USS Milius
{{Short description|US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:USSMiliusDDG-69.jpg | Ship caption = USS Milius on 20 May 2003 }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = United States | Ship flag = {{USN flag}} | Ship name = Milius | Ship namesake = Paul L. Milius | Ship ordered = 8 April 1992 | Ship builder = Ingalls Shipbuilding | Ship laid down = 8 August 1994 | Ship launched = 1 August 1995 | Ship acquired = | Ship christened = 28 October 1995 | Ship sponsor = Annette Milius | Ship commissioned = 23 November 1996 | Ship decommissioned = | Ship homeport = Yokosuka{{cite web|url=http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/USS-Milius-Bids-Farewell-to-San-Diego-and-Begins-Transit-to-Japan.aspx#.Wt5yvPcXbqA|title=USS Milius Bids Farewell to San Diego and Begins Transit to Japan|website=public.navy.mil|access-date=23 April 2018|archive-date=24 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424202634/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/USS-Milius-Bids-Farewell-to-San-Diego-and-Begins-Transit-to-Japan.aspx#.Wt5yvPcXbqA}} | Ship struck = | Ship identification = *{{MMSI Number|367199000}}
| Ship honours = See Awards | Ship fate = | Ship status = {{Ship in active service}} | Ship notes = | Ship badge = 150px | Ship motto = *Alii Prae Me
}} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer}} | Ship displacement = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer displacement I}} | Ship length = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer length I}} | Ship beam = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer beam}} | Ship draft = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer draft}} | Ship propulsion = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer propulsion}} | Ship speed = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer speed}} | Ship range = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer range}} | Ship complement = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer complement}} | Ship time to activate = | Ship sensors = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer sensors}} | Ship EW = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer EW}} | Ship armament = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer armament I (BMD)}} | Ship armor = | Ship aircraft = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight I/II aircraft}} | Ship notes = }} |
USS Milius (DDG-69) is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight I) Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. It is the first US Navy ship named after a POW/MIA from the Vietnam War. She is named after Captain Paul L. Milius, a naval aviator presumed killed following the crash of his aircraft over Laos in February 1968. Captain Milius' daughter, Annette, became the sponsor and later christened the ship named in honor of her father.
Service history
In January 2005, Milius participated in Operation Unified Assistance. On 6 December 2006, the ship successfully launched a Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile for the first time in a test of the Block IV configuration. The launch took place in the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Sea Test Range off of California. The missile flew 869 miles before impacting its target on the land range at China Lake, California.
On 12 September 2007, the Embassy of the United States, Manila stated that the arrival of the destroyers {{USS|Chung-Hoon}} and USS Milius was a goodwill visit to strengthen Philippines–United States relations.{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=88144|title=US warships arrive in RP on 'goodwill visit'|publisher=newsinfo.inquirer.net|date=12 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914162654/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=88144|archive-date=14 September 2007}}
On 23 November 2021, Milius conducted a transit of the Taiwan Strait.{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Alex |title=Navy sends another warship through Taiwan Strait, nearing a dozen transits this year |url=https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2021-11-22/us-navy-taiwan-strait-south-china-sea-beijing-3724315.html |access-date=23 September 2022 |publisher=Stars and Stripes |date=23 November 2021}}
On 9 August 2023, the Navy announced plans to extend the ship's service life beyond the initial 35 years, intending to keep Milius in service until at least 2035.{{Cite news |date=9 August 2023 |title=Navy extends service lives of four more destroyers |website=navytimes.com |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2023/08/09/navy-extends-service-lives-of-four-more-destroyers/|access-date=10 August 2023}}
File:USS Milius DDG69.jpg|Milius in May 2007
File:USSMilius-SanDiego-1.jpg|USS Milius in San Diego Bay, February 7, 2017
=Deployments=
- 26 May 1998 – September 1998: Maiden deployment{{cite web| url = https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/namesake.aspx| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130627082334/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/namesake.aspx| archive-date = 2013-06-27| title = Named in honor of Navy pilot Captain Paul L. Milius}}
- 22 June 2000 – December 2000: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 2 November 2002 – 2 June 2003: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 6 December 2004 – 6 June 2005: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 10 April 2007 – 8 October 2007: Scheduled Deployment with BHR ESG
- December 2008 – July 2009: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 18 May 2010 – 16 December 2010: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 11 January 2012 – 11 September 2012: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf
- 20 October 2014 – 25 June 2015: West Pac–Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf{{cite web |url=https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/602044/uss-milius-returns-from-deployment/ |title = USS Milius Returns from Deployment > U.S. Indo-Pacific Command > 2015}}
- May 2018 – TBD: Forward deployed to 7th Fleet, USS Milius changes homeport from San Diego, CA to Yokosuka, Japan.{{cite web| url = https://news.usni.org/2018/05/22/33759| title = PHOTOS: USS Milius Arrives In New Homeport Yokosuka - USNI News| date = 22 May 2018}}
Coat of arms
The ship's crest honors Captain Paul Lloyd Milius, commemorating his military service, courage, and selfless heroism.
