Navy to Christen New Guided-Missile Destroyer Halsey

United States Department of Defense ^ | January 15, 2004 | DoD Media

[Calpernia]

Navy to Christen New Guided-Missile Destroyer Halsey

The newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Halsey (DDG 97) will be christened on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss.

Adm. William J. Fallon, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address in concert with Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi. Heidi Cook Halsey, Anne Halsey Smith, and Alice “Missy” Spruance Talbot will serve as sponsors of the ship named for their grandfather. In the time-honored Navy tradition, they will break the bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen Halsey.

Halsey honors U.S. Naval Academy graduate Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. (1882-1959). During World War I, Cmdr. Halsey was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions while in command of the USS Benham and the USS Shaw during convoy escort duties. Designated a naval aviator in 1935 at the age of 52, he took command of the USS Saratoga from 1935 until 1937. In February 1942, then Vice Adm. Halsey, while serving as commander, Carrier Division Two aboard the USS Enterprise, led the first counter-strikes of World War II against the Japanese with carrier raids on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Later that year, his task force launched the famous "Doolittle Raid" against targets on the Japanese homeland.

Assigned as commander, South Pacific Force and South Pacific Area on Oct. 18, 1942, Halsey led the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army forces that conquered the strategically important Solomon Islands. Subsequently as commander, Third Fleet, his task forces consistently won hard fought victories during campaigns in the Philippines, Okinawa, and other islands. Nicknamed "Bull" Halsey, he embodied his slogan, "hit hard, hit fast, hit often." On Dec. 11, 1945, he became the fourth officer to hold the rank of fleet admiral. One previous ship has been named Halsey (1963-1994), which earned eight battle stars for Vietnam Service in addition to a Navy Unit Commendation and a Meritorious Unit commendation, and participated in contingency operations in Korean waters (1969-1971) and in the Indian Ocean (1980).

Halsey is the 47th ship of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers currently authorized by Congress. This highly capable multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of the National Military Strategy. Halsey will be capable of fighting air, surface, and subsurface battles simultaneously. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

Cmdr. James L. Autrey, of Moore, Okla., will become the first commanding officer of the ship with a crew of approximately 32 officers and 348 enlisted. The 9,300-ton Halsey is being built by Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems, and is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, an overall beam of 66.5 feet, and a navigational draft of 31.9 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

[Calpernia]

Description: These fast warships provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities, and can operate independently or as part of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.

Features: Destroyers and guided missile destroyers operate in support of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups. Destroyers primarily perform anti-submarine warfare duty while guided missile destroyers are multi-mission [Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW)] surface combatants. The addition of the Mk-41 Vertical Launch System or Tomahawk Armored Box Launchers (ABLs) to many Spruance-class destroyers has greatly expanded the role of the destroyer in strike warfare.

General Characteristics, Arleigh Burke class Builders: Bath Iron Works, Ingalls Shipbuilding Power Plant: Four General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower. SPY-1 Radar and Combat System Integrator: Lockheed Martin Length:

Flights I and II (DDG 51-78): 505 feet (153.92 meters)

Flight IIA (DDG 79-98): 509½ feet (155.29 meters) Beam: 59 feet (18 meters) Displacement:

Hulls 51 through 71: 8,315 tons (8,448.04 metric tons) full load

Hulls 72 through 78: 8,400 tons (8,534.4 metric tons) full load

Hulls 79 and on: 9,200 tons (9,347.2 metric tons) full load

Speed: in excess of 30 knots Aircraft: None. LAMPS III electronics installed on landing deck for coordinated DDG 51/helo ASW operations

[Calpernia]

Pro Military News!

Halsey of the Arleigh Burke class to be christened Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004

[r9etb]

Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

I'd dearly love to know how much "in excess."

[SAMWolf]

Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey

[bmwcyle]

bttt

[m1-lightning]

These ships are interesting because they are pressurized like a jetliner designed to ward off chemical attacks.

[Calpernia]

Thank you Sam!

[highlander_UW]

Navy to Christen New Guided-Missile Destroyer Halsey.

You're not allowed to use that word in the PC world now, are you?!

[ChuckShick]

Use baptize intstead.

[blau993]

Interesting that one of Admiral Halsey's grandaughters has the middle or maiden name "Spruance."

[PogySailor]

They sure are pretty ships. Nice lines. I notice they've gained about 1000 tons displacement since DDG 51.

[colorado tanker]

There is an interesting although somewhat flawed movie about Halsey called the Gallent Hours. It's a semi-documentary about Halsey taking command in the South Pacific and directing the Guadalcanal campaign. I say somewhat flawed because in 1960 they apparently saw the need to take some of the "salt" out of the portrayal of Halsey, but it's still a very interesting picture. James Cagney stars as Adm. Halsey.

[philman_36]

Ain't she purty! Still like the fast frigates though.

[LoneConservative]

I think that part of the added weight is the additional gear for Helo operations, not to mention the fact that they're 5' longer.

[highlander_UW]

Use baptize instead.

LOL, I'm sure that revision would mollify the loony left.

[SAMWolf]

I saw the "Gallant Hours" a long time ago. James Cagney was a good choice to play him though.

[Dilbert56]

Two of my favorite Halsey legends.

Once a carrier pilot had trouble landing, holding up the whole fleet. Halsey's boss was nearby and pissed. He blinkered over: "Who was responsible for that delay?" Halsey responded: "COMCARDIV1" = himself, the commander of carrier division 1. Message - you have to go through me to attack one of my men. That's a sailor's admiral.

Like Patton, the popular image often overshadows the effectiveness. Halsey was "Bull" Halsey - like Bull in a China Shop. This was portrayed as merely impulsive but the truth was more subtle. He wrote that it was his policy not to try and figure out the enemy's intentions but to disrupt their plans before they could unfold. The reason: his opponent, the Japanese Imperial Navy, crafted very intricate plans. Leyte Gulf's Sho plan had four different forces converging, for example. When those plans were disrupted, to quote Halsey: "They sailed in every direction at once" (note - no satellite communications in those days). Good old preemption.

[rmlew]

He hated that nickname. A member of the press gave it to Halsey when the Admiral was described as a Bull in a China (porcelin) Store.
I don't think that a destroyer should be named for him. Halsey was a Carrier Admiral. Halsey was reprimanded for the loss of 3 destroyers in a typhoon. Then again, he did command destroyers in World War I.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq36-5.htm

[SAMWolf]

Yeah, but it seems we started naming carriers after Presidents now.

[colorado tanker]

Halsey was a sailor's admiral, all right. His tactics remind me of Nelson's "go right at 'em" philosophy.

At Leyte Gulf he darn near got himself in trouble when he took the bait and lead his fleet north, leaving the landing and carrier force almost uncovered. I feel some criticism is in order because he spotted one of the prongs of the Japanese advance, but thought he could take care of it with aviation alone.