Warship sails The USS Russell today became the first warship to leave Pearl Harbor since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks headed for what Navy officials say will be a routine, scheduled six month Western Pacific deployment.
from Pearl Harbor
The destroyer is going on
'routine' scheduled 6-month
deployment in the Western PacificBy Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comBut the current high level of security at Pearl Harbor and other military installations here is an indication that any military operation today is no longer routine.
The same could seen on the faces of the spouses, children and friends who lined the pier at Pearl Harbor as the 25 officers and more than 300 enlisted sailors climbed the brow to prepare the 500-foot destroyer for its departure.
The primary mission of the Russell (DDG 59) is to destroy enemy aircraft, missiles, submarines, surface ships, and land targets with its array of torpedoes and tomahawk missiles. The destroyer will join the frigate USS Ford and the destroyer USS John Young from San Diego to enforce United Nations sanctions against Iraq in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Already in the Arabian Sea is the USS O'Kane which is part of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier battle group which is supporting Enduring Freedom air missions against terrorist training camps and Taliban installations in Afghanistan.
Command Master Chief John Veverka, who has seen action in the 1991 Desert Storm campaign on a submarine, said until Sept. 11, "things were going very smoothly in the world."
Now, the Russell with its all male crew is headed to uncertainties.
"That's why we are here," said Veverka, 46. "They didn't catch us off guard. We're ready."
For Cmdr. Hank Miranda, the Russell's commanding officer, this is his ninth deployment.
However, unlike Veverka who hopes to eventually retire in Hawaii, Miranda an 18 year Navy veteran, has never fired a tomahawk missile in combat.
"The morale of the crew is very, very high," said Miranda, who assumed command of the Russell five months ago.
