USS John Finn

USS John Finn (DDG-113) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy. The contract to build her was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 15 June 2011.[7] Ingalls has been a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) since its acquisition in April 2001.[8][9] Prior to the award, Ingalls had constructed 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the last one of which was USS William P. Lawrence.[7] On 15 February 2011, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's name to be John Finn after John William Finn, the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II.[10] He was so honored for machine-gunning Japanese warplanes for over two hours during the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor despite being shot in the foot and shoulder, and suffering numerous shrapnel wounds. He retired as a lieutenant after thirty years of service and died at age 100 in 2010.[16]

USS John Finn
John Finn at Pearl Harbor on 10 July 2017
History
United States
NameJohn Finn
NamesakeJohn William Finn
Ordered15 June 2011
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down5 November 2013[1]
Launched28 March 2015[2]
Sponsored byLaura Stavridis
Christened2 May 2015[3]
Acquired7 December 2016[4]
Commissioned15 July 2017[5]
HomeportYokosuka, Japan
Identification
MottoStand fast and fight
Honors and
awards		See Awards
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeArleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement9,217 tons (full load)[6]
Length513 ft (156 m)[6]
Beam66 ft (20 m)[6]
Propulsion4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 100,000 shp (75,000 kW)[6]
Speed30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement380 officers and enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

Design

John Finn is the 63rd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the first of which, USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), was commissioned in July 1991.[17] With 89 ships planned to be built so far, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant.[18] During its long production run, the class was built in three flights: Flight I (DDG-51 to DDG-71), Flight II/IIA/IIA T.I. (DDG-72 to DDG-124 & DDG-127), and Flight III (DDG-125, DDG-126 & DDG-128 to DDG-139).[8][19] The Arleigh Burke-class was also the first in the U.S. Navy to include anti-NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) warfare protection.[8] John Finn will be a Flight IIA ship, and as such, will feature several improvements in terms of ballistic missile defense, an embarked air wing (two MH-60R Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System helicopters), and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability.[6] As an Arleigh Burke-class ship, John Finn's roles include anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare, as well as strike operations.[6]

Construction

In November 2013, John Finn's keel was laid down at Ingalls Shipbuilding. The keel laying ceremony was attended by Laura Stavridis, the ship sponsor and former wife of retired Admiral James Stavridis.[20] The ship was launched on 28 March 2015 and christened on 2 May 2015.[21][22] On 7 December 2016, the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy.[23] The precommissioning crew moved on board the ship on 28 February 2017 and the vessel was commissioned on 15 July 2017 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then homeported to San Diego, California.[24]

History

On 17 November 2020, John Finn successfully intercepted an ICBM using a SM-3 Block IIA missile. The target missile was launched from the test site on the Kwajalein Atoll and simulated an attack on Hawaii. This was the first time that an ICBM had been successfully intercepted by an SM-3 and the first time a U.S. Navy ship had brought down such a missile.[25]

On 6 August 2023, John Finn and three other destroyers responded to a joint Chinese-Russian patrol in international waters near Alaska. The Chinese-Russian flotilla left without incident.[26]

Deployments
  • Maiden deployment December 2020 - April 2021

Awards

References
  1. "Ingalls Shipbuilding Authenticates the Keel of Its 29th Aegis Guided-Missile Destroyer, John Finn (DDG 113)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  2. "Ingalls Shipbuilding Launches Guided Missile Destroyer John Finn (DDG 113)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  3. "Aegis Destroyer John Finn (DDG 113) Christened at Ingalls Shipbuilding; Ship Named for Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor Recipient" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS John Finn" (Press release). United States Navy. 7 December 2016. NNS161207-24. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  5. "USS John Finn Commissioned in Pearl Harbor" (Press release). United States Navy. 17 July 2017. NNS170717-27. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  6. "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  7. "Ingalls Shipbuilding Awarded U.S. Navy Construction Contract for DDG 113 Guided Missile Destroyer" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  8. "Arleigh Burke Class (Aegis), United States of America". Naval-Technology. Net Resources International. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  9. "America's Largest Military Shipbuilder Begins Operations as a New, Publicly Traded Company Under the Name of Huntington Ingalls Industries" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  10. "Navy: 3 new ships to be named after war heroes". washingtontimes.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  11. "Navy To Name Ships After Servicemen With Local Ties". KGTV. 15 February 2012.
  12. Steuessy, Lauren (15 February 2012). "Two Navy Ships Memorialize San Diego Legends". NBC San Diego. NBCUniversal.
  13. "Navy Names Five New Ships". Navy News Service (Press release). U.S. Navy. 15 February 2012. NNS120215-07.
  14. Perry, Tony (15 February 2012). "Navy to name ships after three San Diego war heroes". Los Angeles Times.
  15. Cavas, P. Christopher (15 February 2012). "Five New U.S. Navy Ship Names Announced". Defense News. Gannett Government Media. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012.
  16. [11][12][13][14][15]
  17. "USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51)". Naval Vessel Register. Navy.mil. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  18. Sharp, David (31 December 2009). "After 2-plus decades, Navy destroyer breaks record". The Guardian. Associated Press.
  19. "DDG". Naval Vessel Register. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016.
  20. "Keel Laid for Future USS John Finn". NAVSEA Office. United States Navy. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  21. "Future USS John Finn (DDG 113) Launched". US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  22. "Christening of John Finn DDG-113". Ingalls Shipbuilding. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015.
  23. "The Warrior of Kāneʻohe: Pearl Harbor's First Medal of Honor Recipient". The Sextant. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  24. "USS John Finn commissioned in Hawaii". WLOX. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  25. Bowman, Bradley (23 November 2020). "Successful SM-3 weapons test offers missile defense opportunity". defensenews.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  26. Yang, Maya (6 August 2023). "US dispatches warships after China and Russia send naval patrol near Alaska". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2023.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

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