The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) departed the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 13 June to return to its homeport in San Diego, US Navy (USN) officials confirmed.
The sail away reflects more than two years of work for restoring and modernising Fitzgerald , following a collision with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal in June 2017, which caused extensive damage to the starboard side above and below the waterline, and led to the death of seven sailors.
Guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) suffered heavy damage in a 2017 collision with a merchant vessel. It has now been repaired and modernised. (US Navy)
The ship had been relaunched in April 2019 and started at-sea testing in February 2020.
In San Diego the ship is slated to return to the US Pacific Fleet, noted Rear Admiral Eric Ver Hage, director, Surface Ship Maintenance and Modernization and commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center.
DDG 62 is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1 and upon return to its homeport the crew will start basic phase training for certification.
To restore the damaged spaces to full operations and functionality, various hull, mechanical and electrical (HM&E), combat system and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C5I) repairs were completed.
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