USS Stethem (DDG-63)

Guided-Missile Destroyer Warship

United States | 1995

"USS Stethem DDG-63, a guided missile destroyer, joined the United States Navy inventory in 1995 and makes her homeport at Yokosuka, Japan."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/05/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS image network.

USS Stethem (DDG-63) is a modern guided-missile destroyer in service with the United States Navy (USN). It is part of the large Arleigh Burke-class which forms the bulk of the USN destroyer force, the group originally numbering some seventy-six total planned warships with some sixty-four currently in active service (2017). Stethem was ordered on February 22nd, 1990 and saw her keel laid down by Ingalls Shipbuilding on May 11th, 1993. Commissioned for service on October 21st, 1995, the vessel makes its homeport at Yokosuka, Japan and has been an active deterrent to Chinese and North Korean aspirations in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Stethem is known by the nickname of "The Steel Worker" and fights under the motto of "Steadfast and Courageous".

USS Stethem carries the name of Robert Dean Stethem, a USN Seabee diver murdered by elements of Hezbollah on June 15th, 1985 in Beirut, Lebanon when the commercial airliner he was on, TWA Flight 847, was taken over by Iranian-backed Hezbollah hijackers.

USS Stethem is built to the original base Arleigh Burke standard known as "Flight I" (there are currently four recognized "flights" including Flight II, Flight IIA and Flight III). Flight I ships have a displacement around 9,165 short tons and a length reaching 505 feet. The crew complement numbers 300 personnel. Future flights have incorporated various improves to their systems and subsystems to further broaden their tactical value at-sea. All of the warships in the series center on the AEGIS Combat System with multi-function PESA radar providing uncompromised situational awareness.

Beyond the stated dimension, USS Stethem has a beam of 66 feet and a draught down to 31 feet.

Power is from 4 x General Electric LM2500-30 marine gas turbines developing 100,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts under stern. This allows the vessel to make headway at over 30 knots and reach out to 4,400 nautical miles.

Processing systems include the AN/SPY-1D 3D radar, the AN/SPS-67(V)2 surface-search radar and the AN/SPG-62 Fire Control (FC) radar systems. Sonar is handled by the AN/SQS-53C series unit as well as the AN/SQR-19 tactical towed-array fit. The warship is also equipped for LAMPS III through the AN/SQQ-28 system. LAMPS is the "Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System" working in conjunction with navy helicopters in the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role. USS Stethem operates up to 2 x Sikorsky MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters through a stern-based helicopter pad and onboard full-service hangar.

The Arleigh Burke-class warships are designed to counter multiple threats arising at sea and are therefore equipped with a mix of conventional and missile-minded weaponry. There is 1 x 29-cell and 1 x 61-cell banks (Mk 41 Vertical Launching System = VLS) fitted fore and aft supporting up to ninety Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), sea-launched cruise missiles (Tomahawk variety) and ASROCs (Anti-Submarine ROCket). The missile installations form the heart of the offensive and defensive punch of the class. More conventional weaponry is had through the 1 x 127mm /54 caliber Mark 45 turreted deck gun, 2 x 25mm Bushmaster chain guns, 2 x 20mm Phalanx digitally-controlled Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs) and 4 x 12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns. Additionally, there are 2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes for submarine-hunting.

USS Stethem's first official call to action was in November of 1996 when the vessel was used to search for survivors of a USAF C-130 crash off the California coast. She has since deployed to various ports across the Pacific and Middle East and participated in several major exercises. Her second deployment, beginning in April 1999, took her to Persian Gulf waters. To date (2017), USS Stethem has completed four total deployments and continues to serve as a deterrent and in friendly port calls, centered mainly in the Pacific Ocean.

August 2017 - On August 1st, 2017, a USN search was underway for a missing sailor.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for USS Stethem (DDG-63).

4 x General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbiens developing 100,000 horsepower to 2 x shafts.
Propulsion

30.0 kts
34.5 mph
Surface Speed

4,401 nm
5,065 miles | 8,151 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of USS Stethem (DDG-63).

281
Personnel
Complement

505.0 ft
153.92 meters
O/A Length

66.0 ft
20.12 meters
Beam

31.0 ft
9.45 meters
Draught

8,000
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of USS Stethem (DDG-63).

1 x 5" /54 caliber Mark 45 turreted deck gun.
1 x 29-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) (RIM-156, SM-2, BGM-109 and RUM-139 missiles supported).
2 x Mk 141 "Harpoon" Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) launchers
2 x 25mm chain guns.
2 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs)
2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes.
4 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs)

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of USS Stethem (DDG-63).

2 x Sikorsky MH-60R "Sea Hawk" (or similar) navy helicopters.

Ships-in-Class (62)
Notable series variants as part of the USS Stethem (DDG-63) family line as relating to the Arleigh Burke-class group.

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 Hunter (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)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the USS Stethem (DDG-63). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ United States ]

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to seaborne requirements.

BLUE WATER SERVICE

OFFSHORE BOMBARDMENT

LAND-ATTACK

MARITIME PATROL

AIRSPACE DENIAL

FLEET SUPPORT

SHIP-TO-SHORE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
USS Stethem (DDG-63) Guided-Missile Destroyer Warship appears in the following collections:

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