News blurb that USS Truxton commissioned today. What is it?

From Wiki vis Google

"USS Truxtun (DDG-103) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, commissioned in 2009."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Truxtun

I love the Arleigh Burke class boats. Good to see another one come off the line. Unless some dramatic change is made with the DDG-1000 program, I suppose we will be seeing more of them.

Needs an 8 inch gun though.
Probably could not fit enough ammunition.

Lets hope this one doesn't run aground like two of it's forebearers did.

Doesn't have the range of the last Truxtun though

DDG-1000s got waay too expensive ($4 billion with a "B" per copy), so construction of Burkes is being resumed.

From StrategyPage:

"Bringing Back Burke
"April 19, 2009: The U.S. Navy will only build, at most, three of the new DDG-1000 class ships, and resume building Arleigh Burke class destroyers. It's a matter of cost. The new DDG-1000 destroyers (and slightly larger versions designated as cruisers) would cost more than $4 billion each if built in large quantities. The Burkes cost a billion dollars each. The last of 62 Burkes was ordered in 2002 and is under construction. Another Burke will being construction next year, and more will be built over the next decade.

"Meanwhile, the navy will buy some time (about a decade) by upgrading dozens of existing destroyers and cruisers. This is a bitter pill to swallow, as only eight years ago, the navy was so sure about the new DDG-1000, that it accelerated the retirement of a dozen of the 31 Spruance class destroyers, in order to save the $28 million a year it would cost to keep each of them in service. These ships were not just retired, they were all either broken up, or sunk in training exercises. The dozen that entered service between 1979-83 could have been refurbished and been available until 2019. That's a lost opportunity. But what can now be done is refurb the Burke class destroyers (which began entering service in the 1990s). Most of the Ticonderoga class cruisers (which entered service in the 1980s and 90s) can use the refurb as well, which could boost their service into the 2030s. This, plus building a dozen or more Burke class destroyers will be built.

"The refurb policy will cost about $200 million per destroyer (and 20-25 percent more for the cruisers). Normally, these ships get one refurb during their 30 year lives. This not only fixes lots of things that have broken down or worn out (and been patched up), but installs lots of new technology. A second refurb is expected to add another 5-10 years of serviceability. But this special refurb will do more than that. The navy wants to add some of the DDG-1000 technology to these older ships. In particular, the navy wants to install the "smart ship" type automation (found in civilian ships for decades) that will enable crew size to be reduced. The "smart ship" gear also includes better networking and power distribution. In effect, the ship would be rewired. This could reduce the crew size by 20-30 percent (current destroyers have a crew of 320, with the cruisers carrying 350). In addition to considerable cost savings (over $100,000 a year per sailor), a smaller crew takes up less space, enabling the smaller crew to have more comfortable living quarters. This is a big deal as far as morale and retention (getting people to stay in the navy) goes. Most other new items are not space dependent, except for some of the power based ones (like the rail gun). But these technologies are receding farther into the future. Right now the navy has to find a way to live within its budget, and refurbishing existing warships shows more promise than trying build affordable new ones.

"The new destroyer (DDG-1000/Zumwalt Class, also known as DD-21 or DD-X) design has a stealthy superstructure, and is as big as a battleship, at least a battleship of a century ago, The new destroyer is a 14,000 ton ship, 600 feet long and 79 feet wide. A crew of 150 sailors operate a variety of weapons, including two 155mm guns, two 40mm automatic cannon for close in defense, 80 Vertical Launch Tubes (containing either anti-ship, cruise or anti-aircraft missiles), six torpedo tubes, a helicopter and three helicopter UAVs. The cruiser version (CGN, as Congress has mandated that these be nuclear powered) would drop one of the 155mm guns, as well as the torpedo tubes, but carry more vertical cells for missiles (especially anti-ballistic missile missiles). This would be a 20-25,000 ton ship.

"For comparison purposes, consider a modern ship of a century ago. Not a support ship like a destroyer, but a "capital ship." Back then, a Mississippi class battleship displaced 14,400 tons, was 382 feet long and 77 feet wide. A crew of 800 operated a variety of weapons, including four 12 inch, eight 8 inch, eight 7 inch, twelve 3 inch, twelve 47mm and four 37mm guns, plus four 7.62mm machine-guns. There were also four torpedo tubes. The Mississippi had a top speed of 31 kilometers an hour, versus 54 for DDG-1000. But the Mississippi had one thing DD-21 lacked, armor. Along the side there was a belt of 9 inch armor, and the main turrets had 12 inch thick armor. The Mississippi had radio, but the DDG-1000 has radio, GPS, sonar, Aegis radar, electronic warfare equipment and the ability to shoot down ballistic missiles. The century old Mississippi class ships cost about half a billion dollars (adjusted for inflation). The DDG-1000 class destroyers will cost over $4 billion each, thus possessing the price, and size, the firepower, if not the name, of a battleship. The U.S. Navy can't afford battleships."

There is still talk on the DDG-1000? I thought that tin can was canned years ago.

A few months ago, I noticed several Spruance class DDs in the Bremerton reserve fleet, intact.

I assume you mean you could see hulls and superstructures, but how about innards?

My question is how much would the DDG-1000 cost per copy if we built 10 of them. Obviously building the world's first true "stealth" cruiser/destroyer was going to be expensive.

I wonder what the likelihood of seeing the 155mm AGS on Arleigh Burke Flight III ships is?

They commissioned her in Charleston this past weekend. She was open for tours the prior week over at Union Pier, but I was too busy, although I did watch her come in through the narrow part of the channel last weekend.

