USS ''Ralph Johnson'' (DDG-114) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight IIA Restart)

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 ...

of 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 ...

. She was commissioned on 24 March 2018.

Construction and career

The contract to build the destroyer was awarded on 26 September 2011 to

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 ...

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

. On 15 February 2012, Secretary of the Navy

Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previo ...

announced the ship was to be named ''Ralph Johnson'' in honor of Marine Ralph H. Johnson, who was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for shielding two fellow Marines from a grenade in March 1968 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The contract was worth $697.6 million fixed price, and was also the 30th ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer contract issued to Ingalls Shipbuilding. ''Ralph Johnson'' is the 64th ship of the ''Arleigh Burke'' class of destroyers, the first of which, , was commissioned in July 1991. With 75 ships planned to be built in total, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant. As an ''Arleigh Burke''-class ship, ''Ralph Johnson''s roles included

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

, and

anti-surface warfare Anti-surface warfare (ASuW or ASUW) is the branch of naval warfare concerned with the suppression of surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's ...

, as well as strike operations. During the long production run, the class was built in three flights—Flight I (DDG-51–DDG-71), Flight II (DDG-72–DDG-78), and Flight IIA (DDG-79– ). ''Ralph Johnson'' is a Flight IIA ship, and as such, features several improvements in terms of

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

defence, an embarked

air wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (ar ...

, and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability. In 2008, the U.S. Navy decided to restart production of the ''Arleigh Burke'' class as orders for the was reduced from ten to three. The first three ships (DDG-113—DDG-115) ordered following the product decision are known as the "restart" ships, while "technology insertion" ships (DDG-116—DDG-123) are expected to incorporate certain elements of ''Arleigh Burke'' class Flight III, which in turn will run from DDG-124 onwards. As a "restart" ship, ''Ralph Johnson'' primarily features upgraded electronics; she was originally scheduled to be delivered in August 2016, but construction was delayed and delivery was rescheduled for late 2017 after

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s were completed in the middle of the year. The warship arrived at the

Port of Charleston The Port of Charleston is a seaport located in South Carolina in the Southeastern United States. The port's facilities span three municipalities— Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant—with six public terminals owned and operated b ...

's Columbus Street Terminal on 19 March 2018 and was commissioned on 24 March. In 2019, ''Ralph Johnson''s homeport shifted to Yokosuka, Japan, replacing . On 4 September 2023, ''Ralph Johnson'' conducted a bilateral sail with of 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

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

Awards

* Battle "E" – (2020) * Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Ship-Helicopter Safety Award - (2020) * Retention Excellence Award - (2020)

Gallery

File:Launching of the future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) US Navy 151212-N-EW716-001.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' being launched 12 December 2015 File:The future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) is christened. (25628605164).jpg, Christening of USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 2 April 2016 File:USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) during builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico US Navy 170727-N-N0101-001.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'''s sea trial on 18 July 2017 File:USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) pulls into Naval Station Everett US Navy 180427-N-DA737-0046.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 27 April 2018 File:200424-N-FP334-1042 (49837225533).jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 24 April 2020 File:USS Ralph Johnson Arrives in Singapore (2).jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' arrives in Singapore on 4 August 2023

References

External links

Navy to name destroyer after local native

Five New U.S. Navy Ship Names Announced

Navy: 3 new ships to be named after war heroes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers 2015 ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi Naval ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic