WAVY’s Navy Ship Salute is a feature on WAVY News 10 Today. Each month, in partnership with the U.S. Navy, WAVY-TV 10 will profile a different ship based at the world’s largest Navy base: Naval Station Norfolk. The series aims to better introduce our viewers to some of the largest floating taxpayer assets there are, as well as life aboard a U.S. Navy ship.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The USS Gonzalez is a Arleigh Burke-class destroyer serving as part of Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
Built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, she was first commissioned in 1995. She is named in honor of Marine Sgt. Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez, a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed during the Vietnam War.
Gonzalez, who was 21 at the time of his death, hails from Edinburg, Texas. The Texas flag is the ships battle flag and is also featured in several spots bellow deck.
USS Gonzalez is 505 feet long and has roughly 250 sailors with her on deployment.
As the ship prepares to go underway again next month, Capt. Kate Stegner, commanding officer of the USS Gonzalez, said the crew is working towards all their required certifications.