USS Fletcher (DD-992) - History

History

Commissioned in July 1980, Fletcher was immediately sent to join the Pacific Fleet. Starting in 1982, Fletcher made regular deployments to the western and southern Pacific, with some of those extending into the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas. During 1994 and 1995, she was modernized with the vertical launch system, giving her a much broader range of capabilities.

A highly versatile multi-mission destroyer, Fletcher was capable of operating independently or in company with Amphibious or Carrier Task Forces. Her main mission was to operate offensively in a Strike Warfare or Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role. The Tomahawk Weapons Systems provided Fletcher with long range cruise missile capability for use in tactical strike operations. The ship's primary passive ASW sensor was the AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar (TACTAS). Its active sonar together with the Mk 116 Underwater Fire Control System combined as one of the most advanced underwater detection and fire control systems ever developed. The Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) provided the ship with faster and more accurate processing of target information. Integration of the ship's digital gun fire control system in the NTDS provided quick reaction in the mission areas of shore bombardment, Anti-Surface, and Anti-Aircraft Warfare.

Fletcher was originally armed with an 8-tube ASROC launcher, but was later upgraded with a sixty-one cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching System for firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) and Anti-Submarine Rockets (ASROCs). Other weapons included two Mk 45 light weight 5 inch guns, two triple Mk 32 torpedo tubes, and facilities for operating LAMPS helicopters. The ship was also armed with the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System, a short range, surface-to-air defensive weapon; and the Harpoon Weapon System, a medium range, surface-to-surface, anti-ship cruise missile. For defense against anti-ship missile, Fletcher employed two Mk 15 (PHALANX) 20 mm Close-In Weapons System, SRBOC chaff, and topside armor in addition to the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System. The AN/SLQ-32 countermeasures set provided Fletcher with additional defense against anti-ship missiles through the use of active electronic countermeasures.

Crew comfort and habitability were an integral part of the design. Berthing compartments were spacious and the ship was equipped with amenities not usually found aboard other destroyers, including a crew's gymnasium and an improvised library of sorts with several hundred fiction novels. Although Fletcher was as large as a World War II cruiser, a high degree of automation permitted a crew of 24 officers and 296 enlisted to operate the ship.