US warship fires weapons during South China Sea patrol

A U.S. Navy destroyer has carried out live-fire training while operating in the South China Sea as part of routine deployment activity with a carrier strike group, according to the service.

The training took place on 23 December aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. while the ship was underway with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. During the serial, sailors conducted gunnery drills using a .50 calibre machine gun from the ship’s forecastle. The U.S. Navy said the activity formed part of routine training designed to maintain crew proficiency, weapons safety standards and overall readiness while deployed in the Indo-Pacific region.

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer commissioned in May 2022 and homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The ship is named in honour of Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr., the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African American aviator and first African American Marine Corps general officer. The destroyer displaces more than 9,000 tonnes at full load and is powered by four LM2500 gas turbines, giving it a top speed of more than 30 knots. It carries a crew of around 380 officers and sailors.

Its armament includes a 5-inch Mk 45 naval gun, Phalanx close-in weapon system, multiple machine gun mounts and a 96-cell Mk 41 vertical launching system. The VLS can accommodate a mix of missiles including Standard surface-to-air weapons, Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and vertical-launch anti-submarine rockets, depending on mission requirements. The ship also operates two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from a double hangar and flight deck, providing anti-submarine warfare, surface surveillance and search and rescue capabilities.

The U.S. Navy stated that units assigned to 7th Fleet routinely conduct training and patrols across the Indo-Pacific to sustain operational readiness and support ongoing maritime operations in international waters.