No doubt our members who participated in the Shoup Tour recently will enjoy this photo of her firing a missile from her forward battery during the Pacific Rim Naval exercise (RIMPAC) off Hawaii this past summer. A relatively small ship compared to the big carriers, but she packs an impressive punch! Her sailors tell us that a missile launch leaves a heck of a mess on her foredeck!
Thanks to a fortuitous contact by Phil Sacks with Commander Jason Rogers, the Captain of USS Shoup, we were able to arrange a tour of the ship when she returned to her home port at Naval Station Everett early in September, following participation in “RIMPAC” a multinational naval exercise conducted out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
We arrived at the Naval Station and after some initial confusion with base security personnel, the ship’s Public Affairs Officer, LTJG Zach Bessette delivered us to the dock through three layers of security in a Navy vehicle, where we were warmly welcomed by Captain Rogers and his command staff.
The tour included a close up look at Shoup’s main battery of one 5-inch gun and her main missile battery, the bridge, engineering spaces and even passed by the chow line as the crew was beginning lunch, (the Navy seems to eat pretty well) finishing up in the ward room, the dining space for the ship’s officers.
On the following page are several photographs taken during the tour, with more detail.
Visiting veterans are welcomed by the Captain of the Shoup, Commander Jason Rogers, USN and his command staff on the ship’s quarterdeck.
Joining the tour were nine veterans pictured including Dan White, Jeff Blossey, Rene Blemenfeld, Carl Kerfuss, Dennis Peterson, Mike Denton, Ron Clyborne, Phil Sacks and Jim Blossey. Karen Peterson and Dorothy Sacks were also present.
Looking over the ship’s 5” gun mount on the foredeck. Behind the gun mount, but not shown is the forward missile battery which provides much of Shoup’s punch.
Featured in the Shoup’s wardroom is the coffee cup rack shown below, at the top left of which is the steel cup used by General David Shoup, the ship’s namesake during WWII. Shoup was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific and was Commandant of the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. (Note the 4 stars of the General’s rank above the cup)
Included in the group shot above are our very gracious hosts and guides, LTJG Bessette and LTJG Miller.
USS Shoup (DDG86)
Thanks to a fortuitous contact by Post Member Phil Sacks, the post has been invited to tour USS Shoup (DDG86), one of the Navy’s newer Arleigh Burke class destroyers by her commanding officer, Commander Jason Rodgers, USN. The tour is scheduled for Friday, September 9 at Naval Station Everett .
We must limit attendance to a maximum of 50 and advance registration is required for security reasons. An email will be going out to all members of the post with a form attached which attendees must fill out and return. Registrations will be accepted on a first come first served basis. We plan on an 0930 arrival in Everett and the tour takes about an hour and half.
For parking, the Alfa parking lot located next to the Main Gate is where everyone would park. We would be met there. It’s about a 10 minute stroll to the ship from there. Car pools are recommended. If there are personnel that would require transport to the ship, it can be made available.
Access for disabled veterans is extremely limited. There are no access ramps and unless disabled persons are able to walk, the tour is almost nonexistent. That said, if their desire is simply to come aboard a US Navy Ship, we can figure out a way to accommodate that.
Some ship safety notes: close-toed shoes are required. The tour does transit up and down steep ladderwells and there will be a fair bit of walking.
USS Shoup is named for General David Shoup, UCMC, a World War II veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor and whose final service was as Commandant of the Marine Corps. She is presently at sea for training exercise with the Pacific Fleet and allied navies and is expected home in Everett in mid August.