美军最新驱逐舰USS Ted Stevens在惠蒂尔服役 80年来首艘驱逐舰到访该港
阿拉斯加州惠蒂尔——10月3日，美国海军最新一艘阿利·伯克级Flight III型导弹驱逐舰"特德·史蒂文斯"号（USS Ted Stevens，DDG-128）在阿拉斯加惠蒂尔港正式服役。据海军事务媒体《Naval News》10月7日报道，这是约80年来首艘到访惠蒂尔港的美国海军驱逐舰。
惠蒂尔港在二战期间曾是重要军事基地，此后长期没有驱逐舰到访。"特德·史蒂文斯"号以已故阿拉斯加州联邦参议员特德·史蒂文斯命名，是美国海军第二艘Flight III型驱逐舰，配备AN/SPY-6(V)1防空反导雷达，作战能力较前代显著提升。
服役仪式上，海军官员表示，这艘以阿拉斯加政治家命名的新舰选择在阿拉斯加服役，象征着海军对北极地区战略重视的提升。近年来，随着中俄在北极地区活动的增加，美国正加强在阿拉斯加的军事存在，包括港口扩建与空中力量演习。
"特德·史蒂文斯"号服役后将加入导弹防御部队，母港设在夏威夷珍珠港。当地居民与退伍军人参加了服役仪式，共同见证这一历史时刻。
USS Ted Stevens Commissions at Port of Whittier, First Destroyer Visit in 80 Years
WHITTIER, Alaska — The U.S. Navy's newest Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided-missile destroyer, USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), was commissioned at the Port of Whittier, Alaska, on Oct. 3, naval publication Naval News reported on Oct. 7. It was the first U.S. Navy destroyer to call at Whittier in about 80 years.
Whittier was developed as a key military installation during World War II but has not hosted a destroyer since. Named for the late Alaska U.S. senator Ted Stevens, the ship is the Navy's second Flight III destroyer, fitted with the AN/SPY-6(V)1 air-and-missile-defense radar — a major leap over earlier flights.
Navy officials said at the ceremony that commissioning a ship named for an Alaska statesman in Alaska symbolizes the service's growing strategic focus on the Arctic. As Chinese and Russian activity increases in the region, the U.S. has been bolstering its Alaska military footprint, from port expansion to airpower exercises.
USS Ted Stevens will join the missile defense force, homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Local residents and veterans attended the commissioning, witnessing the historic moment.
图片来源：图：USS Ted Stevens（DDG-128）号驱逐舰在海上进行验收试验。美国海军官方照片，公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
