USS Hopper (DDG 70)

USS HOPPER is the 20^th ARLEIGH BURKE class guided missile destroyer and the first ship in the Navy named after Admiral Grace Hopper.

General Characteristics:	Keel Laid: February 26, 1995
	Christened: January 6, 1996
	Commissioned: September 6, 1997
	Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
	Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
	Propellers: two
	Blades on each Propeller: five
	Length: 505,25 feet (154 meters)
	Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters)
	Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 8.300 tons full load
	Speed: 30+ knots
	Aircraft: None. But LAMPS 3 electronics installed on landing deck for coordinated DDG/helicopter ASW operations.
	Armament: two Mk 41 VLS for Standard missiles, Tomahawk; Harpoon missile launchers, one Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun, two Phalanx CIWS, Mk 46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts)
	Homeport: Pearl Harbor, HI
	Crew: 23 Officers, 24 Chief Petty Officers and 291 Enlisted

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS HOPPER. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS HOPPER memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

Shield: Blue and gold are traditionally used by the Navy. The lion, a symbol of strength and courage, stands for the USS HOPPERS'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 Rear Admiral 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 Rear Admiral 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. RADM Hopper was frequently quoted using this phrase when issuing advice. The phrase captures the spirit of RADM 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.

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USS HOPPER's Commanding Officers:

Period	Name
September 6, 1997 - November 15, 1998	Commander Thomas D. Crowley, USN
November 15, 1998 - July 2000	Commander John W. Peterson, USN
July 2000 - March 1, 2002	Commander John J. Sorce, USN
March 1, 2002 - August 2003	Commander Ken Auten, USN
August 2003 - March 2005	Commander Mike Selby, USN
March 2005 - January 2007	Commander Peter Driscoll, USN
January 2007 - July 2008	Commander Jeffrey W. James, USN
July 2008 - March 2010	Commander Timothy J. Kott, USN
March 2010 - November 2011	Commander Kevin A. Melody, USN
November 2011 - May 2013	Commander Abdel I. Lopez, USN
May 2013 - November 2014	Commander David T. Snee, USN
November 2014 - April 2016	Commander Jaja Joel Edward Marshall, USN
April 2016 - present	Commander John D. Gainey, IV, USN

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About the ship’s name, about Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper:

USS HOPPER is named for Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, whose pioneering spirit in the field of computer technology led the Navy into the age of computers. During her career, she was know as the "Grand Lady of Software," "Amazing Grace" and "Grandma Cobol" after co-inventing COBOL (common business-oriented language). COBOL made it possible for computers to respond to words instead of just numbers, thus enabling computers to "talk to each other."

Rear Adm. Hopper retired from the Naval Reserve in January 1967, but was recalled to active duty in August 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson because of her much-needed expertise in applied computer science. Rear Adm. Hopper retired a second time in August 1986. She passed away on Jan. 1, 1992. This is the first time since World War II, and only the second time in Naval history, that a warship has been named for a woman from the Navy’s own ranks.

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USS HOPPER Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the HOPPER passing a US Navy attack submarine off Waikiki on March 7, 2012, and one day later at the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hi.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the HOPPER at Hong Kong on February 7, 2017. HOPPER visited Hong Kong February 5-8, and is presently on a WestPac Cruise. She deployed from Pearl Harbor, Hi., on August 25, 2016, and has since operated in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. Port visits included Darwin in Australia, Bahrain and Colombo, Sri Lanka.