| New U.S. Destroyer Sails to Japan Jul 08 10:45 AM US/Eastern  Email this story |
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By HANS GREIMEL
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO
A new U.S. guided missile destroyer headed to Japan on Saturday amid tensions over North Korea's missile tests.
The USS Mustin sailed into the port of Yokosuka, home to the Navy's 7th Fleet, with a crew of 300 for permanent assignment to the region, fleet spokeswoman Hanako Tomizuka said.
The Mustin, commissioned in 2003, is one of the most advanced in the fleet. The 509-foot ship carries surface-to-air missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Its deployment to Yokosuka was previously planned and not in response to North Korea's missile tests, Tomizuka said.
Pyongyang stunned the region on Wednesday by test-firing seven missiles.
In August, Yokosuka also will welcome the USS Shiloh, which last month demonstrated its ability to shoot down missile warheads in a landmark test off Hawaii.
Both the Mustin and the Shiloh are equipped with radar systems that employ Aegis technology, which is geared toward tracking and shooting down enemy missiles. The system was instrumental in identifying and assessing Wednesday's launchings in which all the missiles apparently fell into the Sea of Japan.
At least one of those missiles was believed capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
The U.S. Navy now has eight Aegis-equipped vessels at Yokosuka