Navy Commissions Newest Ship

USS Stockdale (DDG 106), the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, was Commissioned at Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme on Saturday, April 18, during a formal ceremony featuring H. Ross Perot as the Honorary Chair for the event and Admiral Keating as the Keynote Speaker.

The fast warship - which is the same class of Navy ship as the USS Bainbridge deployed to the waters off Somalia to help in the rescue efforts of Capt. Roberts Phillips - will provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. As the first destroyer named for the Navy's highest ranking POW, the ship embodies the spirit and patriotism of Medal of Honor Recipient Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale.

General Characteristics, Arleigh Burke class:
Builder    Bath Iron Works, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
SPY-1 Radar and Combat System Integrator    Lockheed-Martin
Date Deployed    July 4, 1991 (USS Arleigh Burke)
Propulsion    Four General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower
Length    Flights I and II (DDG 51-78), 505 ft
Flight IIA (DDG 79 AF), 509.5 ft
Beam    59 ft
Displacement    DDG 51 through 71, 8,230 L tons
    full load DDG 72 through 78, 8,637 L tons
    full load DDG 79 and Follow, 9,496 L tons
Speed    In excess of 30 knots
Crew    276
Armament    Standard Missile (SM-2MR); Vertical Launch ASROC (VLA) missiles; Tomahawk; six MK-46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts); Close In Weapon System (CIWS), 5 inch MK 45 Gun, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) (DDG 79 AF)
Aircraft    Two LAMPS MK III MH-60 B/R helicopters with Penguin/Hellfire missiles and MK 46/MK 50 torpedoes.