The Navy's newest warship will arrive Friday at Anaheim Bay in Seal Beach in preparation for her commissioning next week.
The USS Dewey -- under the escort of a ceremonial fire boat -- will be the first time that a warship has been commissioned in Orange County, according to Naval Station spokesman Gregg Smith.
A short welcome ceremony will follow the ship's arrival. However, the USS Dewey is the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer (DDG 105), and it will be formally commissioned at the base on March 6.
It will be the first time a U. S. Navy warship has been commissioned in Orange County.
The new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey (1837-1917) who commanded the Asiatic Station from the cruiser Olympia.
Shortly after the onset of the Spanish-American War, Dewey led his squadron of warships into Manila Bay on April 30, 1898. The next morning, his squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in only two hours without a single American loss. It made him a hero.
Dewey was commissioned admiral in March 1903.
Two previous ships have also carried his name, according to Smith.
The first was a destroyer (DD 349) that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to receive 13 battle stars for World War II service. The second was a destroyer ommissioned as a guided-missile frigate (DLG 14) before being reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer (DDG 45).
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