RAN HMAS Ballarat joint naval drills with USS Curtis Wilbur.

According to information published by US States Pacific Fleet on June 10, 2021, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) rendezvoused with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) to conduct operations in the South China Sea that continued until June 11.
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HMAS Ballarat and USS Curtis Wilbur (Picture source: United States Pacific Fleet)

Curtis Wilbur and Ballarat began the week of cooperative operations with maneuvering drills and a replenishment-at-sea with USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198). The ships honed their advanced mariner skills in a joint environment while enforcing the normalcy of routine operations throughout the region in accordance with international law.

Curtis Wilbur and Ballarat also conducted cross-deck helicopter operations, joint live-fire gunnery exercises, and joint maritime operations. These exercises further strengthen interoperability between allied navies, and demonstrate the U. S. Navy’s commitment to working with like-minded regional partners to preserve international order in the South China Sea.

HMAS Ballarat Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Antony Pisani was pleased to participate in the cooperative operations which reinforce the strength of the Australia-U. S. Alliance.

These operations are crucial to both the RAN and U.S. Navy and display their dedication to adherence to international law for the benefit of all. The South China Sea is integral to global commerce, and the shared use of the South China Sea for free and unrestricted international trade benefits all nations.

USS Curtis Wilbur is currently underway conducting operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, while assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15/Task Force 71, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and US 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. As the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet, the 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict.

USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) is the fourth Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. Curtis Wilbur was named for Curtis D. Wilbur, forty-third Secretary of the Navy, who served under President Calvin Coolidge. In 2016, she was based at Yokosuka, Japan, as part of Destroyer Squadron 15.

She possesses the AEGIS Weapon System with the AN/SPY-1D multifunction radar, capable of detecting and engaging multiple targets; the Vertical Launching System, capable of storing and rapidly firing 90 missiles; the SQQ-89 Antisubmarine Warfare System with its SQR-19 towed array sonar and the new SQS-53C digital hull-mounted sonar; the Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile system; and the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile system, capable of hitting targets hundreds of miles away.

CURTIS WILBUR also carries improved versions of the 5-inch gun and the Phalanx Close-in Weapons System. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers represent a return to all-steel construction and incorporate electromagnetic pulse hardening, enhanced firefighting features, and a Collective Protection System to protect against nuclear, chemical, or biological contamination. The distribution of vital equipment throughout the ship, and improved blast and fragmentation protection will help enable the ship to survive a hit and continue to fight.