I did go aboard USS Oscar Austin (sister ship) during her port visit a few years back. Handsome, capable, highly automated ships.

From the Post & Courier:

"Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer commissioned
By Schuyler Kropf (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, April 25, 2009



GOOSE CREEK - The guided-missile destroyer Truxtun was officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy this afternoon during a ceremony at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station.

Several thousands friends, family and officials gathered by the banks of the Cooper River as the 510-foot, 9,200-ton ship joined the fleet.

Under the orders of "man the rails" and "bring the ship to life," the Truxtun's 276-member crew left shore and jogged aboard, signifying they are ready for whatever mission may come.

Built in Pascagoula, Miss., the Truxtun is the Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer. Construction began in May 2004 but was interrupted for a few months by Hurricane Katrina. It was delivered to the Navy last October.

The Truxtun is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer — the same as the U.S.S. Bainbridge, which played a key role in this month's rescue of an American sea captain from Somali pirates this month. It is named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun, a Revolutionary War hero and captain of the first U.S. Naval ship, USS Constellation. It is the Navy's sixth ship to bear his name.

The ship will later return to its homeport in Norfolk, Va.

Capt. Timothy Weber is the Truxtun's first skipper.

Read more in Sunday's editions of The Post and Courier."

Does remembering the last USS Truxtun in service make me old? That said, I'm sure King was there at the launch of the first one...

Heh, seeing the Spruances and Perrys going away (I was in college when they first joined the Fleet) is making ME feel old...a mere eye-blink for Ye Auld Ones...

Going down to the piers at the Norfolk Naval Station to work and not seeing a Spruance makes me feel old!
Like a bunch of old friends taken away too soon!
Scott

I'll never forget when I was four, the USS John Young and some other ships came to port here in Darwin for a big open day, I got to go visit with my Mum and three of her cousins. So you've got four very pretty latin women between the ages of 18 and 30 and one scruffy haired little kid who wants to be TopGun, standing in this massive line to go on a ship tour, its the middle of the day and the temperature is 35*c on a wharf we're miles back in the line, and this Lt saunters down in full whites 'Would you ladies like a special tour'. Just about the whole ship was opened up for us, even got to sit in the cordoned off helo and they started spinning the rotors. One auntie even got to pose Cher like all over the gun!
The guys even gave me a hat.

Felt sad when they SINKEX'ed her...

I recall visiting a RN Iron Duke-class FFG. I think it was the Northampton or something like that, starts with N. Anyways, months later, that ship ran aground. I recall the grounding incident was discussed on this Grate Site.™

Until now, I disavow any knowledge or responsibility whatsoever on her grounding....

I hope that she is carrying some 50 caliber machineguns as deck armament, just in case any terrorists come to call while riding in speedboats.

I went down to visit the warships that dropped in for the Bicentennial (1988) with a mate from school, bitch of a day, blowing half a gale and threatening to rain the whole time. Huge crowd, long queue and about as many protesters, all the usual peaceniks, lesbian collective and lefties, plus assorted crackpots, with the added bonus of AIDS protestors, who saw a few thousand sailors hitting town as a descending plague.

So there we were, the poor old general public freezing and sandblasted, lined up in a column about 5 people wide with the protestors on one side across the street and the saiors slipping out to spread their lustful pestilence on the other, between us and the beach. It started with condoms, but rentamob must have done their planing because the next thing we knew it was raining fruit and veggies, if 5% made it over us to hit the intended targets ha!

Rule one for protesting mobs, do not pelt a crowd that is about 80% highscool aged boys +/- their fathers with anything they can throw back.

Never did get as far as the pier head, but we had a fun afternoon all the same.

The most interesting 'warship' I've toured was the replica Endeavor, they might have only been about 5' tall back then, but talk about tight. I'm only 5'11" but I don't remember standing up the whole time I was below, and they'd certainly have had to go on deck to swing a cat - not that Cook was much one for flogging IIRC. When you think about where they went, voyage into the unknown and all that, I think Cook still holds the record for furthest south along a bit of Antarctica, men were certainly men back then.

shane

"Ahh matey, pass us another VB" said Long Bruce Mackenzie as he expertly flipped a steak off the barbie with his wickedly sharpened hook "and get us some more of them paper plates while ye are about it."

The idea of Lord Howe Island as a pirate haven, spreading fear and dismay up and down the East Coast, looting Sydney Cathedrals, raiding Byron Bay for Yuppie ransoms, forcing the RAN to convoy the Sydney - Hobart race.


shane

Really, King, you know me better! These were DDs afloat in Sinclair inlet. A quick look at Wiki reveals only four left, all striken and earmarked for foreign sale or expending as tgts. So no parts left even if the USN kept them.

Besides Cushing,



They sure went fast.

I saw Adams class DDGs and Leahy class DLGs built in Seattle, at a time when the Forrest Shermans were newest, and
the last Fletchers were still serving, old DERs still in use and WWII DEs in the Naval Reserve.

Like the Navy poster said, "When you're out of FRAMs, you're out of 'cans."

To me, the Forrest Shermans were the most attractive of destroyers. Spruances, while graceful, reminded me of cruise ships. I'm old-fashioned; I like guns-lots and lots of guns; and yes, big guns--8" and 16", natch.

They're just FFs and normally just referred to as Type 23s. They'd need an area defence SAM to be FFGs. The RN (or UK MoD) oddly classes it's guided missile frigates as DDGs.

Or rather, is coherent in naming its air defence ships as destroyers and the anti-submarine ships as frigates.