USS Farragut Celebrates 3rd Birthday

Commissioned in Bath, Maine in 2006, DDG 99 is the fifth ship to bear the name of Farragut. Adm. David Glasgow Farragut, a Civil War hero, was the first member of the U.S. Navy to attain the rank of admiral.

The first ship to be named after him was TB-11, a U.S. Navy Torpedo Boat. Commissioned in 1899, TB-11 patrolled the Panama Canal during World War I. The second USS Farragut, a 1,190-ton Clemson class destroyer, was commissioned in June 1920. A month later, when the Navy formally implemented hull numbers for its ships, it received the designation DD-300.

During 1924 and 1927, DD-300 visited the Caribbean to take part in fleet maneuvers. It steamed across the Pacific in mid-1925, during the Battle Fleet's visit to New Zealand and Australia, and again visited the central Pacific area in 1928, during exercises in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The third USS Farragut, DD-348, was commissioned in June 1934 and was moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during the attack by Japan in 1941. All told, DD-348 earned 14 battle stars for its actions in WWII, including the battles of Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Eastern Solomons, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

DDG 37 was commissioned as the fourth Farragut ship on June 30, 1975 and earned the Navy Unit Commendation for participating in contingency operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. One hundred and 10 years after the first USS Farragut was commissioned, DDG 99 proudly carries the legacy of the Farragut name, having earned the Battle "E" for 2008 and a Meritorious Unit Commendation for her Partnership of the Americas deployment.

The last group of DDG 99 plankowners and the rest of the crew gathered to watch a slideshow of highlights from the life of DDG 99, from commissioning and work-ups through her colorful maiden deployment and current activities. Senior Chief Gas Turbine Sysem Technician Robbins, the senior plankowner, gave the presentation. Each milestone pictured was a testament to the daily effort of the crew and to the team spirit the crew enthusiastically maintains. The slideshow gave plankowners a chance to reminisce as they shared memories of former crewmembers.

By the time DDG 99 turns four, all the plankowners will have transferred.