History:
USS STETHEM (DDG 63) is the
13th ship of the DDG 51 ARLEIGH BURKE Aegis Destroyer program,
and the sixth to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of
Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Construction of
STETHEM began at Ingalls on May 18, 1992 and the ship's keel was
laid on May 11, 1993. DDG 63 was launched on June 17, 1994 and
was christened "STETHEM" by Mrs. Patricia L. Stethem,
mother of the ship's namesake, Petty Officer Robert Dean
Stethem, on July 16, 1994. STETHEM transited the Panama Canal
and was commissioned on October 21, 1995 in Port Hueneme,
California. Shortly afterward, STETHEM moved to her new homeport
of San Diego.
On February 15, 1996, STETHEM successfully completed her
Post Delivery Test and Trials, signifying her readiness for
combat operations. On the night of November 23, 1996, while
returning from a port visit to Victoria, British Columbia,
STETHEM was diverted on a Search and Rescue mission to recover
survivors of a downed U.S. Air Force C-130 off the coast of
northern California. STETHEM and her two small boats patrolled
the seas in the vicinity of the crash for twenty hours while
engaged in recovery efforts, for which she was awarded the U.S.
Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal. STETHEM was
recognized for her spectacular achievements during her first
year of service by winning the 1996 Destroyer Squadron
Twenty-One Battle Efficiency Award for outstanding ship-wide
mission readiness. On April 4, 1997, Commander Steven Miller,
the Pre-commissioning Commanding Officer, was relieved by
Commander James O'Keefe III. STETHEM sailed to the Arabian Gulf
for her maiden overseas deployment in May and reported for
duties in Bahrain on July 3. Over the course of the next three
months, she served as primary Air Warfare Commander, Surface
Warfare Commander, Ready Strike Platform, and LINK Coordinator.
While fulfilling these multiple warfare roles, STETHEM provided
support to both the CONSTELLATION and JOHN F. KENNEDY Battle
Groups and U.S. Air Force aircraft engaged in Operation Southern
Watch. STETHEM supported United Nations Security Council
resolutions against Iraq, conducting 54 boardings and
inspections of suspected sanctions violators.
STETHEM's first deployment included port visits to
Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates,
and Perth and Sydney, Australia. She returned to San Diego in
November 1997 to begin her second inter-deployment training
cycle.
Starting with an outstanding Command Assessment of
Readiness for Training (CART II) in May 1998, STETHEM set the
standard for tailored training by demonstrating exceptional
proficiency in Combat Systems, Navigation, Engineering,
Mobility, Damage Control, and Logistics Management. STETHEM's
training teams' commitment to mission readiness resulted in the
validation of all Final Evaluation Period objectives during
Tailored Shipboard Training Availability Phase III(TSTA III) - a
first for any Surface Combatant. On September 25, Commander
O'Keefe was relieved as Commanding Officer by Commander Gerard
Hueber.
On April 16, 1999, STETHEM departed on her second
deployment to the Arabian Gulf as part of Middle East Force
99-2. After port visits to Guam, Saipan, Singapore, and
Thailand, STETHEM reported for duty in the Gulf and quickly went
to work conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations and Maritime
Interception Operations. Over the course of her seventy-six days
on station, STETHEM served as Air Warfare Commander, Ready
Strike Platform, and Force Over-the-Horizon Track Coordinator
and also had the opportunity to support the THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Battle Group as Carrier Escort and Plane Guard. After serving a
second time as command ship for Northern Arabian Gulf Maritime
Interception Operations, STETHEM transited the Strait of Hormuz
on 13 August. After port visits to Fremantle and Port Kembla,
Australia and Suva, Fiji, the ship arrived home in San Diego on
October 4.
In January the ship was honored for her achievements and
awarded with the 1999 Destroyer Squadron Twenty-One Battle
Efficiency Award, her second such award in just over four years
of service. She was the recipient of the Raytheon CIWS Award,
the Pacific Force Retention Award, and the Safety Award. On
April 6, 2000, Chief Boatswain's Mate (SEAL) Kenneth Stethem,
Robert's brother, honored the ship by retiring after twenty
years of faithful and valorous service in the Special Warfare
Community. On April 7, Commander Gerard Heuber was relieved as
Commanding Officer by Commander Craig S. Faller.
