Guided Missile Destroyer
DDG 74 - USS McFaul
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Destroyer; Arleigh Burke - class / Flight II; planned and built as DDG 74
Builder:		Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: January 21, 1993 Laid down: January 26, 1996 Launched: January 18, 1997 Commissioned: April 25, 1998 ACTIVE UNIT/ in commission (Atlantic Fleet)
Homeport:		Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Namesake:		Named after and in honor of Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul (1957 - 1989) > see history, below;
Ship's Motto:		COURAGE - HONOR - SACRIFICE
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO > Arleigh Burke - class Guided Missile Destroyer
LINK:		see also: Special Report / USS McFaul (DDG 74) port visit in Koper / Slovenia
ship images
Donald L. McFaul
Namesake & History:
Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul (September 20, 1957 – December 18, 1989):
Chief McFaul was born 20 September 1957 in Orange County, California. He graduated from Bend Senior High School, Bend, Oregon in 1974. He enlisted in the Navy upon graduation from high school, and after recruit training was assigned to Naval Station Treasure Island, where he worked for Port Services as an Engine Specialist. In 1977, Chief McFaul volunteered and was selected to join the Naval Special Warfare Community. He underwent Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training (Class 95) in the spring of 1978. Chief McFaul was assigned to SEAL Team ONE where he made three deployments in support of Special Operations out of Subic Bay, Philippines. In 1985, Donald McFaul the SEAL became Donald McFaul the civilian, trying his hand at engine repair and spending relaxing days of fishing in Seattle, Washington, and Kodiak, Alaska. Missing the challenge and excitement of the SEAL Team, Donald McFaul returned to the Special Warfare Community. He attended Defense Language Institute for Spanish in Monterey, California where he met his wife Patricia. In February 1988, Chief McFaul was assigned to SEAL team FOUR and Don and Patricia were married. While at SEAL Team FOUR Chief McFaul deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of the Middle East Forces and later deployed to Naval Special Warfare Unit EIGHT at Naval Station Rodman, Republic of Panama. His final deployment was as Platoon Chief of Gulf Platoon on 18 December 1989, where he was killed in action during combat operations. His awards include the Navy Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Navy Unit Citation, and Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Star. He was posthumously awarded the "Purple Heart" and the "Navy Cross". Chief Donald McFaul is survived by his wife, Patricia; his daughter, Megan; mother, Shirley Lee, of Washington; brothers, Michael McFaul, J.R. Schooley, Duane Schooley, Jr.; and sisters, Debbie Baker, Candy Nelson and Karie Tarte.
USS McFaul (DDG 74):
On 22 August 2005, McFaul was involved in a minor collision with USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. Both ships suffered minor damage, and no injuries were reported. Both ships returned to their homeport at Naval Station Norfolk under their own power. On 16 February 2007, McFaul was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award. On 24 August 2008, McFaul arrived in Batumi, Georgia, as part of Operation Assured Delivery to "deliver humanitarian relief supplies...as part of the larger United States response to the government of Georgia request for humanitarian assistance" in the wake of the 2008 South Ossetia war. McFaul offloaded nearly 155,000 pounds of supplies - including hygiene items, baby food and care supplies, bottled water, and milk - donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development. On 5 April 2010, McFaul responded to a distress call from the M/V Rising Sun after it was attacked by pirates. McFaul was able to neutralize the threat, and captured ten suspected pirates and successfully rescued eight crewmembers from onboard a dhow near Salalah, Oman. The pirates were then transferred to the USS Carney (DDG-64) where they awaited transfer to land and subsequent prosecution. On November 12, 2009, the Missile Defense Agency announced that McFaul would be upgraded during fiscal 2013 to RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) capability in order to function as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. -- more DDG 74 history wanted --
patches
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