US Navy, SAN DIEGO: USS Benfold (DDG 65) emerged from its 2008 Chief of Naval Operations selected repair availability Jan. 30, equipped with the new Shipboard Protection System (SPS).
“The installation went very smoothly,” said Cmdr. Andrew Hesser, Benfold's commanding officer. “This system has received a lot of attention. I look forward to assessing its capabilities over the next several months.”
Benfold is the first ship to be outfitted with SPS Block 1 version, which uses integrated radar and twin cameras to identify and engage threats from high-speed seaborne craft. The system supplies the means to provide a blanket of protection from swifter and smaller scale attacks whether a ship is in port, at anchor or at sea.
“Once fully integrated into the ship's fighting doctrine, SPS will give us much better situational awareness,” said Lt. Steingrube, Benfold's weapons officer. “It will take much of the guess work out of a contact's distance, and will help us to better assess a potential threat's intentions.”
Benfold is the Navy's 15th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. The ship is named in honor of Hospitalman 3rd Class Edward Clyde Benfold, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor “for gallantry and intrepidity” while serving with the 1st Marine Division in Korea Sept. 5, 1952.
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