Heroic Legacy : The Destroyer Stethem Is Commissioned as Navy Salutes a Slain Seabee

Following orders to “man our ship and bring her to life,” more than 300 sailors in dress blues rushed up the gangway to their stations aboard the Navy’s newest, sleekest destroyer Saturday.

The engines roared. Radar dishes whirled. The ship’s gun mounts spun around as if looking for targets. Torpedo launchers shot a payload of compressed steam.

The frenzy of activity made it official: The USS Stethem had joined the U.S. Navy fleet.

More than 5,000 people attended Saturday’s commissioning of the ship named after Robert Dean Stethem, a Navy diver slain by terrorists during the hijacking of a TWA airliner to Beirut a decade ago.

“Petty Officer Robert Stethem was a true American hero, offering his life for the safety of others,” President Clinton wrote in a letter read to the crowd. “This ship will sail in the defense of freedom around the world, reminding us all of Robert’s legacy of heroism.”

The commissioning was the first in the 53-year history of Port Hueneme’s Naval Construction Battalion Center, home of four construction battalions, known in Navy parlance as C.B.s or Seabees.

The $900-million Aegis guided-missile destroyer could have been commissioned earlier at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., said Cmdr. Steven C. Miller, the ship’s captain.

But he and others wanted to pay tribute to the Seabees, who build everything from barracks to runways for the Navy and Marines. Stethem (pronounced STEED-em) was a Seabee steelworker specializing in underwater construction. He had trained at Port Hueneme but never was stationed there.

“This is the place to commission a ship named Stethem,” Miller said.

The commissioning was a gala event on the Seabee base, which has often been overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the high-tech jets and missile testing at Point Mugu, Ventura County’s other Navy base.

“Maybe this would be routine at places where ships are commissioned all the time,” said Capt. James Delker, commanding officer of the Seabee base. “But this is a big deal here. This is the first and maybe the last time it will ever happen here.”

The outpouring of support during the ceremony bolstered the spirits of Stethem’s parents. They never asked the Navy to name a ship after their son but were delighted to see the honor bestowed on him Saturday.

“Whenever you lose a son or a daughter, you are left with an empty feeling that won’t go away,” said Richard Stethem, father of the fallen Seabee. “This shows that people really do care.”

The commissioning also turned into an emotional reunion for the five Navy divers who were with Stethem when terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 847 on June 14, 1985.

Petty Officer 1st Class Clinton Suggs found himself wiping his eyes during the ceremonies. “It makes me miss him even more,” said Suggs, who was Stethem’s close friend and roommate.

Stethem, Suggs and four other Navy divers had been sent to Greece to repair an underwater sewage pipe on a Navy installation near Athens. They were headed home on a TWA flight to New York, with a stopover in Rome, when two terrorists hijacked the plane with 153 people on board.

The Lebanese Shiite Muslim extremists diverted the plane to Beirut. They demanded the freedom for 700 Shiite Muslim prisoners held by Israel and forced the pilots to fly back and forth between Beirut and Algiers in a televised drama that riveted the nation.

Flight attendant Uli Derickson became an overnight heroine for her calm efforts to protect passengers and later inspired a two-hour made-for-TV movie.

Early during the hijacking, the terrorists singled out the 23-year-old Stethem, and later Suggs, for brutal beatings because they were carrying military identification instead of passports.

After hours of torture, they shot Stethem in the head and dumped his body on the Tarmac in Beirut when authorities refused the hijackers’ demands for more jet fuel.

He was the only fatality in the 17-day ordeal, which ended when the terrorists freed the final 39 hostages from a hideaway somewhere in Beirut.

Navy general counsel Steven S. Honigman, the principal speaker at the commissioning, said the Stethem is a special ship because of its namesake.

“Petty Officer Stethem endured a senseless and brutal beating at the hands of his fanatical captors,” Honigman said. “During his ordeal, Petty Officer Stethem did not yield. Instead, he acted with fortitude and courage and he helped his fellow passengers to endure by his example.”

Saturday’s ceremonies were steeped in 220 years of Navy tradition. There was a 17-gun salute, the raising of the flag. Richard Stethem passed a long eyeglass to the crew. Officers set the first watch. The captain read his orders, officially taking command of the ship.

