The USS Michael Murphy, a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was designed for littoral warfare.

Commissioned in October 2012, the Michael Murphy is part of Destroyer Squadron 31 of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific. It is named after Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in 2005.

The Michael Murphy is a member of the newly redesigned Arleigh Burke Flight IIA sub-class of destroyers reconfigured to better adapt to littoral warfare.

Employing all-steel construction, Flight IIA destroyers host crews of about 330 sailors and measure 155.29 meters long, 1.8 meters longer than Flights I and II.

Flight IIA destroyers are well equipped to fight in areas such as the Red Sea, which is relatively shallow with about 40% less than 100 meters deep and about 25% less than 50 meters deep.

Flight IIA enhancements

The USS Michael Murphy is outfitted with side-by-side helicopter hangars housing two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and possesses an enlarged flight deck.

The MH-60R is the US Navy's primary anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter. It is specifically equipped to handle anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electromagnetic warfare, command and control, and non-combat operations, including search-and-rescue.

Other Flight IIA enhancements include organic mine hunting and area theater ballistic missile defense.

Flight IIA destroyers center on the integrated Aegis Weapon System, which consists of advanced anti-air warfare and anti-submarine warfare systems, as well as the all-weather, long-range Tomahawk Weapon System, which can conduct land attacks.

The Michael Murphy is equipped with Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems (MK 41 VLS) for a total of 96 cells capable of defeating ballistic missiles, as well as air, sea and subsea threats.

The US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, with their multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities, have proven for decades to succeed in a variety of scenarios, including air, surface and subsurface warfare.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers can carry more than 90 Tomahawk missiles and are equipped with the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) and Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) surface-to-air missiles for ballistic missile defense.

In addition to its missile systems, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is equipped with a range of guns and other weapon systems, which are capable of engaging both air and surface targets.

Finally, the ships carry torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets for engaging submarines and other underwater threats.