The Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers is one of the largest United States Navy (USN) surface fighting ship groups with 61 of the 62 completed ships currently in active service (2012) and 75 total vessels planned in all. The class makes use of a variable array of weaponry coupled with the powerful AEGIS system which allow it to tackle aerial, surface and underwater threats with regular accuracy. The USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) is the 60th ship of the class and was ordered on September 13th, 2002. Her keel laid down on September 16th, 2008, and she was officially launched on December 15th, 2009 to undergo the requisite sea trials and evaluation period. The vessel was formally commissioned on June 4th, 2011 with Commander Thomas R. Williams II at the helm and, today (2012), remains in active service. The vessel was constructed by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding at the Ingalls Shipbuilding ship yard of Pascagoula, Mississippi. The USS William P. Lawrence makes her homeport out of San Diego, California and fights under the motto of "Never Give In".
The USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) is named after the US Navy's own William P. Lawrence (1930-2005) who led a storied aviation career during his active service term. He was shot down over Vietnam during the Vietnam War and remained a prisoner of war from 1967 to 1973 before his release. He retired from service to the USN in 1986 at the rank Vice Admiral and is fondly remembered as a strong leader of men and a "People's Admiral".
As a destroyer class vessel, the Lawrence is required to support larger class vessels of the main fleet while being called upon to fight on her own as the situation requires. Destroyers, by USN standards, are typically fast and agile watercraft for their size, capable of keeping pace with the accompanying convoy or tracking down enemy combatants with equal fervor. The guided missile inventory (primarily made up of Tomahawk cruise missiles) is what graduates the basic destroyer (DD) to the guided missile destroyer classification (DDG) in the United States Navy classification system. Historically, the destroyer as a naval surface fighting ship has been a multirole vessel intended to supply a variety of solutions to growing issues in open water - in this way, the Lawrence does not disappoint, her crew recognizing her appropriately as a "multi-mission" platform.
Power for the USS William P. Lawrence is made possible by the internal conventional arrangement of 4 x General Electric LM2500-30 series gas turbines delivering up to 100,000 shaft horsepower to 2 x shafts at the stern. Maximum speed in ideal conditions is approximately 30 knots and she displaces at 9,200 tons. She features a running length of 509.5 feet from bow to stern and a beam of 66 feet while her draught runs 31 feet.
The armament of a destroyer is the heart and soul of the vessel. As such, the Lawrence makes use of a 32- and 62-cell Mk 41 series vertical launch system (VLS) capable of firing BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, RIM-66 SM-2 medium-range surface-to-air-missiles or RUM-139 VL-ASROC anti-submarine missiles to fulfill a variety of mission requirements. Utilizing a combination of these missile types, a single Arleigh Burke-class destroyer can engage land-based, sea-based and aerial targets with proven lethality. Along her forward deck is the 5" (127mm) /62 deck gun for principle engagement of surface/land-based targets at range including offshore bombardment in support of amphibious landings. This armament is backed by a pair of 25mm guns for supporting defense. A 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is used against incoming aerial threats (be they enemy aircraft or cruise missiles) at close-range. 4 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns protect the vessel from short-ranged incoming threats such as those proposed by Al Qaeda operatives using personal watercraft to reach the vessel. To counter both surface and underwater threats at range, the Lawrence is further equipped with 2 x Mk 46 triple torpedo tubes which can hone in on unsuspecting targets wherever they may be.
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USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51); USS Barry (DDG-52); USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53); USS Curtis Wilber (DDG-54); USS Stout (DDG-55); USS John S. McCain (DDG-56); USS Mitscher (DDG-57); USS Laboon (DDG-58); USS Russell (DDG-59); USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60); USS Ramage (DDG-61); USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62); USS Stethem (DDG-63); USS Carney (DDG-64); USS Benfold (DDG-65); USS Gonzalez (DDG-66); USS Cole (DDG-67); USS The Sullivans (DDG-68); USS Milius (DDG-69); USS Hopper (DDG-70); USS Ross (DDG-71); USS Mahan (DDG-72); USS Decatur (DDG-73); USS McFaul (DDG-74); USS Donald Cook (DDG-75); USS Higgins (DDG-76); USS O'Kane (DDG-77); USS Porter (DDG-78); USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79); USS Roosevelt (DDG-80); USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81); USS Lassen (DDG-82); USS Howard (DDG-83); USS Bulkeley (DDG-84); USS McCampbell (DDG-85); USS Shoup (DDG-86); USS Mason (DDG-87); USS Preble (DDG-88); USS Mustin (DDG-89); USS Chafee (DDG-90); USS Pinkney (DDG-91); USS Momsen (DDG-92); USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93); USS Nitze (DDG-94); USS James E. Williams (DDG-95); USS Bainbridge (DDG-96); USS Halsey (DDG-97); USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98); USS Farragut (DDG-99); USS Kidd (DDG-100); USS Gridley (DDG-101); USS Sampson (DDG-102); USS Truxtun (DDG-103); USS Sterett (DDG-104); USS Dewey (DDG-105); USS Stockdale (DDG-106); USS Gravely (DDG-107); USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108); USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109); USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110); USS Spruance (DDG-111); USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112); USS John Finn (DDG-113); USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114); USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115); USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116); USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117); Daniel Inouye (DDG-118); Delbert D. Black (DDG-119); Unnamed (DDG-120); Unnamed (DDG-121); Unnamed (DDG-122; Unnamed (DDG-122); Unnamed (DDG-123); Unnamed (DDG-124); Unnamed (DDG-125); Unnamed (DDG-126) Ships-in-Class
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.
510.0 feet (155.45 meters) Length
66.0 feet (20.12 meters) Beam
31.0 feet (9.45 meters) Draught
9,200 tons Displacement
4 x General Electric LM2500-30 gasoline turbines developing 100,000 shaft horsepower to 2 x shafts. Propulsion
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