Following another sterling Command Assessment of Readiness
and Training (CART II), STETHEM again set the standard by
completing the Final Evaluation Period (FEP) during TSTA III.
In mid-September and during a port visit in San Francisco,
STETHEM was called out to sea by the Joint Inter-Agency Task
Force West. STETHEM escorted fishing vessel Gran Tauro, caught
with over five metric tons of uncut cocaine aboard - a net worth
of over $500 million, to San Diego. The waning days of December
were spent conducting final preparations for the MEF 01-1
Deployment and relaxing after another successful year of
operations and training. In January the ship was honored for her
achievements and awarded with the 2000 Destroyer Squadron
Twenty-One Battle Efficiency Award for the second consecutive
year. On January 13, 2001, STETHEM departed on her third
deployment to the Arabian Gulf as part of MEF 01-1. After port
visits to Hawaii, Guam, Singapore, and Thailand, STETHEM
in-chopped FIFTH Fleet on February 28, 2001. Over the course of
her sixty-eight days on station in the Arabian Gulf, STETHEM
conducted Maritime Interception Operations, served as Air
Warfare Commander, supported Operation Southern Watch, served as
a ready strike platform, and participated as a key player in two
international naval exercises, Arabian Gauntlet and Neon Falcon.
Maritime Interception Operations resulted in the capture of
motor vessel Diamond, the third largest arrest of an
oil-smuggling sanctions violator since the Gulf War. STETHEM
escorted the HARRY S TRUMAN through the Strait of Hormuz on 27
April and, after port visits to Oman, Singapore, Darwin and
Cairns, Australia, American Somoa, and Hawaii, the ship arrived
home in San Diego on June 28.
After enjoying Post-Oversees Movement Stand-down, STETHEM
supported the JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74) Battle Group during their
Final Battle Problem as an opposing force. In early September,
STETHEM went through INSURV inspections and once again set the
standard. Within hours after the terrorist attack in New York
City and Washington, D.C. on September 11, STETHEM, already
underway for INSURV, was called into station in support of
OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE and tasked with conducting air
surveillance of the approaches to San Diego and providing Air
Defense coverage to vital shipping assets.
On September 30, STETHEM entered her third Drydock
Selective Restricted Availability (DSRA) at Southwest Marine and
Continental Maritime Shipyards. The purpose of this nine-week
availability was to install equipment enhancements and quality
of life upgrades. During this period, the Program Executive
Office of Theater Surface Combatants (PEO-TSC) announced that
STETHEM would be the lead ship for the testing of the Tactical
Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS), the next generation of
STRIKE warfare capability.
On November 21st, amidst fellow Commanding Officers,
families, friends, and the assembled crew, STETHEM's fourth
Commanding Officer, Commander Craig Faller, was relieved by
Commander David W. Melin. The Change of Command Ceremony was
made even more special by the attendance of Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Stethem, parents of the ship's namesake, and the guest speaker,
Ken Stethem, Robbie's brother. With the terrorist attack of
September 11th being so fresh in America's memory, Ken Stethem
delivered a powerful speech about Robbie's sacrifice for his
country and his steadfastness and courage in the face of terror
and certain death. Also, on November 21st, STETHEM's Immediate
Superior In Command (ISIC) shifted from Commander, Destroyer
Squadron Twenty-One, the Rampant Lions, to Commander, Destroyer
Squadron Twenty-Three, Arleigh Burke's famous "Little
Beaver" squadron.
STETHEM departed the drydock on October 30th, and moved to
Continental Maritime Shipyard in San Diego. Upon her return to
Naval Station San Diego on the 6th of December, STETHEM marked
the end of the 9.4 million dollar refurbishment and refitting
period. STETHEM was underway the following week to begin working
up for her next deployment. Upon her return to port of the 14th
of December, STETHEM began her holiday leave and standown
period. After holiday leave, the crew assembled in mid-January
to continue efforts in support of the inter-deployment training
cycle and Tactical Tomahawk testing. In early February, STETHEM
anchored off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where the
crew enjoyed some hard-earned liberty. This was the first
foreign port visit by any U.S. Combatant since the terrorist
attacks on America on September 11, 2001.
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