USS Stout

USS Stout in the Atlantic Ocean in 2010
History
United States
Name	Stout
Namesake	Herald F. Stout
Ordered	13 December 1988
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	8 August 1991
Launched	16 October 1992
Commissioned	13 August 1994
Homeport	Norfolk
Identification	MMSI number: 368873000 Callsign: NSDT Hull number: DDG-55
Motto	Tough, rugged, fast and ready Courage – Valor – Integrity
Nickname(s)	Bold Knight
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and 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	59 ft (18 m)
Draft	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion	2 × shafts
Speed	In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range	4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	33 commissioned officers 38 chief petty officers 210 enlisted personnel
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPY-1D PESA 3D radar (Flight I, II, IIA) AN/SPY-6(V)1 AESA 3D radar (Flight III) AN/SPS-67(V)3 or (V)5 surface search radar (DDG-51 – DDG-118) AN/SPQ-9B surface search radar (DDG-119 onwards) AN/SPS-73(V)12 surface search/navigation radar (DDG-51 – DDG-86) BridgeMaster E surface search/navigation radar (DDG-87 onwards) 3 × AN/SPG-62 fire-control radar Mk 46 optical sight system (Flight I, II, IIA)[1] Mk 20 electro-optical sight system (Flight III)[2] AN/SQQ-89 ASW combat system: AN/SQS-53C sonar array AN/SQR-19 tactical towed array sonar (Flight I, II, IIA) TB-37U multi-function towed array sonar (DDG-113 onwards) AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III shipboard system
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasures Mk 36 Mod 12 decoy launching systems Mk 53 Nulka decoy launching systems Mk 59 decoy launching systems[3]
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): RIM-66M surface-to-air missile RIM-156 surface-to-air missile BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile RUM-139 vertical launch ASROC Torpedoes: 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes: Mark 46 lightweight torpedo Mark 50 lightweight torpedo Mark 54 lightweight torpedo
Aircraft carried	1 × Sikorsky MH-60R

USS Stout (DDG-55) is the fifth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Built for the United States Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding, she was commissioned on 13 August 1994 and she is currently home-ported in Naval Station Norfolk. She is part of Destroyer Squadron 28.^[4] Stout is named for Rear Admiral Herald F. Stout, who distinguished himself as the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Claxton during World War II. In November 1943, Commander Stout received two Navy Crosses in the span of three weeks for his actions in the Pacific. Stout aided Destroyer Squadron 23 in sinking five heavily armed Japanese warships and damaging four others during the Solomon Islands campaign as well as sinking four more Japanese warships and damaging two others to establish a beachhead on Bougainville Island. Stout was ordered on 13 December 1988, the keel was laid down on 8 August 1991, she was launched on 16 October 1992 and commissioned on 13 August 1994. As of January 2024 the ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 28 based out of Naval Station Norfolk.

In April 2008, the ship comprehensively failed her Board of Inspection and Survey examination and was declared "unfit for sustained combat operations."^[5][6][7] The ship has since passed 13 of 13 rigorous unit level training inspections. Stout deployed in March 2009 on routine security operations in the Sixth Fleet operational area. On 15 July 2009, Fox News Channel reported Stout was in the Black Sea cooperating with Georgian forces in training exercises.

On 1 March 2011 while on deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in support of the crisis in Libya, Stout's commanding officer, Command Master Chief, and eight other junior officers and non-commissioned officers were relieved by the Commander Sixth Fleet. The cited cause was a "pervasive pattern of unprofessional behavior" among the ship's crew including "fraternization, orders violations and disregard for naval standards of conduct and behavior which contributed to poor crew morale and a hostile command climate."^[8][9]

On 19 March 2011, in conjunction with other US Navy ships, the destroyer launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air defenses as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn.^[10]

On 28 August 2013, the US Navy announced that Stout, was en route to join four other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amid allegations that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons during the ongoing Syrian civil war, including the 2013 Ghouta attacks.^[11]

On 3 October 2020, Stout moored in Rota, Spain, after 215 days consecutively at sea, surpassing the Navy's known record of 206 days at sea previously held by carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG-56). The unusually long deployment was as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and operational requirements.^[12][13]

On 16 February 2007, Stout was awarded the 2006 Battle "E".^[14]

The battle axe is adapted from the Stout family's coat of arms. Its upright position underscores Stout's massive firepower and high survivability while the double axe head alludes to the all encompassing offensive and defensive power of the integrated AEGIS combat system. The star highlights Rear Admiral Stout's many awards, including the Silver Star. With resolute courage and daring aggressiveness, then Commander Stout aided his task force in sinking several Japanese warships to establish a beachhead on Bougainville Island. This Naval battle is symbolized by the wedge piercing the field of the shield. The wedge and field represents Rear Admiral Stout and the United States Navy's ability to disable and destroy a surface force of superior firepower.^[15]

The cross symbolizes the two Navy Crosses Rear Admiral Stout was awarded as well as exemplifies the strong devotion to God and Country that characterized his Naval career. It is inflamed to recall the fierce naval battle during the Solomon Islands campaign. The lion is a metaphor for the courage and strength which Rear Admiral Stout and his crew had during World War II and to those who have served on board Stout (DDG-55).^[15]

 This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Stout (DDG-55).

• Navysite.de DDG-55
• Night Tomahawk launch during Operation Odyssey Dawn on YouTube