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USS Fitzgerald

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File:US Navy 050813-N-8492C-111 The guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) prepares to get into position with ships of the Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group during a formation exercise.jpg
USS Fitzgerald on 13 August 2005
Career (United States)
Name: Fitzgerald
Namesake: William Charles Fitzgerald
Ordered: 22 February 1990
Builder: Bath Iron Works
Laid down: 9 February 1993
Launched: 29 January 1994
Sponsored by: Betty Ann Fitzgerald
Christened: 29 January 1994
Commissioned: 14 October 1995
Homeport: San Diego
Identification:
Motto: Protect Your People
Nickname:
  • Fighting Fitz
  • Fightin' Fitz
Honors and
awards:		 See Awards
Status: in active service, as of 2025
Badge: File:USS Fitzgerald DDG-62 Crest.png
General characteristics
Class & type: Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
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 commissioned 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/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar
  • AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array
  • AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar
  • AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
    • Electronic warfare
    & 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:
  • Guns:
  • 1 × 5-inch (127 mm)/54 mk 45 mod 1/2 (lightweight gun)
  • 2 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Phalanx CIWS
  • 2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 machine gun system
  • 4 × 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) caliber guns
  • Missiles:
  • 2 × Mk 141 Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher
  • 1 × 29-cell, 1 × 61-cell (90 total cells) Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS):
  • Torpedoes:
  • 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes:
    • Aircraft carried: 1 × Sikorsky MH-60R

    USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight I) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the US Navy.

    In the early morning hours of 17 June 2017, the ship was involved in a collision with the container ship MV ACX Crystal, seriously damaging the destroyer. Seven of her crew were killed. Several others were injured, including her commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson.

    Construction[]

    Fitzgerald's keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 9 February 1993; launched 29 January 1994; sponsored by Betty A. Fitzgerald, widow of the late Lt. Fitzgerald; and commissioned 14 October 1995, in Newport, Rhode Island.[1] The ship was then homeported in Naval Base San Diego, California.

    Service history[]

    Error creating thumbnail:

    USS Fitzgerald pulls into port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in March 2003

    In early April 2004, Navy officials announced plans to deploy Fitzgerald, 14 other destroyers, and three cruisers to counter ballistic missile threats worldwide. The next month, she took part in a personnel exchange known as "Super Swap", taking aboard 141 sailors from the destroyer O'Brien and transferring 95 to join the soon-to-be-decommissioned ship's decommissioning unit.[2] Fitzgerald sailed to Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 30 September 2004, and joining the U.S. 7th Fleet's Destroyer Squadron 15.

    In March 2011, in company with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, Fitzgerald was deployed off northeastern Honshu, Japan, to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3][4][5]

    File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Fitzgerald fires a missile..jpg

    USS Fitzgerald fires a missile.

    On 16 November 2011, while docked in Manila, Philippines, Fitzgerald hosted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to sign the Manila Declaration, which called for multilateral talks to resolve maritime disputes and to mark the 60th anniversary of the American–Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.[6][7]

    On 1 June 2017, Fitzgerald, operating out of Yokosuka Naval Base, was noted for participating in routine exercises with Japan that were described in the media as a show of force to North Korea. She sailed with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, the cruiser Shiloh, and the destroyers Barry, McCampbell, and Mustin, joined by the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, cruiser Lake Champlain, and destroyers Wayne E. Meyer and Michael Murphy, and Japanese ships Hyūga and Ashigara.

    2017 collision[]

    Main article: USS Fitzgerald and MV ACX Crystal collision
    File:170617-N-XN177-155 damaged Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) in June 2017.JPG

    Damaged Fitzgerald after the collision

    About 1:30 a.m. on 17 June 2017, Fitzgerald collided with ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship[8] measured at 29,060 gross tons and almost 40,000 tons deadweight. Most of Fitzgerald's crew of about 300[9] were asleep at the time.[10] The collision occurred about 56 nautical miles (104 kilometres; 64 miles) southwest of her homeport of Yokosuka, Japan.[8]

    The starboard side of Fitzgerald was seriously damaged. The container ship's bulbous bow penetrated the destroyer's hull below the waterline, flooding a machinery space, the radio room, and two crew berthing spaces.[11] The captain's cabin was crushed.[12] Seven crewmen were reported missing after the collision, but their bodies were found the next day after rescue workers gained access to flooded compartments.[11][13] The injured include the ship's commanding officer and two sailors.[14]

