USS Porter (DDG-78)

USS Porter (DDG-78)

USS Porter (DDG-78) in October 2007
History
United States
Name:	USS Porter
Namesake:	David Dixon Porter and David Porter
Ordered:	20 July 1994
Builder:	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
Laid down:	2 December 1996
Launched:	12 November 1997
Acquired:	11 January 1999
Commissioned:	20 March 1999
In service:	1999
Motto:	Freedom's Champion
Status:	in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement:	Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t) Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length:	505 ft (154 m)
Beam:	66 ft (20 m)
Draft:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:	4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW)
Speed:	>30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:	4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,100 km at 37 km/h)
Complement:	33 commissioned officers 38 chief petty officers 210 enlisted personnel
Sensors and processing systems:	AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar AN/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
Electronic warfare & decoys:	AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures MK 36 MOD 12 Decoy Launching System AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys
Armament:	1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launching systems with 90 × RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-ASROC missiles 2 x Mk 141 Harpoon Missile Launcher SSM 1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm) 2 × 25 mm chain gun 4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried:	2 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters can be embarked

USS Porter (DDG-78) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Porter is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to be named after U.S. Navy officers Commodore David Porter, and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter. This ship is the 28th destroyer of her class. USS Porter was the 12th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and construction began on 2 December 1996. She was launched and christened on 12 November 1997. On 20 March 1999, she was commissioned in Port Canaveral, Florida.

History

From January to July 2003, Porter engaged in combat and support operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Porter launched Tomahawk missiles during the Shock and Awe stage of the Iraq War.^[1]

Piracy

On 28 October 2007, Porter attacked and sank two pirate skiffs off Somalia after receiving a distress call from the tanker MV Golden Nori which was under attack from pirates.^[2]

Upgrade

On 12 November 2009, the Missile Defense Agency announced that Porter would be upgraded during fiscal year 2013 to RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) capability in order to function as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.^[3]

Operation Nanook 2010

In August 2010, Porter and the United States Coast Guard buoy tender USCGC Alder participated in Operation Nanook 2010 in Baffin Bay and the Davis Straits.^[4] This was the fourth annual Operation Nanook organized by the Canadian Government, but it was the first to host foreign vessels.

2012 collision

USS Porter after colliding with another ship in August 2012.

On 12 August 2012, Porter collided with MV Otowasan, an oil tanker, near the Strait of Hormuz.^[5] The collision ripped a 3 by 3 metres (9.8 ft × 9.8 ft) hole in the starboard side of the destroyer, forcing it to Jebel Ali, Dubai for repairs. No one on either ship was injured.^[6][7] Initially Naval Forces Central Command did not provide details about the collision, saying that it was under investigation.^[8][9] Porter's captain, Commander Martin Arriola, was subsequently removed from command of the ship and replaced by Commander Dave Richardson.^[10][11] On 12 October 2012, Porter rejoined Carrier Strike Group Twelve for its transit through the Suez Canal following extensive repairs to the ship costing $700,000.^[12][13]

Naval Station Rota

On 30 April 2015 Porter arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain. Naval Station Rota is Porter's new permanent homeport. Porter joins three other U.S. destroyers at Rota, these four ships are assigned to the United States Sixth Fleet, and will conduct ballistic missile defense patrols in the Mediterranean Ocean in support of Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet's mission.^[14]

Due to a Russian naval threat in the Mediterranean, Porter was upgraded with a SEARAM launcher for the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile replacing the aft CIWS.^[15]

Commanding officers

The Commanding Officer (CO) of USS Porter is the most senior officer that is in command of the ship. Sailors will refer to the CO as "the Captain" (regardless of rank), or sometimes informally as "Skipper". Below is the list of commanding officers of USS Porter.

Coat of Arms

Shield

The shield has a quartered background of gold and a blue with a star in each upper quadrant. In the center of the shield is a red array enclosing a torch.

The traditional Navy colors were chosen for the shield because dark blue and gold represents the sea and excellence respectively. Red is emblematic of courage and sacrifice. The shield’s quartered division recalling previous USS Porter’s while underlining the U.S. Navy’s worldwide mission and the four cardinal compass points. The stars represent each battle star earned by the fourth Porter during World War II and the Korean War. The AEGIS array is red to reflect courage and action and symbolizes her modern warfare capabilities. The Statue of Liberty torch represents the ship’s motto and signifies freedom, the principle of which our country was founded.

Crest

The crest consists of crossed swords behind an arm held trident, all surrounded by laurels.

Two Naval Officers’ crossed swords honor David Porter, his son, and the ships mission to “Train, Fight and Win.” The laurel, arm and trident are adaptations of the U.S. Naval Academy’s coat of arms highlighting David Porter’s tenure as the Academy Superintendent. The trident is the symbol of sea power which denotes the AEGIS vertical launch system. The three prongs of the trident represent the three wars the Porter served in; the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War.

Motto

The motto is written on a scroll of gold that has a blue reverse side.

The ships motto is "Freedom’s Champion". The motto is a reference to the principles which our country was founded and the honorable feats of Admiral Porter.

Seal

The coat of arms in full color as in the blazon, upon a white background enclosed within a dark blue oval border edged on the outside with a gold rope and bearing the inscription "USS PORTER" at the top and "DDG 78" in the base all gold.

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Porter (DDG-78).

• Official ship's site
• Naval Vessel Register – DDG-78