Hopper (DDG 70) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS Hopper DDG-70 It was an incredible honor taking command of this awesome ship with her outstanding officers and sailors. In relieving CDR John Peterson midway through the Pacific-Middle East Force deployment (PACMEF- 02), HOPPER had already established herself as a ship tht could flex to accomplish any mission. Before leaving the FIFTH FLEET area of re- sponsibility (the Arabian Gulf] we had set the record for capturing and diverting vessels which were in violation of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. We had rewritten many of the tactics needed to execute Maritime Interdiction Operations and our lessons learned were highly desired by the leadership in theater and the ships coming in to replace us. Additionally we provided outstanding support to two aircraf + car- rier battle groups, safely conducted dozens of logistics transfers, and supported America ' s diplomatic efforts in the region by participating in several bi-lateral operations with area nations. While the Naval operations were extremely challenging and reward- ing the opportunities to visit different nations throughout the Pacific and Southwest Asia were also plentiful and exciting. HOPPER sailors had the pleasure of representing our great nation while at the same time meeting and learning about many diverse cultures. Throughout this deployment, in keeping with our namesakes (RADM Grace Hopper) motto of Dare and Do! ' we dared and did it all. This cruisebook will serve as a reference for many of our activities, but it will in no way be able to match the adventure and satisfaction expe- rienced by HOPPER crew members during this highly successful deployment. John J. (Buz) Sorce