USS McFAUL CALLED ‘A MAGNIFICENT, WORLD-CLASS TOOL’ IN NAVY’S ARSENAL

April 25, 1998 -- America is "able to project power, its will and influence primarily because of the options we have with the United States Navy," U.S. Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said here this morning. "Today we provide our Navy one more tool in its arsenal for protecting us -- this magnificent new world-class Aegis guided missile destroyer." Senator Cleland’s remarks came as the United States Navy commissioned USS McFAUL (DDG 74). The new ship is the 11th Aegis destroyer delivered into the fleet by the men and women of Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, and the 50th Aegis-equipped surface combatant commissioned for fleet service since 1983, of which 30 were built by Ingalls. Senator Cleland paid tribute to Ingalls, thanking the company for its work "in bringing this great ship to fruition."

More than 3,000 people were on hand for the stirring, patriotic ceremony held at the Georgia Ports Authority facilities outside Savannah. "This incredible new warship is named for an incredible young American, who gave his life for all of us," Senator Cleland said. DDG 74 is named to honor the heroic service of Chief Engineman Donald L. McFaul, USN, (1957-1989), a Navy SEAL who gave his life for his comrades, and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his service during Operation Just Cause in Panama, which drove dictator Manuel A. Noriega from power. "I often wonder," Senator Cleland said, "where in the world we get such wonderful people ...this is an amazing country. "Today we celebrate a magnificent achievement in partnership between the government and the private sector...this ship is the best that this country has to offer...the best in technology this country can muster to defend our battle groups, and to attack when needed and necessary."

USS McFAUL is the 24th destroyer to be commissioned in the DDG 51 Class, of 52 currently authorized by Congress to be built, and the 11th to be delivered by Ingalls. Fourteen additional Aegis destroyers are under contract to Ingalls. Fabrication work on DDG 74 began in February 1995. The ship was launched on January 18, 1997, and sailed into the Gulf of Mexico for her first sea trials on November 18, 1997. DDG 74 was delivered to the Navy by Ingalls on February 23, 1998, nearly a month ahead of schedule.

Truly multimission combatants, Aegis destroyers are the most balanced surface warships ever built, equipped with the weapons, electronics, helicopter support facilities, and propulsion, auxiliary and survivability systems to carry out the U.S. Navy's missions into the next century. Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton called USS McFAUL "a remarkable testament to the shipbuilders’ art -- a warship that embodies ‘peace through strength’. This ship is ready to control the seas around her...to dominate any battle space...to project power far ashore, and to join the backbone of a 21st century fleet that leaves no doubt that America intends to ‘forward deploy’ a Navy second-to-none in capability and resolve. "The officers and crewmembers who take this ship into the fleet will carry forth the bravery of Chief McFaul’s life," Secretary Dalton said. "The steel and stealth of Chief McFaul will shield and inspire these sailors when they go into harm’s way."

Aegis destroyers are equipped to conduct a variety of missions, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of national military strategy. These multimission ships provide primary protection for the Navy's aircraft carriers and amphibious battle groups, as well as essential escort to Navy and Marine Corps amphibious forces, combat logistics ships and convoys. Aegis destroyers are 505 feet long, with a beam of 66 feet. Four gas turbine engines power the 8,850-ton USS McFAUL to speeds in excess of 30 knots. DDG 74's Aegis Combat Weapons System, the world's foremost naval weapons system, combines highly advanced radar, weapon and communication technologies in a single platform, for unlimited mission flexibility. Admiral Jay L. Johnson, USN, Chief of Naval Operations placed USS McFAUL in commission for Atlantic Fleet duty, calling DDG 74 "the most powerful, most sophisticated destroyer the world has ever known...an impressive machine, operated by impressive sailors, and named in honor of a selfless American hero.

