Photo: U.S. Navy
At the end of last week, news broke about the USS The Sullivans suffering a hull breach and starting to sink, at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, where it was on display. It is somehow still afloat, and efforts are being made to repair and completely re-float it.
The vessel is a Fletcher-class destroyer that served in World War II and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1965. But as often is the case with military vessels, it is not the only one of its kind to wear this name.
Presently, there’s another USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) in the service of the American Navy, named after the same five brothers who lost their lives when the USS Juneau was sunk by the Japanese in 1942. It’s an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned in 1997, and this week, it came back from a very long, three-month assignment in the waters around Europe.
The ship came back to Naval Station Mayport after it departed back in late January. During its time at sea, it traveled for 20,000 nautical miles (23,000 miles/37,000 km), touching the waters of the Irish, North and Baltic seas.
The ship took part in NATO Exercise Dynamic Guard 2022 in the North Sea, and then operated with the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1, alongside German replenishment ship FGS Berlin (A1411), Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Van Amstel (F831), and the Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F362).
Like all other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (of which close to 70 are now active), the USS The Sullivans has a 6,800 long tons displacement and a length of 505 feet (154 meters). It can reach speeds of over 30 knots (35 mph/56 kph) and has a range of 4,400 nautical miles (5,063 miles/8,148 km).
The vessel, on which over 300 people can serve, is loaded with weaponry, being capable of carrying vertical launching systems ready to fire an assortment of missiles (including Tomahawks), chain guns, the Phalanx CIWS defense system, and even torpedoes.
The USS The Sullivans was the target of a failed al-Qaeda attack in 2000, and later, in the wake of the 2001 attacks, was involved in Operation Noble Eagle close to home, and Operation Enduring Freedom against targets in Afghanistan.
Presently, there’s another USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) in the service of the American Navy, named after the same five brothers who lost their lives when the USS Juneau was sunk by the Japanese in 1942. It’s an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned in 1997, and this week, it came back from a very long, three-month assignment in the waters around Europe.
The ship came back to Naval Station Mayport after it departed back in late January. During its time at sea, it traveled for 20,000 nautical miles (23,000 miles/37,000 km), touching the waters of the Irish, North and Baltic seas.
The ship took part in NATO Exercise Dynamic Guard 2022 in the North Sea, and then operated with the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1, alongside German replenishment ship FGS Berlin (A1411), Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Van Amstel (F831), and the Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F362).
Like all other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (of which close to 70 are now active), the USS The Sullivans has a 6,800 long tons displacement and a length of 505 feet (154 meters). It can reach speeds of over 30 knots (35 mph/56 kph) and has a range of 4,400 nautical miles (5,063 miles/8,148 km).
The vessel, on which over 300 people can serve, is loaded with weaponry, being capable of carrying vertical launching systems ready to fire an assortment of missiles (including Tomahawks), chain guns, the Phalanx CIWS defense system, and even torpedoes.
The USS The Sullivans was the target of a failed al-Qaeda attack in 2000, and later, in the wake of the 2001 attacks, was involved in Operation Noble Eagle close to home, and Operation Enduring Freedom against targets in Afghanistan.
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