USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79)
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USS Oscar Austin
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Oscar Austin |
| Namesake: | Oscar Palmer Austin |
| Ordered: | 20 July 1994 |
| Builder: | Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine |
| Laid down: | 9 October 1997 |
| Launched: | 7 November 1998 |
| Commissioned: | 19 August 2000 |
| Motto: | Honor and Sacrifice |
| Status: | in active service |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 9,200 long tons (9,300 t) |
| Length: | 509 ft 6 in (155.30 m) |
| Beam: | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Draught: | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75 MW) |
| Speed: | >30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Complement: | 380 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 × SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters |
USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Oscar Austin is named for Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient Private First Class Oscar P. Austin. This ship is the 29th destroyer of its class. USS Oscar Austin was the 17th ship of this class to be built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and construction began on 9 October 1997. She was launched and christened on 7 November 1998. On 19 August 2000 she was commissioned at Bath, Maine. The ship is currently part of Destroyer Squadron 26.
USS Oscar Austin is the first ship of the Flight IIA subclass of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Compared to previous Burkes, Flight IIAs are 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) longer, displace about 900 tons more, carry six more Vertical Launching System cells, and have a hangar that can house two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. To prevent the additional superstructure aft from fouling radar returns, the rear-facing SPY-1D panels are one deck higher. Oscar Austin is one of two Flight IIA ships using the older 5-inch/54 caliber naval rifle (the other is Roosevelt) which cannot use certain advanced munitions that require the longer 5 in/62 caliber gun mounted by USS Winston S. Churchill and later Burkes.
Oscar Austin's maiden deployment in late 2002 resulted in her participation in the opening strikes of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Oscar Austin deployed in September 2005, once again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The ship returned from a successful deployment in March 2006.
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