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USS FITZGERALD DDG-62

Home » Ships » DDG-62

Hull Number: DDG-62

Launch Date: 01/29/1994

Commissioned Date: 10/14/1995

Call Sign: NFTZ


Class: ARLEIGH BURKE

ARLEIGH BURKE Class

Namesake: WILLIAM CHARLES FITZGERALD

WILLIAM CHARLES FITZGERALD

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

William “Bill” C. Fitzgerald (January 28, 1938 – August 7, 1967) was a United States Navy officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War, while serving as an advisor to the Republic of Vietnam Navy. He received the Navy Cross posthumously for his role in fighting off a Viet Cong attack.

Fitzgerald was born in Montpelier, Vermont, the second child and first son of Louis and Mildred Mary Fitzgerald. His father was a career Navy man who retired as a Chief Petty Officer. Fitzgerald grew up in the local area and graduated from Montpelier High School in June 1956.

Following graduation, he followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the United States Navy. As an enlisted sailor, Fitzgerald served on USS Samuel B. Roberts (DD-823), USS Hugh Purvis, and USS Gearing. Fitzgerald also served with Utility Squadron Six (VC-6) at NAS Norfolk, Virginia, while working on the Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) program.

Seaman Fitzgerald eventually earned selection for officer training by appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland with the Class of 1963.

Fitzgerald excelled in naval education, softball, football, fencing, basketball, and tennis.

Midshipman Fitzgerald graduated and was commissioned in the United States Navy on June 5, 1963. He then reported to the destroyer USS Charles H. Roan, where he rose from “boot ensign” to weapons department head.

Following Roan, Lieutenant Fitzgerald reported to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, where he attended counterinsurgency training. Upon completion he was assigned duties as the senior U.S. advisor at Coastal Defense Group Sixteen in Vietnam. This group’s compound was located adjacent to the village of Co Luy, near the delta of the Tra Khuc River, and about 70 miles southeast of Da Nang. In this position, he advised the Republic of Vietnam Navy on defense measures and on the capture of military supplies and contraband destined for Viet Cong forces.

At about 0300 on August 7, 1967, Coastal Defense Group Sixteen’s compound came under heavy attack by two Viet Cong battalions. The assault began with an intense mortar barrage followed immediately by the advance of troops. Fitzgerald, the senior American commander, immediately ordered a retreat of the civilians within the compound. Because of the compound’s location adjacent to a river and the aggressors’ position, the only escape route was via water in small boats.

Lieutenant Fitzgerald and three others delayed their retreat as long as possible in order to provide covering fire and to direct fire from surrounding friendly forces. Many calls were made to orbiting gunship aircraft, artillery units, and Fast Patrol Craft to provide defensive fire. The Viet Cong attack, however, was swift and well coordinated. It soon became apparent that the South Vietnamese forces were decimated and that the American bunker was the sole remaining source of resistance. As the situation deteriorated, Fitzgerald ordered his last three remaining defenders to retreat while he used arms fire to cover their escape. Fitzgerald was mortally wounded in this action.

In honor of Fitzgerald’s service, he was posthumously awarded the U. S. Navy’s second-highest decoration for valor, the Navy Cross. Additionally, he was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign.

Navy Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald (NSN: 0-669041), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism on 7 August 1967 while serving as Senior Advisor to Vietnamese Navy Coastal Group SIXTEEN in connection with combat operations against the communist insurgents (Viet Cong) in the Republic of Vietnam. When Coastal Group 16 was taken under a coordinated attack by numerically superior Viet Cong forces, Lieutenant Fitzgerald immediately established communications with the Vietnamese Navy commanding officer, and attempted to coordinate assistance with free-world forces in the area. The enemy fire soon became too intense for the outnumbered base defense force to resist successfully and the Viet Cong completely overran the base. Aware that his bunker was the only remaining source of resistance, Lieutenant Fitzgerald requested an artillery barrage to be laid down on his own position and ordered his men to evacuate the base toward the river. He gallantly remained in the command bunker in order to provide cover fire for the evacuating personnel. Before Lieutenant Fitzgerald could carry out his own escape, he was fatally shot by the Viet Cong aggressors. By his fearless dedication to duty, courage under fire, and heroic actions in defense of the base, despite overwhelming odds, Lieutenant Fitzgerald served as an inspiration to all persons engaged in the counterinsurgency effort in Vietnam and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[1]

Fitzgerald was survived by his wife Betty Ann, and their children who continued to reside in and around Montpelier, Vermont.



Ship History

USS FITZGERALD DDG-62 Ship History

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy.

In the early morning hours of 17 June 2017, the ship was involved in a collision with the container ship MV ACX Crystal, seriously damaging the destroyer. Seven of her crew were killed. Several others were injured, including her commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson.

