USS ''Rafael Peralta'' (DDG-115) is an -class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The destroyer can operate with a Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), as an element of a Surface Action Group (SAG), or independently. The ship can conduct a variety of missions in support of national military strategy. From peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, 115 will be capable of carrying out Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), Undersea Warfare (USW), Surface Warfare (SW), and Strike Warfare (STW) in multi-threat environments. The $679.6 million contract to build her was awarded on 26 September 2011 to Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine. On 15 February 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's named to be ''Rafael Peralta'' in honor of Marine

Rafael Peralta Rafael Peralta (April 7, 1979 – November 15, 2004) was a United States Marine killed in combat during the Second Battle of Fallujah during the Iraq War. In September 2008 his family was notified that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the secon ...

, who was petitioned for the Medal of Honor for shielding several Marines from a grenade in November 2004 during the Iraq War; however, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross instead, after doubts regarding the exact sequence of events prior to his death were raised.

Namesake

was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States as a child. Peralta joined the United States Marine Corps when he received his green card in 2000 and became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Marine Corps. Peralta was killed during the Second Battle of Fallujah in Iraq when he was wounded by small arms fire while clearing houses with his fellow Marines. The insurgents threw a hand grenade into the room. Despite being injured, Peralta pulled the grenade underneath his body (thus absorbing most of the blast), killing him instantly and saving his fellow Marines. For his actions, Peralta was recommended for the Medal of Honor but was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross instead.

Design

''Rafael Peralta'' is the 65th ship of the ''Arleigh Burke'' class of destroyers, the first of which, , was commissioned in July 1991. With 75 ships planned to be built in total, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant warship. As an ''Arleigh Burke''-class ship, ''Rafael Peralta''s roles will include

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

, and anti-surface warfare, as well as strike operations. During its long production run, the class was built in three flights—Flight I (DDG-51 to DDG-76), Flight II (DDG-72 to DDG-78), and Flight IIA (DDG-79 onward). ''Rafael Peralta'' is a Flight IIA ship, and as such, features several improvements in terms of ballistic missile defense, an embarked

air wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group ( ...

, and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability.

Construction and career

By January 2014, the aft portion of the ship had been completed and had begun outfitting and she was laid down on 30 October 2014. The ship was christened on 31 October 2015 at Bath Iron Works. In February 2017, the ship was accepted by the United States Navy. ''Rafael Peralta'' was commissioned in San Diego, California on 29 July 2017 and was homeported at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, cons ...

before moving to Japan in 2021. The ''Arleigh Burke''-class guided-missile destroyers ''Rafael Peralta'' and arrived in Sasebo for a port visit on 8 February 2020. ''Rafael Peralta'' joined , , KDB ''Darulehsan'' and on their way to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in preparation for RIMPAC 2020 on 6 August 2020.

Deployments

* 17 January 2020 - 3 September 2020 - 5th/7th fleet - Maiden deployment

In Popular Culture

''Rafael Peralta'' was used in the

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

series ''

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan ''Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'' (also known simply as ''Jack Ryan'') is an American political action thriller television series, based on characters from the fictional "Ryanverse" created by Tom Clancy, that premiered on August 31, 2018, on Amazon ...

'', season 2 episode 8 in November 2019.

Gallery

File:USS Rafael Peralta Christening Ceremony.jpg, Launching of 'Rafael Peralta'' on 31 October 2015 File:USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-15) leaving for builder's sea trials US Navy 161017-N-DM751-001.jpg, ''Rafael Peralta''s builder trail on 17 October 2016 File:USS Rafael Peralta Acceptance Trials.jpg, ''Rafael Peralta''s sea trail on 16 December 2016 File:USS Rafael Peralta commissioning.jpg, Commissioning of ''Rafael Peralta'' on 29 July 2017

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers 2015 ships