History

USS Oscar Austin’s keel was laid on Oct. 9, 1997, at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The ship is the first of the Flight IIA Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyers. She was launched and christened on Nov. 7, 1998, then commissioned on Aug. 19, 2000. The ship was named after Pfc. Oscar P. Austin, U.S. Marine Corps, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War.

Oscar Austin’s deployments include:

2002-2003: Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf

2004: North Atlantic

2005-2006: Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf

2007-2008: Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf

2010: North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean,

2012-2013: Mediterranean and Persian Gulf

2014: Mediterranean

2015-2016: Mediterranean

2017: Black Sea, North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Gulf of Aden, Baltic Sea

The ship is now completing an extended depot-level modernization period and will return to sea later this year.