U.S. Naval Destroyer USS Donald Cook

Commissioned in 1998, the USS Donald Cook is named in honor of Col. Donald G. Cook, a Marine Corps Vietnam War hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his extraordinary courage while a prisoner of war. Like other destroyers in its class, the USS Cook is a fast warship that provides multimission offensive and defense capabilities as well as performs anti-submarine warfare duty. It can operate independently or in support of carrier-battle, surface-action, amphibious and replenishment groups.

The USS Donald Cook's notable service includes coming to the aid of its sister ship, the USS Cole, in Yemen after it was damaged by suicide bombers in October 2000, and being among the first to fire Tomahawk missiles against Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

THE FACTS

Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Home Port: Norfolk, Va.
Keel Laid: July 7, 1996
Launched: May 3, 1997
Commissioned: Dec. 4, 1998
Status: active service
Length: 505.25 feet
Beam: 67 feet
Draft: 30.5 feet
Displacement: approximately 8,300 tons full load
Speed: 30-plus knots
Crew: 23 officers, 24 chief petty officers and 291 enlisted
Armament: two Mk-41 Vertical Launch Systems for standard missiles; Tomahawk; Harpoon missile launchers; one Mk-45 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun; two Mk-15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems; Mk-46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts)
Propulsion System: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
Propellers: two, each with five blades
Motto: Faith Without Fear