USS O'Kane (DDG-77)

USS O'Kane (DDG-77) is a United States Navy destroyer of the "flight 2" variant of the Burke-class. She was built at the Bath Iron Works and was the second ship commissioned, on 28 March 1998, in her home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In operation, she is assigned to Destroyer Squadron 31 of the United States Pacific Command.

Assignment

She is part of the Pacific Fleet's Mid-Pacific Surface Combatant Operational Employment, a program that increases tempo of operations by fully basing ships at Pearl Harbor, rather than sending them back to San Diego.

In February 2009, she participated in ANNUALEX 20G, a regular exercise with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the defense of Iraqi oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.

Ship's organization

She is commanded by CDR Timothy Steadman.

Combat Systems Department

This department centers around the computers and sensors of the AEGIS battle management system, coordinating the effects of the ship as a whole, although the Weapons Department actually maintains the weapons it controls.

Weapons Department

The Weapons Department officer is responsible for three divisions of specialists, and two missions that are staffed from the department:

• CS Division is primarily made up of sonar technicians (ST) who run the AN/SQQ-89 Integrated anti-submarine warfare (ASW) Suite, using a AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array sonar for long-range passive detection of enemy submarines and a AN/SQS-53C Hull-Mounted sonar is used actively and passively to detect and localize submarine contacts.

Flight II Burkes can launch and recover helicopters, but, as opposed to Flight IIA, do not have hangars and full support facilities. Nevertheless, the ship has RAST cabling for helicopter handling and can temporarily support them to localize and attack submarines and conduct Over-The-Horizon Targeting missions.

The ship can attack hostile submarine contacts by firing torpedoes from her six MK 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes or, for contacts at greater ranges, Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets (VLA) fired from the MK 41 Vertical Launching System.

• CG Division is primarily made up of Gunners Mates, responsible for the safekeeping and transportation of almost all gun ammunition on board the ship, and most of the weaponry used to fire the ammunition. These include the MK 45 [[5"-54 caliber Gun Mount, in conjunction with the MK 34 Gun Weapon System, for anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare], and naval gunfire support. The division also maintains the ship's 25mm, M2HB, and M240 machine guns.

• Fire Control Technicians are the main rating in CM division, handling the long-range missiles. They operate the vertical launch system for BGM-109 Tomahawk, RUM-139 VL-ASROC and RIM-156 Standard SM-2 missiles.

FORCE PROTECTION AND ANTI-TERRORISM. Select personnel on the ship are trained to implement force protection measures. Whether in homeport or overseas, Force Protection is vital in ensuring the safety and security of the ship so that the crew can perform its mission.

VISIT, BOARD, SEARCH AND SEIZURE. VBSS teams are utilized for direct interaction with theatre-wide mariners. This is to ensure that freedom of navigation is tenable, international and national sanctions are enforced, and our international relations with the world’s mariners are in accordance with na

Supply Department

If the crew replaces broken parts with it, eats it, or spends it, the Supply Department is involved.

S-1 division runs inventory, storage, and dispensing of parts.

Two divisions, S-2 and S-5, provide food services, S-2 to the crew and S-5, with the same meals but different accounting to the officers.

S-3, or Sales and Services Division, runs the Barber Shop, Laundry, Ship's Store and Vending Machines. "If it needs to be bought, cut, or washed, the SHs are the professionals that get the job done."

S-4 Division is the finance department, from pay to travel to safe deposit. The ship has an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).