NAVY

O'Connor to serve on

combat ship

A 1998 Allentown Central Catholic High School graduate and Whitehall native is serving aboard USS Nitze (DDG 94), one of the world's most versatile multimission combat ships.

Chief Petty Officer Daniel O'Connor is a damage controlman aboard the Norfolk-based ship, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that is 510 feet long – longer than 1.5 football fields. The ship is 66 feet wide and weighs more than 9,200 tons. Twin gas turbine engines can push the ship through the water at more than 30 mph. USS Nitze is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Paul Nitze, who served as Secretary of the Navy under President Lyndon B. Johnson and as chief arms control adviser in the administration of President Ronald Reagan.

Though he's served in the Navy for 13 years, USS Nitze is O'Connor's first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

"This ship is phenomenal," he said.

He also said he is proud of the work he is doing as part of the Nitze's 315-member crew, protecting America on the world's oceans.

"Like hospital corpsman, damage control is a life-saving job in the Navy," O'Connor said. "Our whole point is saving lives and saving the ship."

Sailors' jobs are highly varied aboard USS Nitze. Approximately 31 officers and 284 enlisted men and women make up the ship's company, which keeps all parts of the destroyer running smoothly. This includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the engines.

"I am proud and amazed by the knowledge they display and the work my sailors do every day," said Cmdr. Michelle Nakamura, the ship's commanding officer. "Many very young people, some with only months of experience in the Navy, stood ready to sail and fight our ship in any situation. They performed exceptionally each and every day of our 7-plus month deployment and they continue to excel here at home. Their professionalism, motivation and commitment to the Navy are genuinely inspiring."

Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide the required war-fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute multimission evolutions such as surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-air warfare. USS Nitze can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups and under way replenishment groups.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy's most versatile combat ships, O'Connor and other USS Nitze sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this Navy," said O'Connor. "This ship is a tightly-knit team where you get to know everyone."