USS Chafee (DDG-90)

History

USS Chafee (DDG-90) is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship was built by Bath Iron Works and named for John Lester Hubbard Chafee, a Marine veteran of Guadalcanal who later served as Secretary of the Navy and as a United States senator.

Chafee was laid down on 12 April 2001, launched on 2 November 2002, and commissioned on 18 October 2003 at Newport, Rhode Island. The destroyer subsequently served with the U.S. Pacific Fleet and has operated with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.

In September 2026, Chafee participated in U.S. Navy experimentation with unmanned surface vessels by refueling the medium unmanned surface vessel Seahawk at sea. The operation formed part of broader efforts to develop methods for sustaining unmanned vessels during extended operations.

Early service

Chafee departed Pearl Harbor on 20 May 2005 for its maiden deployment with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. The deployment supported U.S. operations associated with the Global War on Terrorism.

On 9 April 2007, Chafee again departed Pearl Harbor with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group for operations that included the U.S. Fifth Fleet area. On 1 June 2007, the destroyer used its main gun against suspected Al-Qaeda members in the Puntland region of Somalia who were wanted in connection with the 1998 United States embassy bombings. Chafee returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 September 2007 after a 167-day Western Pacific and Middle East deployment.

Later activities

On 10 December 2020, Chafee conducted the first reported test firing of a Tomahawk Block V missile from the ship. The destroyer also participated in the 2022 Rim of the Pacific exercise.

On 11 September 2026, Chafee refueled the medium unmanned surface vessel Seahawk at sea. The procedure required personnel to board Seahawk while conducting the refueling operation. It followed an earlier 2026 astern-refueling test involving Seahawk and the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe. The September event was the second U.S. Navy attempt during the year to conduct this type of at-sea sustainment of an unmanned vessel.

Design

USS Chafee is a Flight IIA member of the Arleigh Burke class and is configured as an Aegis guided-missile destroyer. It has a displacement of approximately 9,300 t (9,200 long tons), an overall length of 155.30 m (509 ft 6 in), a beam of 20 m (66 ft), and a draft of 9.4 m (31 ft).

Propulsion

The propulsion system consists of four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines driving two shafts. Total rated power is 75 MW (100,000 shp). The ship is capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

Personnel and aviation facilities

The ship has a complement of approximately 350 officers and enlisted personnel. Its aviation capability includes two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

Operational history

Chafee remains in active U.S. Navy service as a Pacific Fleet destroyer operating from Naval Station San Diego. Its documented activities have included carrier strike group deployments, missile testing, multinational exercises, and experimentation supporting the integration and sustainment of unmanned surface vessels.

The 2026 refueling of Seahawk demonstrated the use of a crewed destroyer to support an unmanned vessel while underway. Seahawk and its related Sea Hunter prototype have been used for research into how medium unmanned surface vessels can be integrated into fleet operations. Because the refueling procedure still requires personnel aboard the unmanned vessel, the method retains personnel-safety and vessel-design constraints that future unmanned sustainment concepts are intended to reduce.

Specifications (USS Chafee DDG-90)

General characteristics

• Class and type: Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA Aegis guided-missile destroyer
• Displacement: approximately 9,300 t (9,200 long tons)
• Length: 155.30 m (509 ft 6 in)
• Beam: 20 m (66 ft)
• Draft: 9.4 m (31 ft)
• Complement: approximately 350 officers and enlisted personnel

Propulsion and performance

• Powerplant: four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines
• Propulsion: two shafts
• Power: 75 MW (100,000 shp)
• Speed: more than 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)

Aviation

• Aircraft carried: two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters