USS Sterett to be commissioned at South Locust Point

The vessel's radar picks up objects as small as a fly, sensing potential hazards more than 100 miles away. Its 100,000-plus-horsepower jet engines go from full speed ahead - about 45 mph - to a dead stop in less than a length and a half of the 510-foot ship. And the systems that fire its Tomahawk missiles and torpedoes are wired with high-speed optical fiber.

The new USS Sterett, a $1.3 billion missile destroyer, ranks among the world's most technically advanced warships. It officially starts duty in Baltimore in early August, the first major naval ship to be commissioned here in nearly a quarter-century.

"The crew's very excited about bringing the ship home to Andrew Sterett's birthplace and bringing our ship to life in a city with such a rich nautical tradition," said Cmdr. Brian Eckerle, the Sterett's captain and a Charles County resident. "Without the crew, the ship is just a hunk of steel and wires. The crew provides the life and vitality."

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