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gCaptain has just obtained photos showing a confrontation involving the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy warship in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend.

A US Navy ship had an "unsafe" interaction with a Chinese warship Sunday while the US vessel was conducting a freedom of navigation operation near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, causing the US ship to maneuver "to prevent a collision," according to US defense officials. "A (People's Republic of China) Luyang destroyer approached USS Decatur in an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea," Capt. Charles Brown, a spokesman for US Pacific Fleet, told CNN in a statement confirming the incident. Brown said the Chinese warship "conducted a...

Ever notice that this administration is only lightning-fast when it comes to shifting blame when things don’t work out perfectly? They practically left a vapor trail in their zeal to anonymously accuse the US military of being responsible for our tense situation with North Korea: So, it’s the Navy’s fault that the U.S.-North Korea spat has gone so far? That’s the apparent message from senior administration officials who, according to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, said that they had long planned to send B-52s, B-2 stealth bombers, and F-22 fighters to the Korean Peninsula as part of preplanned wargames...

CHENNAI: "I have a mostly male crew. They're not old, but they're not young either," says commander of the USS Decatur, Shanti Sethi, in her blog, Adventures in Paradise. When her ship docked in Chennai on Wednesday, Shanti Sethi, an American of Indian descent, became the first female commander of a US naval vessel to visit the country. The port call of USS Decatur, a destroyer armed with surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rockets, is part of the US effort "to demonstrate commitment to regional partners" and promote bilateral relations. It comes close on the heels of another visit by a...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2009 – For what many believe to be the first time in history, an Army band performed on a Navy destroyer in the Persian Gulf last week. With the sun setting behind the Basra, Iraq, oil terminal in the background, the 34th Infantry Division band Center Mass performed a live show for sailors aboard the USS Decatur while the ship continued to circle the terminal and provide security in the Persian Gulf, Aug. 26, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 34th Infantry...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2008 – The Pentagon has opened the window of time in which it will shoot down a malfunctioning U.S. reconnaissance satellite, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. Today’s return of the space shuttle Atlantis to Earth prompted the start of the optimal time period for shooting down the satellite, which extends until about the end of the month, the senior officer told Pentagon reporters. Only “tens of seconds” will be available each day for a favorable launch of a ship-based SM-3 interceptor missile, the senior officer said. “The window is small, … but we’re looking...

Lieutenant General Henry A. ‘Trey” Obering, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced the successful completion today of MDA’s latest “hit to kill” intercept flight test conducted jointly with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. This was the 28th successful intercept in 36 missile defense tests since 2001. The test involved a “separating” target, meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster rocket. The event, designated as Flight Test Standard Missile -12 (FTM-12), marked the ninth successful intercept in eleven flight tests for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program, the sea-based component of the Agency’s Ballistic Missile...

Excerpts - HONOLULU (AP) - The US military intercepted a mid-range target missile in a test off Hawaii today. ~ snip ~ It hit the mid-range target's simulated warhead 100 miles above the Earth. The target separated mid-flight, meaning the interceptor missile had to distinguish between the warhead and booster rocket for the kill. The test marked the first time a Navy destroyer intercepted a target missile. Previously only Navy cruisers had done so. ~ snip ~

Story Number: NNS040304-03 Release Date: 3/4/2004 10:10:00 AM From Expeditionary Strike Group 1 Public Affairs SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The seven ships attached to Expeditionary Strike Group One (ESG 1) are returning home this week following a six and a half month deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. USS Greeneville (SSN 772) returned to its Pearl Harbor homeport Feb. 27. USS Port Royal (CG 73), also from Pearl Harbor, is scheduled to arrive home March 10. The remaining ships of ESG 1, USS Peleliu (LHA 5), USS Ogden (LPD 5), USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Jarrett (FFG...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 20, 2003Release Number: 03-12-52 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COALITION FORCES MAKE SECOND MAJOR DRUG SEIZURE IN FIVE DAYS Aboard USS Enterprise – Five days after nearly 10 million dollars worth of hashish was found aboard a dhow in the Arabian Gulf, coalition forces have made another significant drug interception. Intelligence gained from the Dec. 15 raid by USS Decatur (DDG 73) led the U.S. Navy to board two dhows in the North Arabian Sea, this time discovering...

[View JPEG Photo, 963 KB] The dhow intercepted by the USS Decatur moves under its own power in the Arabian Gulf. A U.S. Navy boarding team operating from the guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) discovered an estimated two tons of narcotics with a street value of around eight to ten million dollars aboard a 40-foot dhow intercepted in the Arabian Gulf. The dhow's 12 crewmembers were taken into custody and transferred to USS Decatur, and Decatur sailors are in control of the dhow. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Sandberg, U.S. Navy. (Released) 031216-N-4374S-037

[View JPEG Photo, 1046 KB] Over 50 bags of hashish litter the deck of the dhow intercepted in the Arabian Gulf. A U.S. Navy boarding team operating from the guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) discovered an estimated two tons of narcotics with a street value of around eight to ten million dollars aboard a 40-foot dhow intercepted in the Arabian Gulf. The dhow's 12 crewmembers were taken into custody and transferred to USS Decatur, and Decatur sailors are in control of the dhow. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Sandberg, U.S. Navy. (Released) 031216-N-4374S-030

December 19, 2003 Release Number: 03-12-50 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE USS Decatur Captures Possible Al-Qaida Associated Drug-Smuggling dhow in Arabian Gulf Aboard USS Enterprise – A U.S. Navy boarding team operating from the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) discovered an estimated two tons of narcotics with a street value of around eight to ten million dollars aboard a 40-foot dhow intercepted in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 15, at approximately 11:00 a.m. The dhow’s 12 crewmembers were taken into custody and transferred to USS Decatur, and Decatur sailors are in control of the dhow. The smuggling routes are known to...

<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Seven heavily armed warships departing from here Friday combine troops, ships and weaponry in a new-look Navy and Marine Corps strike force that military officers say will be more powerful and versatile than traditional arrangements.</p> <p>The Expeditionary Strike Group One is the first of its kind and is being called a part of the military's larger effort to emphasize flexibility along with intimidating firepower and cooperation between various branches. Similar groups are planned for both Pacific and Atlantic fleets.</p>