Dark blue and gold are colors traditionally used by the Navy and denote the sea and excellence. The shield itself reflects the power of the Aegis shield. The double-edged battle-ax signifies the ship's formidable power—both a warning to maintain peace and a weapon capable of devastating force when provoked. The battle-ax harnesses is a warning that peace should be maintained; provoked and unleashed, the battle-ax is a punishing offensive weapon capable of delivering crushing blows. The trident highlights the ship's ability to project power across land, air, and sea, including underwater. The crossed swords are the modern Navy sword of today and the cutlass of the John Paul Jones era symbolizing the enduring tradition and heritage of the United States Navy. The red border stands for unity, readiness, and sacrifice. The seven bolts on the border represent the seven lives saved by Captain Milius' heroic action.
The lion suggests Captain Milius' extraordinary heroism as the aircraft commander in Observation Squadron Sixty-Seven for which he received the Navy Cross, represented by the cross plate, and underscored his selfless courage and inspiring devotion to duty.
Alii Prae Me – "Others Before Myself" – a reflection of his unwavering personal ethic.{{cite web |title=USS Milius |url=https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/OurShip.aspx |website=www.public.navy.mil |access-date=2019-09-03 |archive-date=2019-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903212313/https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/OurShip.aspx }} {{PD-notice}}
Awards
USS Milius has been awarded the Navy Battle "E" four times
- 01-Jan-2002 to 31-Dec-2002
- 01-Jan-2012 to 31-Dec-2012{{Cite web |url=http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/Milius-earns-Battle-E.aspx |title=Milius earns Battle 'E' |access-date=2014-03-07 |archive-date=2014-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307045758/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg69/Pages/Milius-earns-Battle-E.aspx }}
- 01-Jan-2015 to 31-Dec-2015
- 01-Jan-2019 to 31-Dec-2019
- PACFLT 2003 Retention Excellence Award Winner
- PACFLT 2002 Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award
- PACFLT Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Bloodhound Award - 2019
- Spokane Trophy - (2019, 2022)
Ship awards
| class="wikitable" | |||
| style="text-align:center; background:silver;" | Ribbon | style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|Description | style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|Notes |
| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Battle Effectiveness Award ribbon, 3rd award.svg|width=106}} | with three Battle E devices | ||
| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} | National Defense Service Medal | ||
| File:Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon.svg | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | ||
| File:Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ribbon.svg | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | ||
| {{ribbon devices|number=5|type=service-star|ribbon=Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.svg|width=106}} | Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon | with one silver service star |
In popular culture
Milius stood in as a US Navy ship in the 2025 Marvel movie Captain America: Brave New World.https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/captain-america-brave-new-world-2025-film-review-by-andrew-robertson
References
{{Naval Vessel Register}}
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category inline|USS Milius (DDG-69)}}
- [https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/ddg69/ Official USS Milius Web site]
- [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01069.htm navsource.org: USS Milius]
{{Arleigh Burke class destroyer}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milius (DDG-69)}}
Category:Arleigh Burke-class destroyers