USS Porter (DDG-78)

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

For other ships with the same name, see USS Porter.

USS Porter (DDG-78) in October 2007
History
United States
Name: Porter
Namesake: David Dixon Porter and David Porter
Ordered: 20 July 1994
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
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: Undergoing service life extension
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; 35 mph)
Range:
Complement:
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 2 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters can be embarked

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] In 2016 the aft CIWS mount was replaced by a SeaRAM missile system.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] The collision ripped a 3-by-3-meter (10 ft × 10 ft) hole in the starboard side of the destroyer, forcing her to Jebel Ali, Dubai for repairs. No one on either ship was injured.[7][8] Initially Naval Forces Central Command did not provide details about the collision, saying that it was under investigation.[9][10] Porter's captain, Commander Martin Arriola, was subsequently removed from command of the ship and replaced by Commander Dave Richardson.[11][12] On 12 October 2012, Porter rejoined Carrier Strike Group 12 for its transit through the Suez Canal following temporary repairs to the ship costing $700,000.[13][14] Later repairs were budgeted at a cost of nearly $50 million.[15]

On 30 April 2015, Porter arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain. Naval Station Rota is Porter's new permanent homeport. Porter joins three other US destroyers at Rota. These four ships are assigned to the United States Sixth Fleet, and will conduct ballistic missile defense patrols in the Mediterranean Sea in support of Commander, US Sixth Fleet's mission.[16]

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.[17]

Attack on Shayrat Airfield
Main article: 2017 Shayrat missile strike

On 7 April 2017, a total of 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired by Porter and Ross at military targets at Shayrat Airbase in Homs, Syria, from their positions in the eastern Mediterranean. The missile strike was in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack on 4 April 2017, which the U.S. government said was launched by the Syrian regime from Shayrat.[18][19][20][21]

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 Porter's while underlining the US 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 US 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 upon which the United States of America 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
  1. "Destroyer Photo Index DDG-78 USS PORTER". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  2. Starr, Barbara (29 October 2007). "U.S. destroyer pursuing hijacked ship in Somali waters, military says". CNN. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  3. Ewing, Philip (12 November 2009). "MDA announces next 6 BMD ships". Navy Times. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  4. https://news.usni.org/2016/03/08/navy-successfully-completes-first-live-fire-test-of-searam-from-destroyer
  5. "Canada Command – OP Nanook". Canadian Forces. August 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. "U.S. destroyer, oil tanker collide". CNN. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  7. "U.S. Navy ship collides with tanker off Hormuz". Japan Times. Associated Press. 14 August 2012. p. 2.
  8. "Collision in the Strait of Hormuz". Information Dissemination. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  9. "Update: No Injuries In Strait Of Hormuz Collision" (Press release). U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  10. Starr, Barbara (12 August 2012). "Navy: U.S. destroyer collides with oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz". CNN. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  11. "Skipper of US Navy ship removed from job". Washington Post. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  12. Fellman, Sam (30 August 2012). "Destroyer CO fired in wake of tanker collision". Navy Times. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  13. Forster, Alex R. (14 October 2012). "USS Porter Rejoins Enterprise Carrier Strike Group" (Press release). United States Navy. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  14. Hixenbaugh, Mike (24 October 2012). "After $700,000 In Temporary Repairs, Navy Ship Is Back In Action". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.
  15. https://wtkr.com/2013/05/01/multi-million-dollar-contract-approved-for-uss-porter-repairs/
  16. Beardsley, Steven (30 April 2015). "USS Porter takes up residence in Rota, Spain". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  17. Eckstein, Megan (8 March 2016). "Navy Successfully Completes First Live Fire Test Of SeaRAM From Destroyer". usni.org. USNI News. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  18. Hennigan, W.J. & Wilkinson, Tracy (6 April 2017). "U.S. Launches Dozens of Missiles in Response to Chemical Weapons Attack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  19. Gordon, Michael R.; Cooper, Helene & Shear, Michael D. (6 April 2017). "Dozens of U.S. Missiles Hit Air Base in Syria". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  20. Phipps, Claire (6 April 2017). "Syria: US Launches 60 Missiles in Strike on Airbase near Homs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  21. Sopel, Jon & BBC Staff (6 April 2017). "Syria War: US Launches Missile Strikes in Response to Chemical 'Attack'". BBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2017.

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

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