    Within a day of the collision, investigations were begun by the United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan Transport Safety Board, and the insurers of the Crystal. The U.S. Navy's Manual of the Judge Advocate General (JAGMAN) investigation concerns the crew's operations, and is led by Rear Adm. Brian Fort, a former commander of USS Gonzalez, who now commands Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.[15][16][17] The U.S. and Japanese coast guards are investigating the cause of the accident.[18] Steffan Watkins, a Canada-based security analyst,[19][20] created a Google Maps overlay for the broadcast AIS data points.[21]

    Including costs for planned service life extension and other upgrades, repairs for the damage to Fitzgerald were expected to run about $368.7 million,[22] and will take over a year. Repairs on the ship will overlap with planned service life extension and electronics upgrade, but despite the need to replace portions of the ship's AEGIS system the ship will remain in "a legacy configuration instead of upgrading to Baseline 9".[23][24]

    On 17 August 2017, the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor in charge of the naval vessel were relieved of their duties.[25] The Navy planned to discipline up to a dozen sailors, including the commanding officer, for watchstanding failures that allowed the fatal collision.[26]

    File:Damage to USS Fitzgerald, 2017 (2).jpg

    Damage to USS Fitzgerald

    In late August 2017, it was reported that the destroyer will be transported by the Dockwise heavy-lift ship MV Transshelf to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula.[27][28][29]

    It was announced in October that the vessel would not be upgraded to the latest version of the Aegis system.[30]

    On 28 November 2017, the destroyer was further damaged by two punctures to her hull during the loading process to MV Transshelf, compelling her to return to Yokosuka for the punctures to be repaired.[31][32]

    Fitzgerald arrived at the Port of Pascagoula in Mississippi on 19 January 2018, aboard the heavy-lift transport MV Transshelf, after a two-month journey from Japan. She was expected to spend a few days in the port, being lifted off the transport and readied for her trip to the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard, where she was expected to commence an estimated two year repair.[33]

    In August 2019, the Japan Transport Safety Board's final report concluded distraction and incomplete radar information aboard the US Navy vessel caused the accident.[34]

    Return to service[]

    On 3 February 2020, USS Fitzgerald exited the Pascagoula shipyard for sea trials aimed at testing all shipboard systems. Following the sea trials, Fitzgerald returned to the shipyard to correct any remaining issues and then commence crew training in preparation for return to active duty.[35] On 13 June 2020 she departed Pascagoula to return to her home port in San Diego.[36]

    In May 2022, Fitzgerald was homeported at Naval Station San Diego and a part of Destroyer Squadron 2, along with Carrier Strike Group 3 led by USS Abraham Lincoln.[37] Fitzgerald participated in RIMPAC 2022.[38]

    Fitzgerald fired a Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC 2024; the Harpoon missile launchers were removed to accommodate the NSM.[39][40]

    In January 2025, Fitzgerald became the first U.S. Navy warship to be equipped with an artificial intelligence (AI) system. The system, known as Enterprise Remote Monitoring Version 4 (ERM v4), utilizes machine learning to monitor ship systems such as mechanical, electrical, and hull components by analyzing over 10,000 sensor readings per second. The AI aims to identify potential maintenance issues before they arise, allowing the crew to address them proactively and minimize operational downtime. ERM v4, developed by Fathom5, replaces the previous Integrated Condition Assessment System (ICAS) and is intended to support the Navy's efforts to maintain a more readily available fleet, particularly in high-demand situations.[41]

    Awards[]

    See also[]

    References[]

    Notes[]