Fitzgerald‘s keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 9 February 1993; launched 29 January 1994; sponsored by Betty A. Fitzgerald, widow of the late Lt. Fitzgerald; and commissioned 14 October 1995, in Newport, Rhode Island.[4] The ship was then homeported in Naval Base San Diego, California.

In early April 2004, Navy officials announced plans to deploy Fitzgerald, 14 other destroyers, and three cruisers to counter ballistic missile threats worldwide. The next month, she took part in a personnel exchange known as “Super Swap”, taking aboard 141 sailors from the destroyer O’Brien and transferring 95 to join the soon-to-be-decommissioned ship’s decommissioning unit.[5] Fitzgerald sailed to Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 30 September 2004, and joining the U.S. 7th Fleet‘s Destroyer Squadron 15.

In March 2011, in company with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, Fitzgerald was deployed off northeastern Honshu, Japan, to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[6][7][8]

USS Fitzgerald fires a missile.

On 16 November 2011, while docked in Manila, Philippines, Fitzgerald hosted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to sign the Manila Declaration, which called for multilateral talks to resolve maritime disputes and to mark the 60th anniversary of the American–Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.[9][10]

On 1 June 2017, Fitzgerald, operating out of Yokosuka Naval Base, was noted for participating in routine exercises with Japan that were described in the media as a show of force to North Korea. She sailed with the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, the cruiser Shiloh, and the destroyers Barry, McCampbell, and Mustin, joined by the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, cruiser Lake Champlain, and destroyers Wayne E. Meyer and Michael Murphy, and Japanese ships Hyūga and Ashigara.

In May 2022, Fitzgerald was homeported at Naval Station San Diego and a part of Destroyer Squadron 2, along with Carrier Strike Group 3 led by USS Abraham Lincoln.[11]

Fitzgerald participated in RIMPAC 2022.[12]

About 1:30 a.m. on 17 June 2017, Fitzgerald collided with ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship[13] measured at 29,060 gross tons and almost 40,000 tons deadweight. Most of Fitzgerald‘s crew of about 300[14] were asleep at the time.[15] The collision occurred about 56 nautical miles (104 kilometres; 64 miles) southwest of her homeport of Yokosuka, Japan.[13]

The starboard side of Fitzgerald was seriously damaged. The container ship’s bulbous bow penetrated the destroyer’s hull below the waterline, flooding a machinery space, the radio room, and two crew berthing spaces.[16] The captain’s cabin was crushed.[17] Seven crewmen were reported missing after the collision, but their bodies were found the next day after rescue workers gained access to flooded compartments.[16][18] The injured include the ship’s commanding officer and two sailors.[19]

Within a day of the collision, investigations were begun by the United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan Transport Safety Board, and the insurers of the Crystal. The U.S. Navy’s Manual of the Judge Advocate General (JAGMAN) investigation concerns the crew’s operations, and is led by Rear Adm. Brian Fort, a former commander of USS Gonzalez, who now commands Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.[20][21][22] The U.S. and Japanese coast guards are investigating the cause of the accident.[23] Steffan Watkins, a Canada-based security analyst,[24][25] created a Google Maps overlay for the broadcast AIS data points.[26]

Including costs for planned service life extension and other upgrades, repairs for the damage to Fitzgerald are expected to run about $368.7 million,[27] and will take over a year. Repairs on the ship will overlap with planned service life extension and electronics upgrade, but despite the need to replace portions of the ship’s AEGIS system the ship will remain in “a legacy configuration instead of upgrading to Baseline 9”.[28][29]

On 17 August 2017, the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor in charge of the naval vessel were relieved of their duties.[30] The Navy planned to discipline up to a dozen sailors, including the commanding officer, for watchstanding failures that allowed the fatal collision.[31]

Damage to USS Fitzgerald

In late August 2017, it was reported that the destroyer will be transported by the Dockwise heavy-lift ship MV Transshelf to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula.[32][33][34]

It was announced in October that the vessel would not be upgraded to the latest version of the Aegis system.[35]

On 28 November 2017, the destroyer was further damaged by two punctures to her hull during the loading process to MV Transshelf, compelling her to return to Yokosuka for the punctures to be repaired.[36][37]

Fitzgerald arrived at the Port of Pascagoula in Mississippi on 19 January 2018, aboard the heavy-lift transport MV Transshelf, after a two-month journey from Japan. She was expected to spend a few days in the port, being lifted off the transport and readied for her trip to the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard, where she was expected to commence an estimated two year repair.[38]

In August 2019, the Japan Transport Safety Board‘s final report concluded distraction and incomplete radar information aboard the US Navy vessel caused the accident.[39]

On 3 February 2020, USS Fitzgerald exited the Pascagoula shipyard for sea trials aimed at testing all shipboard systems. Following these sea trials, Fitzgerald plans to return to the shipyard to correct any remaining issues and then commence crew training in preparation for its return to active duty.[40] On 13 June 2020 she departed Pascagoula to return to her home port in San Diego.[41]

Awards[edit]