USS ELLIOT Mission and Specs

USS ELLIOT (DD 967), commissioned on January 22, 1977, is the fifth ship of the 31-ship class of SPRUANCE destroyers. She is named in honor of Lt. Cmdr. Arthur J. Elliot, II, who, while in command of River Squadron FIFTY-SEVEN, was killed on December 29, 1968 during an engagement with enemy forces in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. ELLIOT is the first ship of the class to bear the name of a Vietnam war hero.

With a length of 563 feet 4 inches and a beam of 55 feet, ELLIOT displaces over 9,200 tons. Her four LM-2500 gas turbine engines generate 80,000 shaft horsepower and enable her to attain speeds in excess of 32 knots.

On her maiden deployment in 1979, ELLIOT was responsible for the great strides achieved in U.S. understanding of the Soviet naval concept of operations when she conducted Surveillance Operations against the MINSK Task Group in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

After the tragic downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 off Sakahlin Island in the Sea of Japan in 1983, ELLIOT, while hosting the Change of Command Ceremony for Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-FIVE, received a four-hour notice to get underway from Sasebo, Japan. She steamed at 32 knots for over 1,000 miles to arrive first on station and assume duties as on-scene search-and-rescue commander.

SPRUANCE-class destroyers are the first U.S. warships to be built using modular construction. This concept allows for the addition of future weapon systems and sensors as they are developed. Armed with Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Harpoon and Penguin anti-ship cruise missiles, NATO Sea Sparrow anti-air point-defense missiles, two 5"/54 dual-purpose guns, anti-submarine torpedoes, and two 20mm close-in weapon systems, ELLIOT is among the most lethal warships afloat today.

She is also outfitted with the powerful Outboard electronics intelligence system, state-of-the-art hull-mounted sonar, tactical towed-array sonar, and is capable of employing the LAMPS (Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) Mk III SH-60B helicopter. Many of her assets are additions and upgrades that were not yet conceived of or still on the drawing board during the ship's initial construction.

ELLIOT is capable of performing a wide range of missions which include Strike Warfare, Undersea Warfare, Surface Warfare, Naval Shore Fire Support, Surveillance Operations, Maritime Interception Operations, and escort screening duties. Manned by professionals of the world's greatest Navy, ELLIOT is ready and able meet the challenges of the future well into the 21st century.

• Length: 563' 4"
• Beam: 55'
• Displacement: 9,200 tons (full load)
• Propulsion: 4- General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 controllable-reversible pitch propellers, 80,000 shaft horsepower
• Speed: 30+ knots
• Complement: approx. 26 officers, 25 chiefs, 300 enlisted
• Armament: 1- Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (Tomahawk cruise missiles / Vertical Launch ASROC missiles), 2- Mk 45 5"/54 cal. Lightweight Gun Mounts, 1- Mk 29 NATO Sea Sparrow missile launcher, Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles, 2- Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes (Mk 46 torpedoes), 2- Mk 15 Phalanx 20mm Close-In Weapons Systems, 1- 25mm chain gun, 4- 12.7mm MG
• Aircraft: 1- SH-60B Seahawk helicopter
• Radar: SPS-40E 2-D air search, SPS-55 surface search, SPG-60 Fire Control Illuminator., SPQ-9A gun surface Fire Control, Mk 23 Target Acquisition System, Mk 95 Fire Control Illuminator, commercial navigation radar
• Sonar: SQS-53C active/passive bow mounted, SQS-19 passive tactical towed array sonar (TACTAS)
• Fire Control: Mk 86 GFCS, Mk 91 MFCS, SQQ-89 ASW system, Mk 116 Mod 7 UBFCS, SWG-1A (Harpoon), SWG-3 (Tomahawk)
• Electronic Warfare:SLQ-32(V)2, SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo, 6-Mk 36 decoy launching system, SRBOC, SLQ-49 inflatable decoys, Outboard