USS ''Chung-Hoon'' (DDG-93) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight IIA)

Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(USN). ''Chung-Hoon'' was named in honor of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon Gordon Paiea Chung-Hoon (July 25, 1910 – July 24, 1979) was an admiral in the United States Navy, who served during World War II and was the first Asian American flag officer. He received the Navy Cross and Silver Star for conspicuous galla ...

(1910–1979), recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

and the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

. The contract to build her was awarded to

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...

Ship Systems on 6 March 1998, and her

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

was laid down on 14 January 2002, at

Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and, as of 2023, is the largest private em ...

, Incorporated. She was launched on 11 January 2003, sponsored by Michelle Punana Chung-Hoon of

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hawaii, Chung-Hoon's niece, and commissioned on 18 September 2004. She is part of the Pacific Fleet and homeported in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, Hawaii.

Service history

In October 2005 while operating northeast of

Kahului Kahului () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It hosts the county's main airport ( Kahului Airport), a deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shoppi ...

, ''Chung-Hoon'' responded to a

distress call A distress signal, also known as a distress call, is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals are communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a sou ...

from the

bulk freighter A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo—such as grain, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement—in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic fo ...

''C-Laurel''. ''Chung-Hoon'' provided emergency medical care until the ship was within range of Coast Guard aircraft. In September 2006 ''Chung-Hoon'' served as host ship to the Chinese

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

's (PLAN) Luhu-class destroyer ''Qingdao'' during ''Qingdao''s visit to Pearl Harbor. The two ships conducted communications and mobility exercises on 10 September 2006. According to

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...

, it was the first such exercise by USN and PLAN ships and the first visit by a Chinese navy ship to a U.S. state in six years. On 20 January 2009 ''Chung-Hoon'' departed Pearl Harbor for a scheduled deployment with the Expeditionary Strike Group. On 8 March 2009 ''Chung-Hoon'' was escorting the surveillance vessel after the latter was involved in an incident with Chinese vessels in waters south of

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

. In 2010 the ship assisted the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

in the

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...

in operations against Islamic militants. After returning to Pearl Harbor, the ship redeployed to the western Pacific beginning on 1 June 2011. The

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of ...

ships , and conducted joint exercise CARAT 2011 with ''Chung-Hoon'' on 23 August 2011. On 27 January 2016 the ship deployed on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment with the Strike Group, the so-called

Great Green Fleet The United States Navy's Great Green Fleet was an energy cost saving measure announced in 2009 to begin using a combination of conventional diesel fuel and biofuels in a 50/50 mixture. The first demonstration by the USS ''Nimitz'' carrier task gro ...

. On 5 January 2023 ''Chung-Hoon'', while deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet sailed through the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...

. She then conducted underway training with of the

on 17 April 2023. On 3 June 2023, People's Liberation Army Navy warship cut across the bow of ''Chung-Hoon'' while it was transiting the Taiwan Strait together with ; the closest point of approach was . On 6 August 2023, ''Chung-Hoon'' and three other destroyers responded to a joint Chinese-Russian patrol in international waters near Alaska. The Chinese-Russian flotilla left without incident.

Awards

* Battle "E" – (2023) * Secretary of the Navy Safety Excellence Award - (2016)

In popular culture

In the novel ''2034'', written by Eliiot Ackerman and Admiral James G. Stavridis, ''Chung-Hoon'' is one of two US ships sunk in a naval battle that sparks

World War III World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, ...

References

External links

Ship's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chung Hoon (Ddg-93) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 2002 ships