Truxtun ready for any mission

The guided-missile destroyer Truxtun was commissioned into the U.S. Navy under a beaming blue sky Saturday, welcomed in as the most advanced warship in the world today.

But, for all her modern bells and whistles, some of the day's speakers just couldn't get away from talking about pirates.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead noted that when the ship's namesake Commodore Thomas Truxtun built his career in America's infancy, pirates were as much a problem on the high seas as they have been recently.

"We continue to fight the scourge of piracy," Roughhead told several thousand sailors, guests and their families gathered long the secure banks of the Cooper River at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek.

Roughead went on to say that "with the exception of piracy, the threats we face today bear little resemblance to the threats of old."

Even U.S. Rep. Henry Brown got into the anti-pirate sentiments, disclosing a trip he made two weeks ago to the Middle East and thanking the efforts of three SEAL snipers for "remedying" the recent Maersk Alabama hostage standoff off Somalia.

Beyond the pirate talk, Saturday's commissioning went as planned as the 510-foot-long, 9,200-ton ship officially joined the fleet. Under the orders of "man the rails" and "bring the ship to life," the Truxtun's 276-member crew left shore and jogged aboard, signifying they are ready for whatever mission may come.

Built in Pascagoula, Miss., the Truxtun is the Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer. Construction began in May 2004 but was interrupted for a few months by Hurricane Katrina. It was delivered to the Navy last October.

The Truxtun is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer — the same as the Bainbridge, which played a key role in this month's rescue of an American sea captain from Somali pirates. It is named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun, a Revolutionary War hero and captain of the first U.S. Naval ship, USS Constellation. It is the Navy's sixth ship to bear his name.

Roughead said the crew already is well-trained for a variety of missions, ranging from anti-surface-ship attacks to anti-submarine patrols, and coping with pirates.

Truxtun Commander Timothy R. Weber, a native of Decatur, Ga., and 1990 graduate of Vanderbilt University, said the ship has numerous anti-pirate tools and training measures in place, ranging from small craft and boarding parties, to ship-board protection. Anti-pirate tactics will be adjusted constantly as threats are assessed and new tactics appear, officials said.

The ship will return to Norfolk, Va., where it is home-ported. Training exercises will continue. At least one Truxtun parent said she wasn't worried about what the future will bring for her daughter.

"We're in safe hands," said Nan Brown of Hillsborough, N.C., whose daughter Dana is a Truxtun crew member.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@postandcourier.com