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USS Hopper (DDG-70)
Encyclopedia
USS Hopper (DDG-70), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
, is a ship of the United States Navy
named for the pioneering computer scientist
, Rear Admiral "Amazing Grace" Hopper
.
The contract to build her was awarded to Bath Iron Works
Corporation in Bath, Maine
on 8 April 1992 and her keel was laid down on 23 February 1995. She was launched
on 6 January 1996 sponsored by Mrs. Mary Murray Westcote, sister of the ship's namesake, and commissioned
on 6 September 1997 in San Francisco, with Commander
Thomas D. Crowley in command.
Hopper is only the second U.S. Navy warship to be named for a woman from the Navy's own ranks. The other was the World War II
destroyer
USS Higbee
named for the Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I
, Lenah Higbee
.
On 12 November 2007, Hopper departed with the USS Tarawa
Expeditionary Strike Group
for a scheduled deployment to the Fifth Fleet and Seventh Fleet
.
On 6 January 2008, Hopper was involved in an incident with five Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats. The Hopper, the cruiser USS Port Royal
and the frigate USS Ingraham
were entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz
when five Iranian boats approached them at high speed and in a threatening manner. The U.S. ships had been in the Arabian Sea searching for a sailor who had been missing from the USS Hopper for one day. The US Navy says the Iranian boats made "threatening" moves toward the U.S. vessels, coming as close as 200 yards (182.9 m). The U.S. Navy received a radio transmission saying, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes." As the U.S. ships prepared to fire, the Iranians abruptly turned away, the U.S. officials said. Before leaving, the Iranians dropped white boxes into the water in front of the U.S. ships. The U.S. ships did not investigate the boxes.
Officials from the two nations differed on the severity of the incident. The Iranians claimed they were conducting normal maneuvers while American officials claimed that an imminent danger to American naval vessels existed.
On April 15, 2011 the Hopper launched on a deployment to Asia and the Middle East.
, a lion rampant Or
, armed and langued Gules
.
CREST
: From a wreath Or and Azure a lozenge Gules charged with a mullet Argent
above a demi-trident of the first, between two lightning bolts pilewise of the like and all upon a wreath of laurel and oak Proper.
MOTTO
: A scroll Argent edged Gules inscribed "AUDE ET EFFICE" Azure.
SEAL
: The complete coat of arms in full color as in the blazon upon a white field enclosed by a blue oval border edged on the outside with gold rope and bearing the name USS HOPPER at top and DDG 70 in base all in gold.
CREST: The lozenge, traditionally used in the coats of arms of women, honors RDML Grace Hopper. Her distinction as the first woman to achieve the rank of rear admiral is represented by the single silver star. The trident symbolizes her love for the United States Navy and her Naval service, the focus of her life's work. The lightning bolts, framing the bottom of the shield, connote the image of ship's hull cutting through the sea. They also represent the sophistication and power of the Aegis warship, in large part made possible by Admiral Hopper's pioneering work in the computer field. The wreath consists of laurel and oak representing honor and strength. Red denotes courage and sacrifice; gold stands for excellence.
MOTTO: The Latin phrase "AUDE ET EFFICE" translates into the English phrase "DARE AND DO", in context of a command. RDML Hopper was frequently quoted using this phrase when issuing advice. The phrase captures the spirit of RDML Hopper in her quest for pushing the limits of conventional thinking and looking beyond the norm for innovative solutions and approaches to problem solving. The simple phrase, in Latin, exemplifies the essence of Admiral Hopper's spirit while paying tribute to her tremendous academic achievements.
Arleigh Burke class destroyer
The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the United States Navy's first class of destroyer built around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke, the most famous American destroyer officer of...
, is a ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named for the pioneering computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, Rear Admiral "Amazing Grace" Hopper
Grace Hopper
Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper was an American computer scientist and United States Navy officer. A pioneer in the field, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and developed the first compiler for a computer programming language...
.
The contract to build her was awarded to Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corporation in Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
on 8 April 1992 and her keel was laid down on 23 February 1995. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 6 January 1996 sponsored by Mrs. Mary Murray Westcote, sister of the ship's namesake, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 6 September 1997 in San Francisco, with Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Thomas D. Crowley in command.
Hopper is only the second U.S. Navy warship to be named for a woman from the Navy's own ranks. The other was the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
USS Higbee
USS Higbee (DD-806)
USS Higbee was a in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first US warship named for a female member of the U.S. Navy, being named for Chief Nurse Lenah S. Higbee , a pioneering Navy nurse who served as Superintendent of the U.S...
named for the Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Lenah Higbee
Lenah Higbee
Chief Nurse Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, United States Navy , was a pioneering Navy nurse, who served as Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I....
.