DDG 74's Aegis System includes the AN/SPY-1D phased array radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS), which fires a combination of up to 90 Standard surface-to-air, Tomahawk surface-to-land and VLA antisubmarine rockets, and the AN/SQQ-89 Antisubmarine Warfare System, with a bow-mounted AN/SQS-53C sonar and AN/SQR-19 towed array.

USS McFAUL has Harpoon antiship missile launchers, MK 32 torpedo tubes, fully automated, radar controlled MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems, a five-inch, rapid-firing deck gun, and various electronic warfare systems. DDG 74 also features the LAMPS MK III Antisubmarine Warfare Control System, with landing and replenishment facilities for the SH-60B Undersea Warfare Helicopter.

State-of-the-art C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) systems provide Aegis destroyers and their crews with total situational awareness and information from the outside world. Vice Admiral Henry C. Giffin III, USN, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, hailed USS McFAUL as "a marvel...the finest warship in the world. This is a special event, as we commission our newest Aegis destroyer...ships that are doing exceptionally well out in the fleet."

The potent offensive and defensive capabilities of Aegis destroyers are achieved with maximum survivability. Extensive topside armor is placed around vital combat systems and machinery spaces, and a wider hull significantly improves seakeeping ability. Acoustic, infrared and radar signatures have been reduced, and vital shipboard systems are hardened against electromagnetic pulse and over-pressure damage. A comprehensive Collective Protection System guards against nuclear, chemical and biological agents. State-of-the-art propulsion and damage control systems are managed by an all-new data multiplexing system.

Rear Admiral George A. Huchting, USN, Program Executive Officer for Surface Combatants/Aegis Program, noted that "the industry team that produced this magnificent new ship did so on schedule, under budget, and delivered a product that is outfitted and operates as required...a true success story. Together," Admiral Huchting said, "we will make this the very best fighting Navy this world has ever seen and will ever need."

At the end of DDG 74's commissioning, the ship's sponsor, Mrs. Marcia Coats, wife of U.S. Senator Dan Coats of Indiana, gave the traditional naval order to "man our ship and bring her to life!". USS McFAUL's 340 officers and crewmembers responded with a hearty "Aye Aye, Ma’am!," and then marched aboard their ship to the rousing applause of the ceremony guests. Mrs. Coats christened DDG 74 with champagne, during a ceremony at Ingalls on April 12, 1997. Senator Coats accompanied his wife at DDG 74's commissioning.

"I am especially thankful to the leaders of the Ingalls team for this beautiful ship that was built to fight," said Commander Bernard L. Jackson, USN, in accepting command of USS McFAUL. "While we all marvel at the technology incorporated in this great ship, what has impressed me is the quality of the young men and women who compose her crew." DDG 74 will now be homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, as an element of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet’s Destroyer Squadron TWO. Ingalls President Jerry St. Pe’ offered "best wishes from the men and women of Ingalls Shipbuilding, as the officers and crew of McFAUL prepare to take your ship into the fleet of the greatest nation in the world. We at Ingalls represent a partnership that has produced extraordinary results in the building of surface combatants...a partnership that includes every region of this great nation, and hundreds of companies producing systems for these great ships. It is a partnership that is not only developing innovative ideas and processes that increase efficiency and save hundreds of millions dollars in the building of these ships, but one that is also already engaged in developing the Navy’s next generation of surface combatants."

Ingalls Shipbuilding is a major designer and builder of surface combatant ships for the U.S. Navy and allied nations. Lead shipbuilder for five of the newest classes of Navy surface combatants, Ingalls has delivered 75 major surface warships into the Navy's Fleet since 1975, a significant portion of the surface combatants delivered during the period. Litton Industries is also a leader in worldwide technology markets for advanced defense, electronic and information systems.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COMMISSIONING ACTIVITIES IN SAVANNAH, PLEASE CONTACT: CDR KAREN JEFFRIES, USN, OR LT DOUG SPENCER, USN, U.S. NAVY OFFICE OF INFORMATION, SOUTHEAST, (404) 562-1630.