USS ''Chung-Hoon'' (DDG-93) is an

Aegis The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

serving 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 ...

(USN). ''Chung-Hoon'' was named in honor of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon (1910–1979), recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

and 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 ...

. The contract to build her was awarded to

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...

Ship Systems on 6 March 1998, and her

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was laid down on 14 January 2002, at

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 ...

, Incorporated. She was launched on 11 January 2003, sponsored by Michelle Punana Chung-Hoon of

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii, Chung-Hoon's niece, and commissioned on 18 September 2004. She is part of the Pacific Fleet and homeported in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

, Hawaii.

Service history

In October 2005, while operating 360 miles northeast of

Kahului Kahului () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. The population was 26,337 ...

, ''Chung-Hoon'' responded to a

distress call A distress signal, also known as a distress call, is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals are communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a soun ...

from the

bulk freighter A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, econ ...

''C-Laurel''. ''Chung-Hoon'' provided emergency medical care until the ship was within range of Coast Guard aircraft. In September 2006, ''Chung-Hoon'' served as host ship to the Chinese

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

's (PLAN) Luhu-class destroyer ''Qingdao'' during ''Qingdao''s visit to Pearl Harbor. The two ships conducted communications and mobility exercises on 10 September 2006. According to

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

, it was the first such exercise by USN and PLAN ships and the first visit by a Chinese navy ship to a U.S. state in six years. On 20 January 2009, ''Chung-Hoon'' departed Pearl Harbor for a scheduled deployment with the

Expeditionary Strike Group In the United States Navy, the expeditionary strike group (ESG) is a coordinated group of surface ships, aircraft, submarines, and other naval assets. In contrast to carrier strike groups (CSGs), which emphasize air power and are led by a super ...

. On 12 March 2009, Fox News reported that ''Chung-Hoon'' was escorting the surveillance vessel after the latter was involved in an incident with Chinese vessels in waters south of

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

. In 2010, the ship assisted the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

in the

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea ( fil, Dagat Sulu; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; Chavacano: ''Mar de Sulu''; Cebuano: ''Dagat sa Sulu''; Hiligaynon: ''Dagat sang Sulu''; Karay-a: ''Dagat kang Sulu''; Cuyonon: ''Dagat i'ang Sulu''; ms, Laut Sulu) is a body o ...

in operations against Islamic militants. After returning to Pearl Harbor, the ship redeployed to the western Pacific beginning on 1 June 2011. The

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...

ships , and conducted joint exercise CARAT 2011 with ''Chung-Hoon'' on 23 August 2011. On 27 January 2016, the ship deployed on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment with the USS ''John C. Stennis'' Strike Group, the so-called

Great Green Fleet The United States Navy's Great Green Fleet was an energy cost saving measure announced in 2009 to begin using a combination of conventional diesel fuel and biofuels in a 50/50 mixture. The first demonstration by the USS ''Nimitz'' carrier task gro ...

In popular culture

In the novel ''2034'', written by Eliiot Ackerman and Admiral

James G. Stavridis James George Stavridis (born February 15, 1955) is a retired United States Navy admiral, currently Vice Chair, Global Affairs and Managing Director of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rocke ...

, ''Chung-Hoon'' is one of two US ships sunk in a naval battle that sparks World War III.

References

External links

Ship's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chung Hoon (Ddg-93) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 2002 ships