Personnel onboard USS Milius (DDG-69), a U.S. Navy Aeigis class guided missile destroyer, docked at the Port of Manila, Philippines, 18 August 2012, check a gun. USS Milius (DDG-69) is in Manila for a four-day routine port call, amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. Tensions escalated last month when China announced the establishment of a new city and military garrison in the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The conflict began on 10 April when two Chinese naval ships blocked Philippine navy personnel from arresting the crew of eight Chinese fishing boats for alleged poaching. The shoal is 230 kilometres west of the Philippines' northern province of Zambales and 870 kilometres from the nearest coast of China in Hainan province. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which straddles key shipping lanes in the region and is believed to be rich in resources. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the sea. Credit EPA. photo: vosizneias
After China and USA war words for US intervention in China's activity in the Paracel and Spratly Islands in the territory of tiny Vietnam and the Philippines; US becomes more vocal about the West Philippines (South China) Sea conflict to protect its interest for free navigation in the area, yet another of its Navy vessel docked Manila port for 4 day visit for what officials term as simple replenishment‚ meaning there will be no interaction between the Philippine and US navies.
The Philippine Navy on Saturday welcomed the arrival of the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, USS Milius (DDG 69) docked at the South Harbor in Manila, on Saturday for a four-day replenishment activity.
This is the first time this year that a US destroyer of the Milius's class is visiting the country. It comes amid heightening tension in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), where China is pressing its claims over the Spratly Islands in the South China and the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, off Masinloc, Zambales. China claims most of the West Philippine Sea, ignoring rival claims, for other parts of the area, by Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, and non-active claimants Malaysia and Brunei.
The Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy will stay at the port South Harbor in Manila from August 18 to 21. "I want to clarify that this is not an official visit, and so our Navy will not interact with them. They will be here for replenishment," Navy spokesman Col. Omar Tonsay said.
The US Embassy in Manila said "the ship's visit highlights the strong historic, community and military connections between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines."
The warship was commissioned in November 1996 under Comm. Daine E. Eisold. Its present skipper is Commander Nicholie Bufkin.
"USS Milius is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-guided missile destroyer that provides multimission offensive and defensive capabilities in support of the nation's maritime security strategy. Milius can operate independently or as part of aircraft carrier strike groups, surface action groups, expeditionary strike groups and underway replenishment," according to a Facebook page on the warship.
The warship was named in honor of Navy pilot Capt. Paul L. Milius (1928-1968), who died in 1968 when his OP-2E observation plane was hit by anti-aircraft artillery in a mission over Laos.
Earlier this year two US nuclear-powered submarines visited Subic, Zambales, which used to be the site of the largest US naval base outside the mainland.
The Philippine Senate voted in 1991 not to renew the Military Bases Treaty covering Subic and Clark Air Base, along with several other minor facilities.
In recent weeks, however, the US has signaled a "pivot" of its naval forces, revealing plans to move more of them to the Pacific side, a matter publicly protested by China, which accused the US of meddling in the maritime row and upping the risk of confrontation.
US government also recently eyeing to move its logistics from Afghanistan to the Philippines or Singapore as part of the so called "pivot to Asia & the Pacific.
Information about the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, USS Milius (DDG 69)
[photo from wikimedia]
The USS Milius (DDG-69) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. Her namesake is Commander Paul L. Milius (1928-1968) of U.S. Navy squadron VO-67. His aircraft was hit over Laos in 1968 and he ordered his crew to bail out. Although he exited his aircraft, he was never recovered. Commander Milius received the Navy Cross in 1968.
The motto of the ship is "Alii Prae Me" (Others before me).
In January 2005, she participated in Operation Unified Assistance. On 6 December 2006, the ship successfully launched a Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile for the first time in a test of the Block IV configuration. The launch took place in the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Sea Test Range off of California. The missile flew 869 miles before impacting its target on the land range at China Lake, California.
On 12 September 2007, the U.S. embassy in the Philippines stated that the arrival of the missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon and USS Milius was a goodwill visit to strengthen ties between the U.S. and the Philippines.
General Information
- Name: USS Milius
- Namesake: Commander Paul L. Milius VO-67
- Ordered: 8 April 1992
- Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
- Laid down: 8 August 1994
- Launched: 1 August 1995
- Commissioned: 23 November 1996
- Homeport: Naval Base San Diego
- Status: in active service, as of 2012
General Characteristic
- Class and type: Arleigh Burke class destroyer
- Displacement: Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t)
- Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
- Length: 505 ft (154 m)
- Beam: 66 ft (20 m)
- Draft: 31 ft (9.4 m)
- Propulsion: 4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower (75 MW)
- Speed: >30 knots (56 km/h)
- Range: 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots
- (8,100 km at 37 km/h)
- Complement: 33 Officers
- 38 Chief Petty Officers
- 210 Enlisted Personnel
Sensors and processing systems:
- AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar
- AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar
- AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar
- AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array
- AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar
- AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III Shipboard System
Electronic warfare and decoys:
- AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System
- AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures
- MK 36 MOD 12 Decoy Launching System
- AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys
Armaments:
- 1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles
- 1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm)
- 2 × 25 mm chain gun
- 4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns
- 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
- 2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
- Aircraft carried: 1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked
- Motto: Alii Prae Me - "Others Before Myself"
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