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USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118)

USS DANIEL INOUYE is one of the ARLEIGH BURKE Flight IIA guided missile destroyers and the first ship in the Navy named after Daniel Ken Inouye.

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Crew List:

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

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

Description:

Celeste, a chief crested per fess of the first and Or, a pile reversed Azure (Dark Blue), superimposed at tip with a bezant charged with an annulet of eighteen triangles Vert, at base two sugar cane plants saltirewise Proper; all within a diminished border Gules. From a wreath of the colors Or and Celeste, two lightning bolts arched chevronwise Celeste (Bluebird), surmounted by an eagle displayed holding in dexter claw a laurel branch, in sinister claw thirteen arrows, bearing the Coat of Arms of the United States, in chief a Medal of Honor neck pad, all Proper. On either side of the shield, a torch palewise Argent (Silver Gray), enflamed Gules. A scroll Azure (Flag Blue), doubled Or, with the inscription "GO FOR BROKE" of the last.

Symbolism:

Blue and gold are traditional colors associated with the U.S. Navy. The dark blue pile reversed is a stylized characterization of Diamond Head, Hawaii's most recognized monument and former home to the first United States military reservation in Hawaii, Fort Ruger. The landmark is located in Honolulu, the birthplace of Daniel Inouye as well as where he conducted much of his life's work. Diamond Head sits on the coast of the island of Oahu, the ocean represented here by the waves. Present on the Honolulu flag and Hawaii state seal, the sun is emblematic of a new day and, therefore, the birth of a new state. Forming the sun, the green triangles are the Hawaiian symbol for Aina or land. They reflect Senator Inouye's commitment to indigenous peoples, specifically his service as Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and his work which led to the inauguration of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The green coloring of the triangles is a reference to Inouye's service in the U.S. Army. The two sugar cane plants at base highlight the fact that Senator Inouye's father and grandparents came to the United States as laborers in the sugar cane fields. This further reflects the gratitude Inouye often expressed for living in a democracy with boundless opportunities. The red border suggests Inouye's Japanese ancestry. The wreath adopts the first named metal and color from the shield and blazon. The eagle is adapted from the U.S. Senate seal and is indicative of Inouye's tenure as a Senator where he rose to become President Pro Tem and third in succession to the presidency. He was elected to the Senate in 1962 where he served for 49 accomplished years until his death in 2012. Senator Inouye was a proud American continually focused on making the United States a better place. The lightning bolts are expressive of the speed and sophistication of the warship. Their arched position is an allusion to the flanking maneuver Inouye, while a Second Lieutenant, led his platoon in during the Assault on Colle Musatello in Italy in 1945. Inouye's exceptional leadership, valor and devotion to duty during this assault resulted in his being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

In 2000, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor after an official review found that many Japanese-American servicemen had been denied proper recognition of their bravery due to their race. The neck pad in chief represents the Medal of Honor awarded to Senator Inouye. It is placed higher than everything else within the coat of arms, denoting it as the nation's highest honor for valor in combat. The torches represent guidance and leadership through strength and are derived from the 442nd Infantry Regiment insignia where Inouye was a member during World War II. At the base of each torch, a silver coin is attached, referencing the two silver dollars Inouye kept as good luck charms in his breast pocket during his service with the Regiment. During an attack in a battle to relieve the Lost Battalion in 1944, the silver dollars deflected a bullet from hitting his heart, thereby saving his life. The coat of arms as blazoned in full color on a white oblong disc within a dark blue designation band, edged with a gold roped border and bearing the name "USS DANIEL INOUYE" at the top and "DDG 118" at the base.

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About the Ship's Namesake:

Daniel Ken Inouye - born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, on 7 September 1924 - attended the public schools of Honolulu, graduating from President William McKinley High School. He began premedical studies at the University of Hawaii, but during World War II volunteered as a private in the United States Army in 1943. Inouye served in the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team, composed primarily of Nisei, second generation Japanese American soldiers, many of whom ironically volunteered from their internment camps. The determined soldier demonstrated leadership skills that enabled him to rapidly rise in the ranks and become a platoon sergeant. He fought against the Germans in the Rome-Arno Campaign in Italy in 1944, before shipping out with his regiment to France for the campaign in the Vosges Mountains of Alsace. Inouye took part in the fighting to relieve the “Lost Battalion” of the 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, comprising primarily Texas Army National Guardsmen, surrounded by German troops. The young platoon leader entered the battle carrying a pair of silver dollars in his shirt pocket, and at one point an enemy round struck him in the chest just above his heart, but the coins deflected the bullet. Inouye subsequently carried the money as good luck charms. During this campaign Inouye was commissioned a second lieutenant. Following this fighting, the regiment returned to the Italian theater.

