USS Ross (DDG-71)

USS Ross in the Altantic Ocean
Career
Ordered:	8 April 1992
Laid down:	10 April 1995
Launched:	22 March 1996
Commissioned:	28 June 1997
Status:	Active in service as of 2008
Homeport:	Norfolk, Va.
General characteristics
Displacement:	8,315 tons
Length:	505 ft (153.9 m)
Beam:	66 ft (20.1 m)
Draft:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:	4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 100,000 shp (75 MW), 2 shafts
Speed:	30+ knots (55 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	270 officers and enlisted
Armament:	1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems, 90 × RIM-67 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles 1 × 5/54 in (127/54 mm) gun, 2 × 25 mm guns, 4 × 12.7 mm guns, 2 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 46 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft:	1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be landed but not embarked
Motto:	Fortune Favors Valor

USS Ross (DDG-71) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship of that name, and the first named in honor of Captain Donald K. Ross (1910–1992), who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ross's keel was laid on 10 April 1995 by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi and her christening was held a year later, sponsored by Helen Ross, widow of Capt. Ross. Her plankowning crew moved aboard in April 1997 and sailed her to Galveston, Texas for the commissioning on 28 June 1997. Afterward, Ross set sailed for a Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trial, which lasted six weeks, and then sailed back to Pascagoula for three months for her Post Shakedown Availability (PSA). She was then returned to her homeport of Portsmouth, Virginia and completed the Basic Training Phase: Engineering Certification, CART II, TSTA I, and III, Cruise Missile Tactical Qualification, Final Evaluation Period (FEP), and Logistics Management Assessment. Ross completed her Intermediate Training Phase and set sail early in 1999 as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group which had sortied for a Joint Task Force Exercise to prepare for an upcoming six-month deployment set to commence on 26 March 1999. During this deployment to the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas Ross participated in Operation Allied Force. On 22 September she returned to Norfolk, Va. On 15 May 2000 she set sail for Northern Europe in order to participate in the Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2000. She served as the flagship for the Commander of Carrier Group Eight, and together with the Peterson operated with more than 50 ships from the numerous European countries. During these exercises the destroyer visited Stockholm, Sweden and Kiel in Germany before returning to the United States in late June. In September 2001, Ross was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and conducting operations in support of the U.N. resolutions against Iraq. During this deployment, Ross was again part of the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group. On June 6 2005, a .50 caliber machine gun on her deck fired while leaving a shipyard. The single .50 caliber bullet struck a nearby barge and two washing machines within the barge. The gun was discharged while performing a check on the firing operation of the gun [1]. Later in 2005, USS Ross participated in UNITAS 47-06 in place of the USS Gates due to the damage to Pascagoula created by hurricane Katrina. Ross enjoyed liberty in Curacao, St. Maartin, and Rio de Janeiro while participating in the multi-ship exercise with naval forces from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Uruguay. During the return home, Ross encountered heavy seas at high speeds resulting in a tear in her hull. The crew of Ross exercised great skill in isolating the flooding and de-watering the Ross during the remainder of the journey up the Atlantic coast eventually arriving in Norfolk in time for Thanksgiving. Ross returned from a six month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as part of NATO's Standing Maritime Group in 2006. She conducted over 850 vessel queries, commanded over 17 different ships from various nations, performed over 40 helicopter landings and takeoffs and 41 port visits to six different countries and 14 different ports. From 1 May 2006 to 7 November 2006, Ross traveled over 64,000 nautical miles (120,000 km)). In Alicante, Spain in August of 2006, Ross became the NATO flagship, embarking the American commander of the standing maritime group. Her mission was to perform as part of Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR; deterring terrorism, smuggling and human trafficking in the Mediterranean. Ross's port visits for this deployment are as follows: Alicante and Rota in Spain; Marseille and Toulon in France; Augusta, Naples, Palermo, and Taranto in Italy; Chania, Corfu, and Athens in Greece; Marmaris, Turkey; Haifa, Israel; and Glasgow, United Kingdom.

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

External links

• USS Ross official website
• nvr.navy.mil: USS Ross
• navsource.org: USS Ross
• navysite.de: USS Ross
• DDG-71 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com