USS ''Howard'' (DDG-83) is an in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient First Sergeant Jimmie E. Howard, USMC. This ship is the 33rd destroyer of her class. USS ''Howard'' was the 19th ship of this class to be built by

Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest de ...

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its ...

, and construction began on 8 December 1998. She was launched and christened on 20 November 1999. She was commissioned into the Navy on 20 October 2001.

Namesake

The ship is named in honor of 1st Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard, USMC (1929–1993), recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his leadership of a platoon against repeated attacks by a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

-sized

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

force. After receiving severe wounds from an enemy grenade, he distributed ammunition to his men and directed air strikes on the enemy. By dawn, his beleaguered platoon still held their position. Howard had also received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Medal for his service in the

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. Every time ''Howard'' set to sea from her previous homeport of San Diego, she passed within view of 1st Sgt. Howard's grave at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...

and saluted her namesake.

Service history

On 16 February 2007, ''Howard'' was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award. On 28 September 2008, ''Howard'' was reported to be in pursuit of the Ukrainian ship , which on 25 September 2008 was captured by

Somali pirates Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somal ...

en route to Kenya. ''Faina'' was reported to be carrying 33 Russian-built

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks ha ...

tanks along with ammunition and spare parts. ''Faina'' was eventually released by the pirates 5 February 2009. In 2008, ''Howard'' received the 2008 Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy Award and provided humanitarian assistance to the Philippines. CDR Amy M. McInnis is the tenth Commanding Officer, assuming command on 19 November 2015. CDR John J Fay was the ninth Commanding Officer, relieving CDR Zook. CDR David Zook was the eighth commanding officer, relieving CDR Bergmann on 21 September 2012. CDR Andree (Ande) E. Bergmann replaced CDR Scott Switzer on 17 March 2011 as the seventh commanding officer. Scott Switzer was the sixth commanding officer of ''Howard'', replacing CDR Curtis Goodnight on 8 May 2009 during a ceremony at San Diego. Currently, ''Howard'' is a member of Destroyer Squadron 15 and

Carrier Strike Group Five Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet. CSG 5 is responsible for unit-level training ...

. On 26 November 2021, ''Howard'' made a port call in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is the first time a U.S. Navy warship has made a port call in New Zealand since 2016.

Coat of arms

Shield

The shield has a background of light blue, dark blue, and gold. The upper shield consists of an oriental dragon, while the bottom contains stars configured to the Southern Cross.

The traditional Navy colors were chosen for the shield because dark blue and gold represents the sea and excellence respectively. The oriental dragon symbolizes the ship's service in the Pacific and fighting spirit of the platoon under the leadership of Gunnery Sergeant Howard. The stars are configured to the Southern Cross and represent the First Marine Division patch worn by Gunnery Sergeant Howard.

Crest

The crest consists of a Medal of Honor neck pad in the shape of a radar array with a crossed Navy and Marine sword.

USS ''Howard''s combat actions and war fighting legacy are represented by the six battle stars. Gunnery Sergeant Howard was awarded a Medal of Honor for gallantry and intrepidity under fire, which is represented by the neck pad. The neck pad also highlights the modern warfare capabilities, represented with the AEGIS array. A Crossed Naval Sword and Marine Mameluke signify teamwork and cooperation, exhibited with support from USS ''Howard''s advanced combat systems for Marines ashore.

Motto

The motto is written on a scroll of white with blue reverse side.

The ships' motto is "Ready for Victory". The motto is a reference to the honor, courage, and commitment of USS ''Howard''s sailors for justifying she is ready for all operations in peace and will always be victorious in combat.

Seal

The coat of arms in full color as in the blazon, upon a white background enclosed within a dark blue oval border edged on the outside with a gold rope and bearing the inscription "USS Howard" at the top and "DDG 83" in the base all gold.

Awards

''Howard'' has been awarded the Navy Battle "E" several times * 1 January - 31 December 2006

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard (DDG-83) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Bath, Maine Piracy in Somalia 1999 ships