Destroyers are the backbone of the fleet

SECNAV Mabus says destroyers are the backbone of the US Navy’s fleet. Amen to that. So now here’s a thought… the Arleigh Burke class is back in production (Flight III) and they’re a no-nonsense workhorse… exactly the kind of thing that other navies should want… and if, after this so-called forgone conclusion of Scots independence (an’ good luck to ’em with that) then there’s no obligation for the Royal Navy to purchase ships from foreign Scottish yards… so why not by Arleigh Burke DDGs? Six, right off the bat. Scotland can have its independence cake and eat it.

Secretary of the Navy Visits Sailors in Souda Bay

Souda Bay, Greece (NNS) — Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) while the ship was moored in Souda Bay, Greece, Nov. 15.

While aboard, he promoted six Ramage Sailors, presented Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pins to seven others, reenlisted one additional Sailor and briefly toured the ship.

110624-N-UH963-146 ATHENS, Greece (June 24, 2011) Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Ray Mabus addresses Sailors during an all-hands call aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kevin S. O’Brien/Released

He also held an all-hands call, emphasizing the importance of having the right platforms in the Fleet, the people who serve aboard those platforms and the value of building lasting partnerships.

Mabus then answered questions from the audience and thanked them for their efforts in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility.

“I cannot tell you how vital the work that you are doing is,” said Mabus, “not only to our country, but to our partners in the region.”

Mabus also said there is a tremendous demand for Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, like USS Ramage, due to its adaptability to a wide range of missions.

“These DDGs are the backbone of our fleet,” said Mabus. “They provide us with one of the most flexible, one of the most lethal, platforms our Navy has ever had.”

“What these platforms give us, and more importantly what the people aboard these platforms give us, is presence. That’s what the Navy can uniquely provide,” he said. “We’re not just in the right place at the right time, we’re in the right place all the time.”

USS Ramage, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

Mabus’ visit to the ship is part of a multi-nation visit to the U.S. European, Africa and Central Command areas of responsibility focused on reinforcing existing partnerships and visiting Sailors and Marines providing forward presence.

PHOTEX: Close enough to Syrian waters? RHIB from USS Ramage heads toward USS Barry

130905-N-XZ912-004 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Sept. 5, 2013) A rigid-hull inflatable boat from the guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) heads toward the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52). Barry, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is on deployment conducting theater and maritime security operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christopher B. Stoltz/Released)

US Navy moves fifth guided missile destroyer toward Syria

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55), which sailed from Naval Station Norfolk on Aug 18, will join the USS Barry (DDG-52), USS Ramage (DDG-61), USS Mahan (DDG-72) and USS Gravely (DDG-107) in the Sixth Fleet OPAREA, poised for cruise missile strikes against Syria.

Fifth U.S. Destroyer Moves Closer to Syria

The guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) departs Naval Station Norfolk for deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet on Aug. 18, 2013. US Navy Photo

The U.S. Navy is moving a fifth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer closer to Syria, according to information from the U.S. Navy to USNI News.

USS Stout (DDG-55) departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Va. on Aug. 18 on a regular deployment and will join four other destroyers in the region.

USS Mahan (DDG-72) was slated to leave the region and be replaced by USS Ramage (DDG-61) for a ballistic missile defense (BMD) patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. Now both ships, along with USS Barry (DDG-52) and USS Gravely (DDG-107) will remain in the region.

All five destroyers are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as well as launching land attack missiles.

In addition to the DDGs there are likely a unknown submarines capable of firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM). Press reports have indicated at least one U.K. Royal Navy submarine in the region. U.S. Navy Los Angeles-class (SSN-688) and Virginia-class (SSN-744) are capable of firing TLAMS.

It is also unknown is any of the service’s guided missile submarines (SSGN) are in the region. The SSGNs are capable of fielding 154 TLAMs.

The U.S. preliminary assessment of an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack holds the regime of Bashar al-Assad responsible for the deaths of 1,429 people.

“The United States says it has ‘intelligence that leads us to assess that Syrian chemical weapons personnel … were preparing chemical weapons munitions prior to’ what Washington believes was a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on August 21,” according to a Friday repot from CNN.

“ ‘In the three days prior to the attack, we collected streams of human, signals and geospatial intelligence that reveal regime activities that we assess were associated with preparations for a chemical weapons attack,’ the U.S. government said in its assessment released Friday.”

http://news.usni.org/2013/08/30/fifth-u-s-destroyer-moves-closer-syria