USS Gonzalez (DDG 66)
.jpg) The Gonzales 2004 in the Mediterranean |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | January 16, 1991 |
| Keel laying | 3rd February 1994 |
| Launch | February 18, 1995 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | October 12, 1996 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
8315 tons |
| length |
154 m |
| width |
20 metres |
| Draft |
9.5 meters |
| crew |
26 officers, 315 men |
| drive |
2 propellers, driven by 4 gas turbines; 100,000 wave horsepower |
| speed |
31 knots |
| Armament |
90 VLS cells |
The USS Gonzalez (DDG-66) is a destroyer in the United States Navy and belongs to the Arleigh Burke class .
history
The Gonzalez , named after Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez , a sergeant from the Vietnam War who was awarded the Medal of Honor , was commissioned by Bath Iron Works in 1991 and launched there in 1995. 20 months later, the ship entered service with the US Navy.
In 1999 the destroyer took part in Operation Allied Force and fired BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Serbian targets.
In 2005, Gonzalez sailors helped the Seabourn Spirit cruise ship after a pirate attack.
On March 1, 2006, the Gonzalez rescued the crew of an Iranian ship whose propulsion system had failed. Just two weeks later, on March 18, the destroyer was engaged in a battle with pirates along with the cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG-71) about 25 miles off the coast of Somalia. One pirate was killed and five other men were wounded. These five and an additional seven pirates were captured, automatic weapons and anti-tank weapons were confiscated.
In 2008 the destroyer took part in NATO exercises in the Mediterranean with the frigate USS Nicholas (FFG-47) and then operated as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 .
Web links
- Entry in the Naval Vessel Register (Engl.)
- official website (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ CNN.com: US Navy boards ship after pirate attack. Retrieved February 28, 2013 . Report of the incident to the Seabourn Spirit (Engl.)
- ↑ US Navy Ships Return Fire on Suspected Pirates. Retrieved February 28, 2013 . U.S. Navy Report on the Pirate Attack