USS Ramage

USS Ramage (DDG-61) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship is named for Vice Admiral Lawson P. Ramage, a notable submarine commander and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.

USS Ramage returns to Naval Station Norfolk in 2009
History
United States
Name: USS Ramage
Namesake: Lawson P. Ramage
Ordered: 21 February 1990
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Laid down: 4 January 1993
Launched: 1 February 1994
Commissioned: 22 July 1995
Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia
Motto: Par Excellence
Status: in active service
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

Ramage was laid down 4 January 1993 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched 11 February 1994, sponsored by Barbara Ramage (wife of the admiral), and commissioned 22 July 1995.

Construction

Ramage was constructed utilizing efficient modular shipbuilding techniques pioneered by Ingalls in the 1970s and enhanced in recent years through the development of Product-Oriented Shipbuilding Technology (POST).[1]

These innovative techniques allow a large ship, such as Ramage, to be built in three separate hull and superstructure modules and later joined to form the complete ship. Heavy machinery, such as propulsion equipment, as well as piping, duct work, and electrical cabling were installed in hundreds of sub-assemblies, which were joined to form dozens of assemblies. These assemblies were then joined to form the three hull modules. The ship's superstructure, or "deck house", was lifted atop the mid-body module early in the assembly process.[1]

Ramage's launching was as unique as her construction. The ship was moved over land via Ingalls' wheel-on-rail transfer system and onto the shipyard's launch and recovery drydock. The drydock was ballasted down, and DDG-61 floated free on 11 February 1994. She was then moved to her outfitting dock in preparation for the traditional christening ceremony and completion of outfitting and testing.[1]

History

On 25 November 1996, Ramage embarked on her maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. Ramage visited six countries and made 16 port calls. Ramage was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon, the Sea Service Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Service Medal during this deployment.

In March 1997 Ramage provided logistic and communications support for Marines in Albania during Operation Silver Wake.[2] On 21 July 1997, Ramage was an escort of the museum ship USS Constitution when she set sail in Massachusetts Bay.

USS Ramage (right) along with USS Halyburton (center) and USS Constitution (left)

On 24 May 1999, as a member of the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group, Ramage departed on her second deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas, MED/MEF 2–99. While deployed overseas, Ramage visited eight countries and made 15 port visits. Ramage also participated in Operation Allied Force off the coast of Montenegro.

Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, Ramage sortied to the waters off the East Coast of the United States where she provided extended radar coverage of the New York City and the surrounding area in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

Ramage deployed with the George Washington Surface Strike Group to the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment Ramage participated in multi-national exercises Neo Tapon 04 and Iron Siren 04.

Ramage again deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of the Global War on Terrorism in October 2006. While on station Ramage participated in Operations Argos Asterion and Argos Declion. Ramage was also the first ship to respond to the Horn of Africa during the Ethiopian and Somalian hostilities of late December 2006 providing extended coordination for P-3 coverage of the events. Ramage visited eight countries and conducted ten port calls.

In August 2008 Ramage departed for a seven-month deployment in the Persian Gulf with the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group. Ramage participated in multi-national Operation Red Reef and Focused Operation Trident Knight. Ramage returned to home port in April 2009 after visiting four countries and making six port calls.

Ramage departed for the North Sea and Baltic Sea to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior 09 in September 2009. Ramage operated with HMS Illustrious and many other multi-national naval units. After making five ports of call in four countries, Ramage returned in November 2009. On 28 October 2009 while pierside at Gdynia, Poland after participating in a Joint Warrior exercise, a sailor on the ship conducting maintenance accidentally discharged one of the ship's M240 machine guns into the port city. Two rounds from the gun's three-round burst hit a warehouse, causing no injuries, the third round was not recovered. Local police allowed the ship to depart as originally scheduled later that day after questioning the ship's crew.[3]

Ramage departed on deployment to the Mediterranean Sea on 5 January 2010. In late January 2010, Ramage was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to assist with the search-and-rescue effort in the wake of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409.[4] Ramage also provided Ballistic Missile Defense to the Eastern Mediterranean during this deployment. Ramage's port visits included: Naples, Italy; Haifa, Israel; Kusadasi, Bodrum, and Aksaz, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; Rhodes, Greece; Augusta Bay, Sicily; and Ponta Delgada, Azores. Ramage returned to home port on 6 August 2010.

On 8 August 2013, Ramage departed for an eight-month deployment into the US Navy 6th Fleet area of responsibility to assist with ballistic missile defense. The ship's last deployment was from May 2012 to January 2013.[5][6]

Ramage entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea as a response to the Syrian Civil War. The destroyer was specifically deployed after allegations that President Bashar al-Assad's regime had used chemical weapons on its own people in suburbs of Damascus. Ramage arrived in the region, according to a defense official, on 23 August 2013. The destroyer was intended to replace USS Mahan, but Mahan remained in area temporarily along with USS Gravely and USS Barry. All four were equipped with cruise missiles.

On 28 October 2013, the destroyers Gravely and Ramage answered a distress call from a vessel carrying immigrants located 160 nautical miles (300 km; 180 mi) off the coast of Kalamata, Greece.[7]

In February 2014, Ramage was one of two U.S. Navy ships operating in the Black Sea during the Sochi Olympics.[8]

As of August 2014, Ramage is undergoing testing and evaluation at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY).

In November of 2015, Ramage deployed to the US Navy 6th Fleet area of responsibility to assist with ballistic missile defense, and to escort the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. She completed 28 Strait of Hormuz transits throughout the deployment, and returned to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia on 25 July, 2016.

Following her 2015-2016 deployment, Ramage conducted her mid-cycle upgrade. As a result of the US Navy's new coast-wide shipyard bidding process, she was selected for an unusual "out of home port" yard period , and spent a nine-month period in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Ramage left the yards on time, and returned to Norfolk, Virginia in August of 2017 to begin workups for the next deployment.

In October of 2018, Ramage received short-notice Presidential tasking, and deployed to the US Navy 4th fleet area of responsibility to provide radar surveillance support for the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She departed Norfolk, Virginia on 25 August 2018, and returned soon.

Awards

References
  1. "Welcome to the USS Ramage (DDG 61)". Navy Forces Online Public Sites. 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2014. Note: Quoted text has since been removed from the site.
  2. https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=43332
  3. Ewing, Philip (28 October 2009). "Destroyer accidentally fires on Polish port". Military Times.
  4. Miles, Donna (25 January 2010). "Navy Assists Ethiopian Airlines Search, Rescue Effort". US Department of Defense. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  5. Henry, Holly & Morlock, Jackie (7 August 2013). "USS Ramage heads to the Mediterranean". WTKR. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. "USS Ramage to leave VA on deployment to Mediterranean Sea". Archived from the original on 8 August 2013.
  7. "U.S. ships head towards migrant vessel in distress off Greece". Reuters. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  8. "US warships Ramage and Mt. Whitney enter Black Sea". Pravda. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
USS Ramage in the Atlantic Ocean
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