The armament suite is led by a 29-cell and 61-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) supporting the RIM-156 SM-2 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM), the BGM-109 "Tomahawk" cruise missile and the RUM-139 VL-ASROC missile. Some ninety total missiles are carried. Beyond this are 2 x Mk 141 series Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) launchers seated at midships to tackling surface threats. More conventional armament includes the Mark 45 5" /54 caliber turreted deck gun, 2 x 25mm chain guns and 4 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns. 2 x 20mm Phalanx systems handle incoming short-to-medium-ranged threats and 2 x Mk 32 torpedo launchers are carried to counter threats from submarines and surface warships at range.
Over the stern of the warship is a complete flight deck and hangar facility offering a built-in capability to launch, retrieve and repair up to 2 x Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk navy helicopters. These LAMP-equipped helicopters provide a critical over-the-horizon function and can search, track and engage enemy submarines and warships apart from the McCain itself.
USS John S. McCain's first call-to-action was in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 American "Shock and Awe" campaign which eventually unseated Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein following the events of 9/11. The warship launched a salvo of thirty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles as inland targets with good results. The warship went on to claim several "Navy Battle E" decorations in the period following.
In 2011, the warship was called to aid victims of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan. From there, in 2013, she was stationed in Korean waters to help curb the nuclear ballistic missile aspirations of North Korea. Training then followed in 2014.
October 2016 - USS John S. McCain, along with USS Frank Cable, were the first USN warships to visit a Vietnamese port since the end of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Relations between the former enemies have thawed now that China is a rising, and assertive, power in the region. As such, smaller naval powers are calling on the USN for support in containing Chinese expansion in the area - particularly with regards to the South China Sea.
August 2017 - In continuing its operations in the South China Sea region, USS John S. McCain was spotted some twelve miles offshore of the artificial island constructed by the Chinese. This action reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the region, much to the delight of its regional allies.
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