The U.S. Navy‘s 63rd Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS John Finn, has joined the service branch’s operational fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, DVIDS reported Saturday.
Adm. Harry Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said at the commissioning ceremony that USS John Finn will support U.S. power projection efforts in the Asia-Pacific region.
Cmdr. Micheal Wagner will lead the destroyer’s crew of 300 officers and enlisted personnel, the report stated.
USS John Finn is the first ship to be built from the keel up with the Aegis Baseline 9 weapon system, which is designed to provide air warfare and ballistic missile defense support, DoD News reported.
Harris noted that the ship reflects the U.S. government’s commitment to its allies in the region and to homeland defense.
The destroyer is named after former Navy chief petty officer John Finn who received the first Medal of Honor of World War II for his heroic actions during the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
