McFaul (DDG 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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McFAUL Characteristics TACAN ANTENNA LAMPS ANTENNA Pes C (DIRECTIONALl „ gg ;-•» ' ir IFF AN «PS-67 W an«ps-m y LAMPS ANTENNA ife ' • nc FCS ' NI l fS . . ' J MK99 IP PS - SJ . ' - Jt- 5 54GWS SPG-62A 11 B ab ify (r t ' ' AN SPV-lD--, H fh S X •B-SIZE PHALANX . ri 1 mJJ L 5 VLS LAUNCHER CIWS Q.U ' A S1ZE TOMAHAWK (- SM2 rtJ VLA S y m StaB ' VLS LAUNCHER BP Jy ' TOMAHAWK y,i US » CS SMJ ulflfb (n - SQS-53C VLA AN SL0-32(V)3 CHAFF MK 36 MOD 6 J • ' ' ' ► ' S, : HARPOON TACTAS — X rCy v OVEFUTHE-SIDE TJVSC? TORPEDO HELODECK MK32 LAUNCHERS AN«LO-25 •NIXIE ' Keel Layed: 26 JAN 1996 Electricity: 3 Allison 501-K34 Weapons: Christened: 1 2 APR 1 997 Gas Turbine Generators (2500kW - 2 MK 41 Vertical Launching Commissioned: 25 APR 1998 each) i ystems(VLS) - Aegis Combat System Length: 505 ft Construction: All steel hull and - Advanced Tomahawk Weapons Beam: 66 ft superstructure. System Draft: 32.5 ft - Harpoon weapons system Speed: 31+ knots Displacement: 8800 tons. - 2 Close-in Weapons Systems mounts (CIWS) Propulsion: 4 LM2500 Gas Complement: 25 Officers - 1 MK 45 5 54 Cal hght weight Turbine Engines, 100,000 Shaft 3q cpQ ' s gunmount Horsepower, 2 Controllable Pitch 285 Enlisted - 2 MK 32 3-barrel torpedo Propellers. tubes - MK 36 Super Rapid Blooming Offtjoard Chaff systems (SRBOC)

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Construction of McFAULr ing in which these systems were installed in tight spaces below the main deck after the hull was completed. TTiese earlier prepared assem- bhes werejomed into the completed hull to fomi the basic ship structure. After the basic ship structure was completed and was watertight, it was launched into the Pascagoula River. Until christening, the ship is just a high tech metal fabrication sitting in the water. For it is at christening when the ship takes on an identity of Its own, ceremoniously receiving its name from her sponsor. This mitializes a sequence of events, leading with equipment lightoff and testing, to crew move aboard and custody transfer. The name that this vessel was given was McFAUL and she will be sure to follow in the mile-wide footsteps of her namesake. McFAUL awaits ■Float Off atop In alls floating dryitock McFAUL is gcniiy positioned agiiinst the pici after Float Off

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- Christening McFAUL (DDC 74)1 , SPONSOR ' fftii. f iatcia eaii It was an overcast day in Pascagoula. Mississippi on April 12, 1997 when DDG 74 was christened McFAUL. The McFaul family, former teammates of Chief McFaul, crewmembers, SUPSHIP and Ingalls employees and officials all gathered pierside to witness this signifi- cant event in the life of the ship. After the invocation and welcoming re- marks from Mr. Jerry St. Pe ' , Ingalls Ship- building President and Rear Admiral George Huchting, AEGIS Program Man- ager, the prmcipal address was presented by Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind). Upon con- clusion of Senator Coats ' address, the time- honored tradition of the christening by the ship ' s sponsor, Mrs. Marcia Coats, wife of Senator Coats, took place. The tradition of baptising a ship is said to go back to the barbarous days of the Norse sailors who boasted of break- mg their enemies ' backs over the bow of their vessels. There are even historical records of human sacrifices upon the launching of a ship. Today, of course, more refined methods are used. A bottle of champagne, knotted cer- emoniously with colorful ribbons and smallstuff, is smashed against the bow by the ship ' s sponsor, who is typically the wife, sister or daughter of the ship ' s name - sake, or any distinguished representative who exemplifies the spirit of the namesake or the tradition of sponsorship. It wasn ' t until the early part of the Nineteenth cen- tury that women took any part in the chris- tening ceremony, beginning with Miss Watson of Philadelphia, who christened the GERMANTOWN in 1 846. Many promi- nent women have had the honor of spon- sormg a ship over the years, including Mrs. Herbert Hoover, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. McFAUL has been blessed with a sponsor who embodies the spirit of the name with her patriotism, enthusiasm, and warmth. Marcia Coats approached the bow this blustery day with a special champagne bottle strewn with ribbons of red, white, and blue, and with a mighty swmg, chris- tened the 24th ship of the Arleigh Burke class. U)