USS BUNKER HILL VISITS JUNEAU

The Navy Cruiser USS Bunker Hill visited Juneau. Her home port is San Diego. While in port her sailors helped construct a playground at Twin Lakes, just a couple miles north of town.

Marlene and I were honored this evening to attend the Captain’s Reception on the fantail of the ship. Governor Palin spoke for all of in honoring the US Navy, and welcoming the USS Bunker Hill to Alaska.

The US Bunker Hill, 567 feet in length, was commissioned in 1986. She was named after the famous Battle of Bunker Hill, which served as a victory to Americans by inspiring them to pursue their efforts and to eventually win their freedom from the British Crown.

From November 1990 through March 1991, the Bunker Hill deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The ship directed the tactical employment of 26 ships and over 300 combat aircraft from six nations. The cruiser also launched a total of 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles against military targets in Iraq.

In March of 1996, China fired a series of missiles into the ocean near Taiwan. The Bunker Hill tracked the Chinese missiles with its radar, and used its Aegis Combat System to record each missile flight in detail.