On 21 April 1945, Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action, while serving with the regiment’s Company E in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. He skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire while they attacked a defended ridge guarding an important rail junction. Inouye deployed his men in a swift enveloping movement, and they captured an artillery and mortar post. The Germans fought fiercely from bunkers and rock formations, and their crossfire from three machine guns halted the advance. With complete disregard for his own safety, Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and knocked out a second machine gun nest. Although shot and wounded by a sniper, Inouye continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and remained at the head of his platoon until they broke the enemy resistance and his men deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, the Niseis killed 25 German soldiers and captured eight others. By Inouye’s gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, he enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and proved instrumental in seizing the ridge. His wound, however, proved severe, and the surgical team amputated his right arm. He ceased carrying his lucky coins after suffering through the harrowing battle and its aftermath, but on 21 June 2000 he belatedly received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the battle.

Inouye retired as a captain in 1947, and the following year married Margaret S. Awamura, a union that produced one son, Kenny, who became a musician, and played guitar for the punk band Marginal Man. Inouye, meanwhile, graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1950 and George Washington University Law School in 1952. He was admitted to the bar in 1953 and commenced practice in Honolulu: becoming the assistant public prosecutor in that city (1953–1954); the majority leader in the Territorial House of Representatives (1954–1958); and a member of the Territorial Senate (1958–1959). When Hawaii gained admission to the Union, Inouye was elected to the Eighty-sixth Congress for the term beginning on 21 August 1959; reelected to the Eighty-seventh Congress, and served until 3 January 1963; and was not a candidate for renomination to the House of Representatives in 1962. Inouye was elected to the United States Senate in 1962; and reelected in 1968, 1974, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004, and again in 2010 for the term ending on 3 January 2017. His first wife Margaret died from cancer on 13 March 2006, and on 24 May 2008 he married Irene Hirano in a ceremony at Beverly Hills, Calif.

Despite losing his first wife, Inouye persevered with his political career and became the President Pro Tempore (28 June 2010–17 December 2012); chaired the Select Committee on Intelligence (Ninety-fourth and Ninety-fifth Congresses); and served on the Committee on Indian Affairs (One Hundredth to One Hundred Third Congresses; One Hundred Seventh Congress [3–20 January 2001; 6 June 2001–3 January 2003]); the Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition (One Hundredth Congress); Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (One Hundred Tenth Congress); and the Committee on Appropriations (One Hundred Eleventh and One Hundred Twelfth Congresses).

Inouye died on 17 December 2012, and was interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Honolulu. In addition to the Medal of Honor, his decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

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USS DANIEL INOUYE History:

DANIEL INOUYE's story begins with her keel-laying at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine on May 14, 2018, a ceremony authenticated by the ship's sponsor, Irene Hirano Inouye, and marking the formal start of construction of the Flight IIA "Technology Insertion" destroyer. She was christened on June 22, 2019, at Bath, during an event that linked the new ship to the legacy of Senator Daniel K. Inouye; outfitting continued pierside through 2020.

Builder's trials in the Gulf of Maine began on December 16, 2020, followed by acceptance trials on February 3-4, 2021, when the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey evaluated the ship at sea and pierside. Delivery to the U.S. Navy followed on March 8, 2021. On October 4, 2021, the future USS DANIEL INOUYE sailed away from Bath for the Pacific, making an early stop at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island on October 7-8 as her first port call of the transit. She transited the Panama Canal in early November and arrived at her new homeport, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, on November 18, 2021, completing a "Honoring the Islands" tour around Hawaii ahead of commissioning. The Navy commissioned USS DANIEL INOUYE at Pearl Harbor on December 8, 2021 - one day after the 80th anniversary of the attack on Oahu - when Maggie Inouye gave the traditional order to "bring her to life".