    1. ↑ Evans, Mark L. (8 July 2015). "Fitzgerald (DDG-62)". Naval History and Heritage Command. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/Fitzgerald.html.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    2. ↑ "O'Brien-Fitzgerald crew swap to return sailors to Yokosuka". Stars and Stripes. https://www.stripes.com/news/o-brien-fitzgerald-crew-swap-to-return-sailors-to-yokosuka-1.19417. 
    3. ↑ Rabiroff, John (17 March 2011). "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas". Stars and Stripes. http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/earthquake-disaster-in-japan/u-s-military-delivers-40-tons-of-supplies-to-hardest-hit-areas-1.138003. 
    4. ↑ "Warships Supporting Earthquake in Japan". Seawaves. http://www.seawaves.com/japan2011.asp. 
    5. ↑ Stewart, Joshua (14 March 2011). "Navy ships off Japan move to avoid radiation". http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2011/03/navy-ships-japan-radiation-move-031411w/. 
    6. ↑ "Clinton uses warship to push Philippines alliance". ABS-CBN News Interactive. 16 November 2011. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/16/11/clinton-vows-support-philippines-sea. 
    7. ↑ "US, Philippines boost alliance amid row with China". 16 November 2011. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/18361/us-philippines-boost-alliance-amid-row-with-china-2. 
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Shane, Scott (18 June 2017). "Sleeping Sailors on U.S.S. Fitzgerald Awoke to a Calamity at Sea". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/18/world/asia/navy-uss-fitzgerald-japan.html?_r=0. 
    9. ↑ Larter, David B. (18 June 2017). "Fitzgerald crew's 'heroic efforts' saved their ship from sinking, admiral says". Navy Times. https://www.navytimes.com/articles/fitzgerald-crew-saved-navy-ship-from-sinking-after-collision. 
    10. ↑ "Missing sailors' bodies found in damaged USS Fitzgerald". So Jazeera. 18 June 2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/missing-sailors-bodies-damaged-uss-fitzgerald-170618035643908.html. 
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Seven sailors missing in ship collision found dead". The Hill. 17 June 2017. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/338307-seven-sailors-missing-in-ship-collision-found-dead/. 
    12. ↑ Gale, Alastair; Lubold, Gordon (18 June 2017). "Deadly Collision Crushed Captain's Cabin of USS Fitzgerald". https://www.wsj.com/articles/seven-u-s-sailors-confirmed-dead-after-collision-with-cargo-ship-1497750366. 
    13. ↑ "US Navy Identifies Seven Deceased Fitzgerald Sailors". U.S. Navy. 18 June 2017. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=101102. 
    14. ↑ Simpkins, Jon; Larter, David (16 June 2017). "7 US sailors missing after USS Fitzgerald's catastrophic collision". Navy Times. https://www.navytimes.com/articles/us-navy-destroyer-collides-with-merchant-ship. 
    15. ↑ Shane, Scott (23 June 2017). "Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship". https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/world/asia/destroyer-fitzgerald-collision.html. 
    16. ↑ "Rear Admiral Brian P. Fort: Commander, Navy Region Hawaii/Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific". U.S. Navy. 26 June 2017. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=991. 
    17. ↑ Cole, William (23 June 2017). "Incoming Hawaii Navy commander to investigate fatal collision off Japan". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/06/23/breaking-news/rear-admiral-to-investigate-fatal-navy-collision-off-japan/. 
    18. ↑ Rich, Motoko (19 June 2017). "As Sailors' Bodies Are Flown to U.S., Fitzgerald Inquiries Intensify". https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/world/asia/ship-fitzgerald-sailors-investigation.html. 
    19. ↑ Johnson, Tim (7 February 2019). "Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro". McClatchy DC BUREAU. https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/latin-america/article225949200.html. ""Ottawa-based analyst of unusual ship and plane movements, Steffan Watkins, drew attention to the frequent flights of the 21 Air cargo plane"" 
    20. ↑ "U.S. Denies Russian Plane Permission for Reconnaissance Flights, Official Says". The Moscow Times. 12 September 2018. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2018/09/12/us-denies-russian-plane-permission-reconnaissance-flights-official-says-a62859. ""Canadian-based security analyst Steffan Watkins noted that the U.S. refused to certify the Russian aircraft for “absolutely no technical or treaty-related reason.”"" 
    21. ↑ Watkins, Steffan (26 June 2017). "The leaked statement from the ACX Crystal's Captain is an easily disproven lie.". http://www.vesselofinterest.com/2017/06/the-leaked-statement-from-acx-crystals.html. 
