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| Navy to Christen New Guided-Missile Destroyer Halsey |
| 2004-01-19 |
| The newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Halsey (DDG 97) will be christened on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss. Adm. William J. Fallon, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, will deliver the ceremonyâs principal address in concert with Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi. Heidi Cooke Halsey, Anne Halsey-Smith, and Alice âMissyâ Spruance Talbot will serve as sponsors of the ship named for their grandfather. In the time-honored Navy tradition, they will break the bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen Halsey. Halsey honors U.S. Naval Academy graduate Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. (1882-1959). During World War I, Cmdr. Halsey was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions while in command of the USS Benham and the USS Shaw during convoy escort duties. Designated a naval aviator in 1935 at the age of 52, he took command of the USS Saratoga from 1935 until 1937. In February 1942, then Vice Adm. Halsey, while serving as commander, Carrier Division Two aboard the USS Enterprise, led the first counter-strikes of World War II against the Japanese with carrier raids on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Later that year, his task force launched the famous "Doolittle Raid" against targets on the Japanese homeland. Assigned as commander, South Pacific Force and South Pacific Area on Oct. 18, 1942, Halsey led the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army forces that conquered the strategically important Solomon Islands. Subsequently as commander, Third Fleet, his task forces consistently won hard fought victories during campaigns in the Philippines, Okinawa, and other islands. Nicknamed "Bull" Halsey, he embodied his slogan, "hit hard, hit fast, hit often." On Dec. 11, 1945, he became the fourth officer to hold the rank of fleet admiral. One previous ship has been named Halsey (1963-1994), which earned eight battle stars for Vietnam Service in addition to a Navy Unit Commendation and a Meritorious Unit commendation, and participated in contingency operations in Korean waters (1969-1971) and in the Indian Ocean (1980). Halsey is the 47th ship of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers currently authorized by Congress. This highly capable multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of the National Military Strategy. Halsey will be capable of fighting air, surface, and subsurface battles simultaneously. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century. Cmdr. James L. Autrey, of Moore, Okla., will become the first commanding officer of the ship with a crew of approximately 32 officers and 348 enlisted. The 9,300-ton Halsey is being built by Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems, and is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, an overall beam of 66.5 feet, and a navigational draft of 31.9 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #9 SD Union had an article about Frigates being refitted - removing their single-rail missile systems for more effective weapons against small craft (i.e. the Cole) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-1-19 8:39:06 PM |
| #8 ..ahem "named for HIM." Proofreading before posting is FUN and EASY.. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-1-19 6:50:18 PM |
| #7 To JFM's last point about the Leyte Gulf battle: my understanding about Arleigh Burke is that this is where he shone. Does anybody have any good links discussing Arleigh Burke's career and his legacy ? I searched for some info a while back, but found only brief overviews of his career, which was too dry for me -- I got no sense of what made Burke great enough to have a class of warships named for home. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-1-19 6:48:39 PM |
| #6 Dring the battle of Leyte's Gulf Halsey fell for the Japanese decoy ad let his fleet of escort carriers alone. Fortunately for the US a mix of skillful defence by the carriers escort and a timid Japanese admiral allowed the carriers to escape destruction. Halsey was supposed to comnad at Midway but he fell sick so he recomended Spruance. It was fortunate since IMHO the overagressive Halsey would have probably lost the battle. Halsey's illness was only one of the many fortunate coincidences for the Americans at Midway. From the Japanese recon plane who started late due to a catapult problem to its radio failure and later the Devastators arriving just when the Japanse carriers were at their moment of highest vulnerability: their top covered with loaded planes. And it happenned second time with eth Hyriu. Now we can look for a rational explanation: code cracking by the Americans, sloppy maintenance by the Japanse, lack of radar made them wulnerable to attack. Or we can look at Halsey's providential illness, the perfect timing of the attacks and think that perhaps, perhaps God was helping the Americans. Anyway, we don't know if Halsey would have lost, we only know that Spruance won decisively. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-1-19 3:26:00 PM |
| #5 Good admiral... but don't get sick before the big game. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-19 3:16:09 PM |
| #4 Wonder what Admiral Halsey would have had to say after 9/11 No, I think he would of paraphrased what he said as the Enterprise pulled into Pearl Harbor on the evening of 12/7/1941 "By the time we're through the Abrab language will spoken only in Hell". It is amazing the number of people in this country who refuse to recongnize that the West is in a World War with Radical and Fundementalist Islam. I wonder what the ship's motto will be, maybe "The Bull Stops Here" |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-1-19 3:01:23 PM |
| #3 Halsey's performance during WWII demonstrates that even the best make mistakes and the best answer is not always to can a battlefield commander when things go wrong. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-19 2:47:39 PM |
| #2 Wonder what Admiral Halsey would have had to say after 9/11. Two words: "Nuke them". |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-1-19 2:42:37 PM |
| #1 Wonder what Admiral Halsey would have had to say after 9/11. |
| Posted by: 4thInfVet 2004-1-19 2:29:35 PM |