Two of the four United States Navy's surface ships that arrived on the Clyde today are seen here. The upper picture shows the seventh member of the 'Arleigh Burke' class, the destoyer MITSCHER (DDG57). She was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula in Mississippi and launched in May 1993, being commissioned into US Naval service at the end of 1994. Powered by four General Electric gas turbines, MITSCHER can achieve 32 knots. The main armament of this 8,300 ton displacement, 504.5 feet long ship comprises one 5-inch Mk 45 gun mounted forward, two 20mm Mk 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems and Tomahawk and Harpoon missile systems.
Also seen was the 'Oliver Hazard Perry' class frigate DOYLE (FFG39), a ship launched in 1982 and commissioned the following year. Built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, she measures 453 feet and displaces 4,100 tons. DOYLE's main armament is a Mk 75 Melara 3-inch gun, a single 20-mm Phalanx system, Harpoon missiles and six torpedo tubes. She is driven by two GE gas turbines, which give her a speed of about 29 knots. Also arriving today were sister ships KLAKRING (FFG42) and HAWES (FFG53). These ships will be participating in the exercise Joint Warrior 082, due to start on Monday.
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