Discover US naval ships at Da Nang’s port

VietNamNet Bridge - Two US naval ships, the USS John S. McCain and USNS Safeguard, docked at Tien Sa Port in Danang on April 7, beginning an exchange visit to Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge - Two US naval ships, the USS John S. McCain and USNS Safeguard, docked at Tien Sa Port in Danang on April 7, beginning an exchange visit to Vietnam.

During their five-day stay, the US Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy will conduct joint training programs and exchange military expertise in medicine, diving, search and rescue, disaster relief and essential trauma care.

The US officers and crewmembers will play volleyball with their Vietnamese counterparts of the Navy Zone 3 Command. They also plan on attending a concert, and visiting the Danang Orphanage.

Teachers at Danang University, children at Danang Orphanage and American people in Danang will also be afforded an opportunity to board the US naval ships for a guided tour of the massive vessels.

This is the US Navy’s first visit to Danang in 2014 and the second by the USS McCain.

The USS John S. McCain in pictures:

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USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy. She is part of the Seventh Fleet, and has her homeport at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan.

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The crew welcomes Vietnamese guests.

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This warship is named after John S. McCain, Sr., and John S. McCain, Jr., both Admirals in the US Navy. John S. McCain, Sr., commanded the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4), and acted as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force during the latter stages of World War II. John S. McCain, Jr., commanded the U.S. Navy submarines USS Gunnel and USS Dentuda during World War II. Subsequently he held a number of posts, rising to Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Command before retiring in 1972. These men were the grandfather and father of John S. McCain III, former naval aviator captain, a U.S. Senator representing the state of Arizona, and the Republican nominee for President of the US in the 2008 election.

{keywords} John S. McCain's keel was laid down on 3 September 1991, at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The ship was launched on 26 September 1992. The ship was initially assigned a home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and shifted to a forward-deploy port in Yokosuka, Japan in 1997.

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{keywords} General Characteristics:

Keel Laid: September 3, 1991

Launched: September 26, 1992

Commissioned: July 2, 1994

Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine

Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines

Propellers: two

Blades on each Propeller: five

Length: 505,25 feet (154 meters)

Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters)

Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters)

Displacement: approx. 8.300 tons full load

Speed: 30+ knots

Aircraft: None. But LAMPS 3 electronics installed on landing deck for coordinated DDG/helicopter ASW operations.

Armament: two MK 41 VLS for Standard missiles, Tomahawk; Harpoon missile launchers, one Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun, two Phalanx CIWS, Mk 46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts)

Homeport: Yokosuka, Japan

Crew: 23 Officers, 24 Chief Petty Officers and 291 Enlisted

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