Armament Suite
Armament begins with the single 127mm /54 caliber Mark 45 turreted deck gun at the forcastle. There are two Vertical Launching System (VLS) banks of 29-cell and 61-cell counts supporting the launching of the RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk, and RUM-139 missiles of which ninety are carried. Beyond this are 2 x Mk 141 Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, 2 x 25mm chain guns, 2 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs), 2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes and 4 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs). All told, this provides the warship with a solution for just about any ranged or close-in threat - from inbound enemy aircraft, drones or missiles to undersea threats or suicidal speed boats.
Operational History
While built in East Coast waters, USS Decatur completed her shakedown cruise and trials in West Coast waters (she currently homeports out of San Diego, California - 2018). Her initial Pacific deployment occurred in January of 2000 and has been a stout presence in the volatile region ever since - completing stops at Allied ports/cities and enforcing various U.S.-related campaigns including those in the Persian Gulf region. In February of 2007, she was awarded the "Battle E" award marking the vessels' notable efficiency (thanks in large part to her crew). The powerful, advanced AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System was trialed in mid-2007 and she conducted the first destroyer-based launches of the RIM-161 Standard (SM-3) missile coupled with the AEGIS system.
When tensions between North Korea and the West heated up in early/mid-2013, USS Decatur was sent to the Korean Peninsula region to quell its unpredictable leader. Once there, Decatur took part in USN and joint-exercises as a show-of-force and to maintain system readiness.
More recently, on September 30th, 2018, USS Decatur had a run-in with an aggressive Chinese warship (CNS Lanzhou) while sailing in the hotly contested South China Sea. The vessels reportedly came to within 50 yards of one another with the USN citing the Chinese crew for "...an unsafe and unprofessional manner...".
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