    22. ↑ Werner, Ben (December 13, 2017). "USS John S. McCain Now in Japan for Repairs Following Deadly August Collision". USNI News. https://news.usni.org/2017/12/13/uss-john-s-mccain-now-japan-repairs-following-deadly-august-collision. 
    23. ↑ Repair for USS Fitzgerald After Collision Will Cost More Than Fix to USS Cole After Terror Attack – News.USNI.org, 27 July 2017
    24. ↑ U.S. Navy Won't Upgrade USS Fitzgerald to Baseline 9 Aegis Combat System – News.USNI.org, 16 October 2017
    25. ↑ U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs (17 August 2017). "7th Fleet Announces USS Fitzgerald Accountability Determinations" (in en-US). U.S. Navy. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102002. 
    26. ↑ "Sailors to be Disciplined". Navy Times. 21 August 2017. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/08/17/fitzgerald-co-other-sailors-to-be-disciplined-in-connection-to-fatal-collision/. 
    27. ↑ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Selected to Repair Guided Missile Destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62)". Huntington Ingalls Industries. 23 August 2017. http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/releases/huntington-ingalls-industries-awarded-contract-to-repair-guided-missile-destroyer-uss-fitzgerald-ddg-62. 
    28. ↑ Burgess, Richard R. (25 August 2017). "Navy Taps Patriot Shipping to Transport USS Fitzgerald to Pascagoula". Seapower. http://seapowermagazine.org/stories/20170825-Fitz.html. 
    29. ↑ "Dockwise Heavy Lift Ship Will Transport USS Fitzgerald". 6 September 2017. https://maritime-executive.com/article/dockwise-heavy-lift-ship-will-transport-uss-fitzgerald. 
    30. ↑ LaGrone, Sam (16 October 2017). "U.S. Navy Won't Upgrade USS Fitzgerald to Baseline 9 Aegis Combat System". United States Naval Institute. https://news.usni.org/2017/10/16/u-s-navy-wont-upgrade-uss-fitzgerald-baseline-9-aegis-combat-system. 
    31. ↑ "Crippled US destroyer damaged by transport ship". CNN. 27 November 2017. http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/27/politics/uss-fitzgerald-damaged-japan/index.html. 
    32. ↑ Lardieri, Alexa (28 November 2017). "USS Fitzgerald Suffers More Damage". U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-11-28/uss-fitzgerald-suffers-more-damage. 
    33. ↑ "stricken-destroyer-uss-fitzgerald-arrives-mississippi-two-years-repairs". usni.org. 19 January 2018. https://news.usni.org/2018/01/19/stricken-destroyer-uss-fitzgerald-arrives-mississippi-two-years-repairs. 
    34. ↑ "U.S. Destroyer lookouts' failure to follow protocol led to fatal 2017 collision, Japanese report says". 29 August 2019. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/29/national/japan-report-us-destroyer-collision. 
    35. ↑ "USS Fitzgerald Returns To Sea". US Navy. 3 February 2020. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=111988. 
    36. ↑ "USS Fitzgerald En Route to San Diego". https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/2219241/uss-fitzgerald-en-route-to-san-diego/. 
    37. ↑ "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022". USNI News. 1 June 2022. https://news.usni.org/2022/05/23/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-may-23-2022. 
    38. ↑ "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker". news.usni.org. 1 August 2022. https://news.usni.org/2022/08/01/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-aug-1-2022. 
    39. ↑ "USS Fitzgerald fires first Naval Strike Missile" (in en). https://www.dvidshub.net/video/931592/uss-fitzgerald-fires-first-naval-strike-missile. 
    40. ↑ Johnston, Carter (2024-06-29). "USS Fitzgerald and HMAS Sydney Show Up at RIMPAC 2024 with NSM" (in en-US). https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/06/uss-fitzgerald-and-hmas-sydney-show-up-with-nsm-at-rimpac-2024/. 
    41. ↑ Ziezulewicz, Geoff (29 January 2025). "Destroyer Has Become First U.S. Navy Ship To Deploy Artificial Intelligence System". The War Zone. https://www.twz.com/news-features/destroyer-has-become-first-u-s-navy-ship-to-deploy-artificial-intelligence-system. 
    42. ↑ Dortch, Debbie (5 February 2012). "SECNAV Names 2012 Outstanding Food Service Ney Award Winners". U.S. Navy. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=65169. 

    Sources[]

    • This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

    Further reading[]

    External links[]

    Flight I ships
    Flight II ships
    Flight IIA ships
    5"/54 variant
    5"/62 variant
    Flight III ships
  • Related classes: Kongō
  • Atago
  • Maya
  • Sejong the Great
  • Preceded by: Spruance class, Kidd class
  • Followed by: Zumwalt class, DDG(X)


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