The USS Mitscher (DDG-57) is an in service with 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 ...

. It was constructed by

Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries, HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and at 12,500 ...

, in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 22 ...

on an order in December 1988. Laid down in 1992 it was formally commissioned on 10 December 1994.

Namesake

USS ''Mitscher'' (DDG-57) became the second

warship named to honor Admiral

Marc A. Mitscher Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher (January 26, 1887 – February 3, 1947) was a pioneer in naval aviation who became an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy, and served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific d ...

(1887–1947), famed

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

task force commander.

Service history

USS ''Mitscher'' was commissioned on 10 December 1994, and was sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Ferguson. ''Mitscher'' transferred to her homeport in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

later in December 1994, and has since made three

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

deployments and participated in many

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

exercises. On 20 September 1998 a plaque was dedicated to USS Mitscher at Mahon (Naval) Cemetery where US and UK sailors lie at rest, some from various ships in the 1800s. In 2001, ''Mitscher'' deployed with Carrier Group 2 centered on the aircraft carrier . During this deployment, ''Mitscher'' visited

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, Algeria and conducted joint training exercises with the

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

. In October 2006, ''Mitscher'' participated in Neptune Warrior, a joint war exercise with navies from all over the world. On 16 February 2007, ''Mitscher'' was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award. Beginning 23 July 2011, during its 2011 deployment, the strike group's anti-piracy capabilities was augmented by the addition of a

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

12-person Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) embarked aboard ''Mitscher''. These deployable Coast Guard boarding teams consisted of highly trained maritime law enforcement specialists capable of Level III non-compliant boardings. As the only organization in the U.S. government with the combined authority of a law enforcement agency, an intelligence agency, and a military service, they brought additional capabilities and expertise to ''Mitscher''s embarked visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team. ''Mitscher''s VBSS team and the AIT trained together between operations to enhance their joint boarding tactics, boat operation skills, and internal movements. On 13 August 2011, as part of

Combined Task Force 150 Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 34-nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, board, inspect, and stop suspect shipping to pur ...

operating in the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

, ''Mitscher'' provided assistance to the Sri Lankan-flagged cargo vessel ''Al Habib'' which was experiencing engineering problems and running low on water. ''Mitscher''s VBSS-AIT boarding party transported supplies to ''Al Habib'' via

rigid-hulled inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are ...

, including two 3-gallon (11.36 liters) containers of water and four cases of bottled water. On 24 February 2012 Commander Monika W. Stoker became the first African-American female to become the Commanding Officer of a United States warship. Commander Stoker relieved Commander Brian K. Sorrenson after serving as his Executive Officer for 20 months prior. On 2 June 2015, ''Mitscher'' welcomed the in US waters on behalf of the US Navy. On 16 April 2022, ''Mitscher'' arrived at

following a surge deployment.

Coat of arms

The combined anchor and trident symbolize sea prowess and combat readiness. The life preserver ringing the anchor commemorates Admiral Mitscher's compassion for his crew as manifested through his relentless determination in tracking down and recovering downed air crews. The three tines of the trident represent the ship's significant capabilities in strike, air, and subsurface warfare. The trident's position, rising above the crest, symbolizes the ability to project power over great distances. The gold wings represent Admiral Mitscher's service and dedication, throughout his career, in advancing naval aviation and developing strike warfare. Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Navy and represent the sea and excellence. Red is emblematic of sacrifice and valor. The cross throughout the shield recalls the Navy Cross Admiral Mitscher was awarded for his participation in the first successful transatlantic air passage. The two stars above the cross commemorate his awards of 2nd and 3rd Distinguished Service Medals and his 2nd and 3rd awards of the Navy Cross for meritorious service during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The armored gauntlet represents the strength and survivability of the ship. The lightning bolts symbolize energy and speed and the ability of the ship to conduct multi-mission operations in any dimension. The gauntlet grasping the lightning bolts highlights USS MITSCHER's motto "SEIZE THE DAY", recalling Admiral Mitscher's tenacious fighting spirit and dignifying DDG 57's legacy.

Gallery

File:USS Mitscher (DDG-57) 23 10 16 1125.jpg, USS ''Mitscher'' on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

for the October 2006 Neptune Warrior exercise. File:DDG57_USS_Mitscher_BB.jpg, USS ''Mitscher'' at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in October 2008 with the masts of in the background. File:DDG57 USS Mitscher berthed with HMS Ark Royal & HMS Illustrious BB.jpg, USS ''Mitscher'' at

in October 2008 berthed with and . File:The Hermione being escorted by the USS Mitscher (DDG-57) (1).jpg, USS ''Mitscher'' welcoming in US waters.

References

External links

Official USS ''Mitscher'' Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitscher (DDG-57) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1993 ships