronic warfare kit includes the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 electronic warfare system, the AN/SLQ-25 "Nixie" torpedo countermeasure unit, the Mk 36 Mod 12 decoy launcher and the AN/SLQ -39 chaff buoy dispenser.

Armor Kit

The armament starts with the 127mm/54 caliber Mark 45 deck gun with the turret on the turret. There are two 29-cell and 61-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS) groups supporting the launch of RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk and RUM-139 missiles, 90 of which are carried. There are also 2 x Mk 141 Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, 2 x 25mm chain guns, 2 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), 2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes and 4 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns ( HMG).

Altogether, this enables warships to address virtually any threat at long range or close range - from incoming enemy aircraft, drones or missiles to underwater threats or suicide speedboats.

History

While the USS Decatur was built in East Coast waters, she completed sea trials and sea trials in West Coast waters (her current homeport is in San Diego, CA - 2018). Her first deployment to the Pacific was in January 2000, and since then she has played a strong role in volatile regions - stopping in Allied ports/cities and conducting various US-related activities, including Activities in the Persian Gulf region.

In February 2007, she received the Battle E Award for the ship's remarkable efficiency (thanks in no small part to her crew). The powerful, advanced Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System was tested in mid-2007 and, together with Aegis, the first destroyer-based launch of the RIM-161 Standard (SM-3) missile.

As tensions between North Korea and the West intensified in early/mid 2013, the USS Decatur was dispatched to the Korean Peninsula region to quell its unpredictable leader. Once there, Decatur participated in U.S. Navy and joint exercises to demonstrate force and keep systems ready.

Recently, on September 30, 2018, the USS Decatur collided with an aggressive Chinese warship (CNS Lanzhou) while sailing in the competitive South China Sea. The two ships were reportedly less than 50 meters apart, with the U.S.

Navy accusing the Chinese crew of "...in an unsafe and unprofessional manner...".

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing