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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia About the Name Howard About the Christening Ceremony Image Gallery to end of page |  |  |
USS HOWARD is the fifth OSCAR AUSTIN class guided missile destroyer and the third ship in that class built by Bath Iron Works in Maine.
| General Characteristics: | Keel laid: December 9, 1998 |
| Launched and christened: November 20, 1999 | |
| Commissioned: October 20, 2001 | |
| Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine | |
| Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines | |
| Propellers: two | |
| Length: 508,5 feet (155 meters) | |
| Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters) | |
| Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters) | |
| Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load | |
| Speed: 32 knots | |
| Aircraft: two SH-60 (LAMPS 3) helicopters | |
| Armament: one Mk-45 5"/62 caliber lightweight gun, two Mk-41 VLS for Standard missiles and Tomahawk ASM/LAM, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk-50 and Mk-46 torpedoes | |
| Homeport: San Diego, CA | |
| Crew: approx. 380 |
back to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS HOWARD. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
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About the Ship’s Name:
The ship is named in honor of Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard, USMC, (1929-1993), recipient of the Medal of Honor for his leadership of a platoon against repeated attacks by a battalion-sized Viet Cong force. After receiving severe wounds from an enemy grenade, he distributed ammunition to his men and directed air strikes on the enemy. By dawn, his beleaguered platoon still held their position. Howard also received the Silver Star Medal for service in Korea. A previous HOWARD (DD 179) (1920-1945), named for Charles W. Howard, a U.S. Navy hero from the Civil War, earned six battle stars in World War II.
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About the Christening Ceremony:
The ARLEIGH BURKE class guided missile destroyer, HOWARD was christened Nov. 20, during a 9 a.m. (EST) ceremony at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Alford L. McMichael delivered the ceremony’s principal address. Mrs. Theresa M. Howard, served as ship’s sponsor in honor of her late husband. Joining Mrs. Howard as co-sponsor was Mrs. Jill Hultin, wife of Under Secretary of the Navy Jerry Hultin. In the time-honored Navy tradition, Mrs. Howard and Mrs. Hult broke a bottle of champagne across the bow and formally christened HOWARD.
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USS HOWARD Image Gallery:
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The photo below was taken by me and shows the HOWARD at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 10, 2008.
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