USS Ted Stevens Commissions at Port of Whittier, First Destroyer Visit in 80 Years
WHITTIER, Alaska — The U.S. Navy's newest Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided-missile destroyer, USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), was commissioned at the Port of Whittier, Alaska, on Oct. 3, naval publication Naval News reported on Oct. 7. It was the first U.S. Navy destroyer to call at Whittier in about 80 years.
Whittier was developed as a key military installation during World War II but has not hosted a destroyer since. Named for the late Alaska U.S. senator Ted Stevens, the ship is the Navy's second Flight III destroyer, fitted with the AN/SPY-6(V)1 air-and-missile-defense radar — a major leap over earlier flights.
Navy officials said at the ceremony that commissioning a ship named for an Alaska statesman in Alaska symbolizes the service's growing strategic focus on the Arctic. As Chinese and Russian activity increases in the region, the U.S. has been bolstering its Alaska military footprint, from port expansion to airpower exercises.
USS Ted Stevens will join the missile defense force, homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Local residents and veterans attended the commissioning, witnessing the historic moment.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：USS Ted Stevens（DDG-128）号驱逐舰在海上进行验收试验。美国海军官方照片，公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
