USS Ramage (DDG-61)

Career (US)
Namesake:	Lawson P. Ramage
Ordered:	21 February 1990
Builder:	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Laid down:	4 January 1993
Launched:	1 February 1994
Commissioned:	22 July 1995
Homeport:	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto:	Par Excellence
Status:	in active service, as of 2011[update]
Badge:
General characteristics
Displacement:	Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t) Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length:	505 ft (154 m)
Beam:	66 ft (20 m)
Draft:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:	4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW)
Speed:	>30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:	4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,100 km at 37 km/h)
Complement:	33 Officers 38 Chief Petty Officers 210 Enlisted Personnel
Sensors and processing systems:	• AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar • AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar • AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar • AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array • AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar • AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
Electronic warfare and decoys:	• AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System • AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures • MK 36 MOD 12 Decoy Launching System • AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys
Armament:	1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles 1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm) 2 × 25 mm chain gun 4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried:	1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked

USS Ramage (DDG-61) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship is named for Vice Admiral Lawson P. Ramage, a notable submarine commander and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.

Ramage was laid down 4 January 1993 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched 11 February 1994, sponsored by Barbara Ramage (wife of the admiral), and commissioned 22 July 1995.

Construction

Ramage was constructed utilizing efficient modular shipbuilding techniques pioneered by Ingalls in the 1970s and enhanced in recent years through the development of Product-Oriented Shipbuilding Technology (POST).^[1]

These innovative techniques allow a large ship, such as Ramage, to be built in three separate hull and superstructure modules and later joined to form the complete ship. Heavy machinery, such as propulsion equipment, as well as piping, duct work, and electrical cabling were installed in hundreds of sub-assemblies, which were joined to form dozens of assemblies. These assemblies were then joined to form the three hull modules. The ship's superstructure, or "deck house", was lifted atop the mid-body module early in the assembly process.^[1]

Ramage's launching was as unique as her construction. The ship was moved over land via Ingalls' wheel-on-rail transfer system and onto the shipyard's launch and recovery drydock. The drydock was ballasted down, and DDG 61 floated free on 11 February 1994. She was then moved to her outfitting dock in preparation for the traditional christening ceremony and completion of outfitting and testing.^[1]

History

On November 25, 1996 RAMAGE embarked on her maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. RAMGE visited 6 countries and made 16 port calls. RAMAGE was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon, the Sea Service Ribbon and the Armed Forces Service Medal while on deployment.

In March 1997 RAMAGE provided logistic and communications support for Marines in Albania during Operation SILVER WAKE. On 21 July 1997, RAMAGE was an escort of the USS CONSTITUTION when she set sail in Massachusetts Bay.

On May 24, 1999, as a member of the THEODORE ROOSEVELT Battle Group, RAMAGE departed on her second deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas, MED/MEF 2-99. While deployed overseas, RAMAGE visited 8 countries and made 15 port visits. RAMAGE also participated in Operation ALLIED FORCE off the coast of Montenegro.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks RAMAGE sortied to the waters off the East Coast of the United States where she provided extended radar coverage the New York City and the surrounding area in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

RAMAGE deployed with the GEORGE WASHINGTON Surface Strike Group to the Arabian Sea in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During this deployment RAMAGE participated in multi-national exercises NEO-TAPON 04 and IRON SIREN 04.

RAMAGE again deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of the Global War on Terrorism in October of 2006. While on station RAMAGE participated in Operations ARGOS ASTERION and ARGOS DECALION. RAMAGE was also the first ship to respond to the Horn of Africa during the Ethiopian and Somalian hostilities of late December, 2006 providing extended coordination for P-3 coverage of the events. RAMAGE visited 8 different countries and conducted 10 port calls.

In August 2008 RAMAGE departed for a 7-month deployment in the Persian Gulf with the IWO JIMA Expeditionary Strike Group. RAMAGE participated in multi-national Operation RED REEF and Focused Operation TRIDENT KNIGHT. RAMAGE returned to home port in April 2009 after visiting 4 countries and making 6 port calls.

RAMAGE departed for the North Sea and Baltic Sea to participate in JOINT WARRIOR 09 in September 2009. RAMAGE operated with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and many other multi-national naval units. After making 5 ports of call in 4 countries, RAMAGE returned in November 2009. On October 28, 2009 while pierside at Gdynia, Poland after participating in a Joint Warrior exercise, a sailor on the ship conducting maintenance accidentally discharged one of the ship's M240 machine guns into the port city. Two rounds from the gun's three-round burst hit a warehouse, causing no injuries, the third round was not recovered. Local police allowed the ship to depart as originally scheduled later that day after questioning the ship's crew.^[2]

RAMAGE departed on deployment to the Mediterranean Sea on January 5, 2010. In late January 2010, the Ramage was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to assist with the search-and-rescue effort in the wake of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409^[3]. RAMAGE also provided Ballistic Missile Defense to the Eastern Mediterranean during this deployment. RAMAGE's port visits included: Naples, Italy; Haifa, Israel, Kusadasi, Bodrum, and Aksaz, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; Rhodes, Greece; Augusta Bay, Sicily; and Ponta Delgada, Azores. RAMAGE returned to home port on August 6, 2010.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Official Navy Ramage site. Accessed 20 September 2005. Note: quoted text has since been removed from the site.
2. ^ Ewing, Philip, "Destroyer accidentally fires on Polish port", Military Times, October 28, 2009.
3. ^ Miles, Donna. (Jan 25, 2010). "Navy Assists Ethiopian Airlines Search, Rescue Effort". US Department of Defense. http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=57697. Retrieved 27 January 2010. 

External links

USS Ramage in the Atlantic Ocean

• Ramage homepage
• navysite.de info, with pictures
• navsource.org: USS Ramage DDG-61