One of the U.S. Navy's most advanced destroyers is in port on St. Thomas as part of the vessel's first long-range voyage from its home port in Norfolk, Va.
Commissioned only three months ago, the USS Oscar Austin and its 300-plus crew is in St. Thomas for rest and relaxation before embarking on a three-week Caribbean stay including a round of naval operations off Vieques, Puerto Rico.
The USS Oscar Austin is the first Flight IIA Arleigh Burke Class AEGIS destroyer in the U.S. Navy. It features aircraft handling and support facilities with dual helicopter hangars. The ship is the 29th of 58 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers authorized by Congress, according to Lt. j.g. Aaron Welch, who met with reporters Saturday at Crown Bay and provided a brief tour of the ship.
"The ship is truly a multi-mission combatant which conducts a variety of operations from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power project in support of national military strategy," Welch said.
The USS Oscar Austin is outfitted with the latest weaponry, electronics, helicopter support facilities, propulsion and auxiliary and survivability systems. The world's foremost naval weapons system, the AEGIS combat weapon system, is on board, as are space-age communications, radar and weapons technologies.
"The systems include a phased array radar — the MK 41 Vertical Launching System which fires a combination of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles — and it also is equipped with anti-submarine warfare systems," Welch said.
In addition, he said, the ship sports seven torpedo tubes, the high-tech Phalanx Close-in Weapons systems and a 5-inch deck-mounted gun that can be used as an anti-ship weapon, close-in point defense or in support of forces ashore.
The destroyer's crew of 21 officers and 322 enlisted personnel is led by Cmdr. Paul Smith. Among the enlistees is native Virgin Islander Sharon Anthony, a ship's baker.
"In fact when we were pulling into port a few days ago, Commander Smith called her to the bridge and allowed her to sit in his chair while we came into St. Thomas," Welch said. "For her, I'm sure it was a great experience."
The Oscar Austin is a recent addition to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, launched just last year. The ship is 471 feet in length. It displaces approximately 9,000 tons when fully loaded and is powered by four gas turbine engines that provide speeds in excess of 30 knots.
The vessel is named for U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin, who was killed in the line of duty attempting to save an injured companion during the Vietnam war. The African-American Marine was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice.
The ship, which arrived at the Crown Bay dock Friday, is expected to remain here until Monday.