The most dramatic moment was left to Patricia L. Stethem, mother of the slain Navy diver. She has been the ship’s sponsor, and months ago christened the 8,600-ton ship by smashing a bottle of champagne across its bow.

On Saturday, she set the crew in motion. “Officers and crew, man our ship and bring her to life.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” the 340 crew members shouted in response. Then the all-male crew galloped up the gangways to man rails in classic Navy formation.

“It was a moving moment for me,” Patricia Stethem later said. “We know this ship bearing my son’s name is in capable hands.”

The USS Stethem is the 13th of 32 Arleigh Burke class destroyers planned by the Navy. It will be stationed in San Diego as part of the Pacific Fleet.

The destroyer was developed to protect aircraft carriers or other battle groups.

The Stethem carries three types of missiles, two types of torpedoes, a five-inch gun and a high-tech Gatling gun capable of spraying a hail of bullets at anything that manages to get through long-range defenses.

What distinguishes the ship is its space-age technology, called the Aegis combat and control system after the protective shield borne by Zeus in Greek mythology.

The Stethem carries the Navy’s most advanced radar, which can scan in all directions simultaneously and track hundreds of aircraft and missiles from sea level to the stratosphere. Its computers can automatically fire missiles and other weapons if the ship falls under attack.

The Navy is now working on a booster for its standard missiles so that destroyers like the Stethem can shoot down long-range missiles such as the Iraqi Scuds that were launched at civilian targets during the Persian Gulf War.

Once that booster is developed, the Stethem could be used as a shield for coastal communities, as a sort of floating Patriot-missile system, cruising just offshore.

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An Armed Naval Workhorse

More than three years in the making, the Stethem is the 13th of 32 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers planned by the Navy. The $900-million warship is named after Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem, a Navy diver who was slain by terrorists during the hijacking of a TWA airliner to Beirut in 1985. The Navy selected the Seabee base in Port Hueneme to commission the destroyer as the 374th ship operating in the U.S. fleet. The Stethem will be stationed in San Diego.

Aegis Combat System

It is the Navy’s most advanced radar, which continuously scans all directions to track hundreds of aircraft and missiles. In the Combat Information Center, computers sift through data and can automatically fire weapons when under attack.

Enhanced Armor

With its all-steel frame, this destroyer is designed to withstand heavy attack. Its extensive topside armor protects vital combat systems and machinery.

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* SH-60B Helicopter

Equipped with an antisubmarine warfare control system.

* Array Radar (AN/SPY-ID)

The heart of the Aegis computer-controlled combat system, it is capable of scanning in all directions simultaneously.

Fire Power

The ship is equipped with three missile launching systems--two for vertical launches and a third for harpoon missiles.

TOMAHAWK

Surface-to-land

Length: 21 ft.

Diameter: 1 ft. 9 in.

Weight: 2,550 lbs.

Cruising speed: Approx. 550 m.p.h.

Range: 280-1,555 miles

Warhead: Conventional/nuclear

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HARPOON

Anti-ship missile

Length: 12 ft. 7 in.

Diameter: 1 ft. 1.5 in.

Weight: 1,160 lbs.

Speed: Mach 0.75

Range: Over 57 miles

Warhead: Penetration/blast type

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STANDARD

Surface-to-air

Length: 15 ft.

Diameter: 1 ft. 1.5 in.

Weight: 1,400 lbs.

Speed: Mach 2.5

Range: Up to 35 miles

Warhead: Conventional

Airtight Defense

The ship’s interior is sealed and pressurized as protection against nuclear, chemical and biological warfare.

Inside the Stethem (see newpaper for diagram)

Sources: U.S. Navy; “Missiles of the World,” Michael J. H. Taylor; “Modern Airborne Missiles,” Bill Gunston.

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* SEAMAN HONORED:

A special day for the family of Petty Officer Robert Stethem. B2

FYI

The USS Stethem will be open to the public for free tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. To visit the Stethem, enter the Pleasant Valley Gate of the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme. The gate is at the end of Pleasant Valley Road, near its intersection with Ventura Road. For more information, call 982-2057.