Dragon 1009 U.S.S. Hewitt

USS Hewitt (DD-966) was an American missile destroyer, the keel of which was laid in 1973, launched in August 1974, and commissioned by the US Navy in 1976. The total length of the ship was 172 meters and a width of 16.8 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 8,000 tons, and maximum speed - up to 32-33 knots. At the time of launch, the destroyer was armed with: two 127 mm Mark 45 cannons, two 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx sets, a single 8-guide ASROC rocket-torpedo launcher or a single 8-guide Sea Sparrow rocket launcher. The ship could also operate two SH-60 Seahawk (LAMPS III) helicopters.

USS Hewitt (DD-966) was one of 31 Spruance-class ships. Ships of this type were designed and built as specialized ZOP (anti-submarine) units dedicated to the protection of aircraft carriers and being part of larger US Navy teams. They replaced the class destroyers Gearing and Allen M. Summer. Units of this class were built modularly, which facilitated their modernization during the service. One of the ships of this class was the USS Hewitt. The vessel was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Shortly after entering service, she was assigned to the 7th United States Fleet operating in the Pacific. As part of it, she took an active part in the RIMPAC 80 sea maneuvers. The ship operated in the Indian Ocean and in the Persian Gulf region at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). In 1987-1988, the unit underwent a deep modernization, as a result of which it received Mk.41 VLS missile launchers, gained the ability to launch Tomahawk missiles and received new hydroacoustic devices. The unit supported the actions against Iraq in the years 1990-1991. The ship was decommissioned in 2001.