USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)
The lead ship of her class of guided-missile destroyers, USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), was commissioned at Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia, on July 4, 1991. Built with emphasis on stealth technology, she is a multi-mission destroyer with strong Aegis capability. Her first supportive mission was when she departed in 1993 to support the "No-Fly-Zone" over Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Provide Promise. Arleigh Burke has participated in both Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, where her Tomahawk missiles were used on targets against Iraq. During her cruises since that time, she has also served in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia in anti-piracy operations. In September 2014, she fired Tomahawk missiles on ISIS targets in Syria while in the Red Sea. Still in service, Arleigh Burke is homeported at Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk Virginia.
Image: 330-CFD-DN-SC-01472: USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51). Starboard bow view off the Virginia Capes, Atlantic Ocean, July 19, 1991. Photographed by PHAN Vann. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
