(August 21st 2001)
USS Winston S. Churchill Arrives
The American destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) arrived in Portsmouth today, watched by crowds lining the sea walls and escorted by a small armada of vessels.
The British frigate HMS Monmouth and historic Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) 102 – which carried the Prime Minister and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to inspect D-Day preparations - greeted the ship in Portsmouth Harbour, while a Spitfire dipped its wing in a salute as it flew over. Also present was Landward, the vessel that led Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral procession and carried his medals and honours.
The USS Winston S. Churchill is in Portsmouth to participate in the International Festival of the Sea. She will then to visit other ports in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Norway, and will conduct a series of training exercises. Her commanding officer, Cmdr. Michael T. Franken USN, commented “It’s a great ship named for a great man and the crew is thrilled to be visiting the United Kingdom on our first overseas deployment,”
The ship is named in honour of Sir Winston Spencer Leonard Churchill (1874-1965), best known for his leadership as prime minister of Britain during the Second World War. He also was a renowned political thinker, soldier, pilot, painter, historian, author and orator.
Churchill had strong links with the United States - his mother was American and in 1963 he was awarded honorary American citizenship by President Kennedy.
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) is the only US Navy warship currently named for a foreign leader. As a courtesy to the ship's namesake country, a member of the Royal Navy is assigned to the ship's crew at all times. This role is currently fulfilled by Lieutenant Angus Essenhigh - son of Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh - who serves as navigator.
Winston S. Churchill is the 31st Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ship is designed to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Based in Norfolk, Vaginia, the 9,500-ton warship is 513 feet long with a 66-foot beam. She has a crew of 340 Sailors and is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.
Above: The guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) is greeted with a fly-by from a British WWII Spitfire as she enters Portsmouth Harbour. © U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate George Chen.
Above: The guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) is overflown by a Spitfire as she enters Portsmouth for the International Festival of the Sea. The tall ship Sea Cloud II follows behind.