New destroyer heading to Mayport in 2016 could protect littoral combat ships in dangerous waters

The First Coast will be an unlikely beneficiary of rising tensions in the waters between China and Japan.

In a high-profile move to add more American Navy muscle to the Western Pacific, the Navy announced it is sending two more destroyers capable of defending against possible Chinese ballistic missile attacks to its 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan.

In a multi-ship swap, the Aegis missile-equipped destroyer USS Lassen, with its crew of more than 300 sailors, will leave its forward-deployed base in Japan and keep the total number of Mayport destroyers at four.

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