According to information published by the US DoD on December 8, 2022, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) arrived in Kiel, Germany for a scheduled port visit.
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Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius. (Picture source: US DoD)
During the port visit, Paul Ignatius and her crew will refuel the ship, explore the city, connect with locals, and conduct exchanges between key leaders. This port visit allows for Paul Ignatius’ crew to strengthen interpersonal bonds with the local German population in a strategically significant Baltic Sea port city.
Paul Ignatius is currently in her fifth month on patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations as a member of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) force.
The ship began patrol on Aug. 1, 2022 and has sailed throughout the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and English Channel, making port stops along the way in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Finland.
While operating in the Baltic Sea, the ship participated in the Finnish Navy Command-led exercise Freezing Winds 22 alongside NATO Allies and partners, including the ships and personnel of Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1.
Once complete with Freezing Winds 22, the ship pulled into Helsinki, Finland for a port visit before returning to the Baltic Sea to continue conducting routine operations in the region.
USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Paul Ignatius was launched on 12 November 2016, and was christened on 8 April 2017. She was commissioned on 27 July 2019 Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
On 17 June 2022, Paul Ignatius arrived at her new homeport of in Rota, Spain. Her Phalanx CIWS was moved to the forward mount and she received the SeaRAM close-in weapon system on her aft mount.