In 2022, the destroyer moved through the typical post-delivery milestones for a new BURKE, including a four-month Post-Shakedown Availability in Hawaii that wrapped up three weeks ahead of schedule, after which the ship resumed local training and certifications. On October 18, 2022, while operating near Oahu, DANIEL INOUYE rendered assistance to the disabled commercial fishing vessel SEA DIAMOND by helping establish a tow back to Honolulu, a routine but noteworthy demonstration of the destroyer's utility in peacetime maritime safety. In December the Joint Typhoon Warning Center restarted its hands-on fleet liaison training in Pearl Harbor, beginning with DANIEL INOUYE on December 15, a regional meteorology partnership that pays dividends for western Pacific operations.

In early 2023, the ship executed a high-visibility ballistic-missile-defense event: on March 30, 2023, during Flight Test Standard Missile-31 Event-1a (FTM-31 E1a), DANIEL INOUYE launched two SM-6 Dual II interceptors in a successful engagement - an important proof of capability for integrated air and missile defense on Baseline 9 Flight IIA destroyers.

On May 5, 2023, Cmdr. Kevin M. Dore relieved Cmdr. David Y. Haile as commanding officer in a change-of-command ceremony aboard the ship at Pearl Harbor, after which the crew continued workups for extended operations.

DANIEL INOUYE's maiden deployment unfolded in 2024 with the THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) Carrier Strike Group (CSG-9). Operating in the Philippine Sea by late January, she was part of CSG-9 activities that included a Multi-Large Deck Event on January 31 with USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70), JS ISE (DDH 182) and other units, followed on February 2 by a replenishment-at-sea with USNS YUKON (T-AO 202).

The strike group then made a high-profile port visit to Thailand beginning April 24, with DANIEL INOUYE alongside destroyers USS RUSSELL (DDG 59), USS HALSEY (DDG 97) and USS HOWARD (DDG 83) as the carrier anchored at Laem Chabang. On May 16, the destroyer arrived in Singapore for a scheduled visit that included community-relations events, before departing with HALSEY on May 24. In late June the strike group pulled into Busan, Republic of Korea, where DANIEL INOUYE and HALSEY moored as CSG-9 prepared for the inaugural trilateral exercise FREEDOM EDGE, a three-nation air- and sea-focused drill run June 27-29 to improve ballistic-missile defense, anti-submarine warfare and maritime interoperability amid sustained North Korean missile activity.

During FREEDOM EDGE in the East China Sea, participating ships included USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, DANIEL INOUYE, HALSEY, USS HIGGINS (DDG 76), Japan's JS ATAGO (DDG 177) and JS ISE, and ROK Navy destroyers ROKS SEOAE RYU SEONG-RYONG and ROKS KANG GAM-CHAN, alongside allied aircraft.

On July 10, the destroyer was photographed transiting the Indian Ocean with CSG-9, reflecting the group's westward movement and the broader objective of maintaining a visible presence from the Western Pacific into the Indian Ocean. As crisis demands grew later in the summer, DANIEL INOUYE shifted into U.S. 5th Fleet with the strike group, conducting sustained operations and logistics alongside Military Sealift Command oilers USNS JOSHUA HUMPHREYS (T-AO 188) on August 18 and USNS BIG HORN (T-AO 198) on August 27, typical of the high tempo associated with Middle East security tasks and freedom-of-navigation presence.

After returning east into the Pacific, the carrier strike group made a brief logistics stop at Guam in late September. CSG-9 departed Apra Harbor on September 26, and DANIEL INOUYE was documented entering Apra on September 25 during the transit home. The destroyer completed her deployment on October 4, 2024, mooring again at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after nine months that spanned 3rd, 7th and 5th Fleet operations, multiple partner-nation port calls (Thailand, Singapore, Republic of Korea) and high-end exercises.

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Homeports of USS DANIEL INOUYE:

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USS DANIEL INOUYE Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the DANIEL INOUYE under construction at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on September 14, 2019.

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show USS DANIEL INOUYE at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hi., on March 18, 2022.

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