Deployments
Hopper has participated in multiple deployments to East Asia and the Persian Gulf, including RIMPAC 98, three individual PACMEF deployments, an Expeditionary Strike Group deployment to the Persian Gulf in 2004, and a deployment to Southeast Asia in support of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2006. In addition, Hopper has been foremost in the field of Ballistic Missile Defense.On 12 November 2007, Hopper departed with the USS Tarawa
USS Tarawa
Two United States Navy ships have borne the name Tarawa, after the Pacific atoll that was the scene of a bloody fight in the Pacific War.* The first was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1946....
Expeditionary Strike Group
Expeditionary Strike Group
The Expeditionary Strike Group, or ESG, is a concept introduced in the U.S. military in the early 1990s, based on the Naval Expeditionary Task Force. The U.S. Navy fields 12 Expeditionary Strike Groups and 11 Carrier Strike Groups, in addition to surface action groups...
for a scheduled deployment to the Fifth Fleet and Seventh Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
.
On 6 January 2008, Hopper was involved in an incident with five Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats. The Hopper, the cruiser USS Port Royal
USS Port Royal (CG-73)
USS Port Royal is a United States Navy guided missile cruiser, the 27th and final in the class. She is the second U.S. warship to bear the name of two naval battles of Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, of the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War...
and the frigate USS Ingraham
USS Ingraham (FFG-61)
The USS Ingraham , the last American to be built, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Duncan Ingraham ....
were entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, strategically important waterway between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf. On the north coast is Iran and on the south coast is the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman....
when five Iranian boats approached them at high speed and in a threatening manner. The U.S. ships had been in the Arabian Sea searching for a sailor who had been missing from the USS Hopper for one day. The US Navy says the Iranian boats made "threatening" moves toward the U.S. vessels, coming as close as 200 yards (182.9 m). The U.S. Navy received a radio transmission saying, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes." As the U.S. ships prepared to fire, the Iranians abruptly turned away, the U.S. officials said. Before leaving, the Iranians dropped white boxes into the water in front of the U.S. ships. The U.S. ships did not investigate the boxes.
Officials from the two nations differed on the severity of the incident. The Iranians claimed they were conducting normal maneuvers while American officials claimed that an imminent danger to American naval vessels existed.
On April 15, 2011 the Hopper launched on a deployment to Asia and the Middle East.
Ship's Coat of Arms
Blazon
SHIELD: AzureAzure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
, a lion rampant Or
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
, armed and langued Gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
.
Translation: On a background of blue, a gold lion rising with fore paws in the air as if attacking, claws and tongue of red.
CREST
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
: From a wreath Or and Azure a lozenge Gules charged with a mullet Argent
Argent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
above a demi-trident of the first, between two lightning bolts pilewise of the like and all upon a wreath of laurel and oak Proper.
Translation: From a two-color roll of gold and blue, a red diamond bearing a white five-point star above a gold three-point spear head, between two wedge shaped lightning bolts also of gold, and all upon a wreath of laurel and oak in their natural colors.
MOTTO
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: A scroll Argent edged Gules inscribed "AUDE ET EFFICE" Azure.
Translation: A white scroll edged in red inscribed "DARE AND DO" (in LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) in blue.
SEAL
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
: The complete coat of arms in full color as in the blazon upon a white field enclosed by a blue oval border edged on the outside with gold rope and bearing the name USS HOPPER at top and DDG 70 in base all in gold.
Symbolism
SHIELD: Blue and gold are traditionally used by the Navy. The lion, a symbol of strength and courage, stands for the USS Hopper's characteristics of survivability and alludes to the ship's motto (DARE AND DO). The rampant lion has been adapted from the arms of Scotland and refers to RDML Hopper's heritage. Gold stands for excellence; blue is for devotion to duty.CREST: The lozenge, traditionally used in the coats of arms of women, honors RDML Grace Hopper. Her distinction as the first woman to achieve the rank of rear admiral is represented by the single silver star. The trident symbolizes her love for the United States Navy and her Naval service, the focus of her life's work. The lightning bolts, framing the bottom of the shield, connote the image of ship's hull cutting through the sea. They also represent the sophistication and power of the Aegis warship, in large part made possible by Admiral Hopper's pioneering work in the computer field. The wreath consists of laurel and oak representing honor and strength. Red denotes courage and sacrifice; gold stands for excellence.
MOTTO: The Latin phrase "AUDE ET EFFICE" translates into the English phrase "DARE AND DO", in context of a command. RDML Hopper was frequently quoted using this phrase when issuing advice. The phrase captures the spirit of RDML Hopper in her quest for pushing the limits of conventional thinking and looking beyond the norm for innovative solutions and approaches to problem solving. The simple phrase, in Latin, exemplifies the essence of Admiral Hopper's spirit while paying tribute to her tremendous academic achievements.