USS Johnston

2D rendering of the fictional USS Johnston

The **USS *Johnston* (DDG-998)** was a warship that appeared within the *Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms* universe. It is a modified *Kidd*-class guided missile destroyer that was built to serve the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1985, the *Johnston* would go on to earn a service length of over 30 years before being decommissioned by the summer of 2018.

It had a minor role in the grand scheme of things, but it noteworthy as being the first ship Arthur Snow served on in his navy career.

## Characteristics

### General Description

The *Johnston* is based on the real life *Kidd*-class guided-missile destroyers, based on the design of the earlier *Spruance*-class design built between the 1970s and 1980s, but with more emphasis on multirole missions rather than being more focused on anti-submarine warfare. Based on the real class's specs, she displaces roughly 9,783 t (9,628 long tons; 10,784 short tons) fully loaded. The ship would be 563 feet (172 m) long, 55 feet (17 m) wide, and has a draft of 31.5 feet (9.6 m). The *Johnston* is powered by four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines driving 2 shafts, providing 80,000 shp (60 MW). That gets the ship up to a speed of around 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) with a max range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Unlike the real *Kidd*-class ships, the *Johnston* has been modified, receiving some systems similar to the *Ticonderoga*-class cruisers, and has a crew of around 348; 28 officers and 320 enlisted personnel.

### Armaments

The *Johnston* was armed with two single-mounted 5 inch (127 mm)/54 caliber Mark 45 naval guns, one forward and one aft, which are capable of firing both at surface and airborne targets. Unlike the standard *Kidd*-class vessels, the ship is armed with a single 61-cell Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as two quadruple Mark 141 launchers for Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and one 8-cell NATO Sea Sparrow launcher for anti-air targets. She is also armed with two 20 mm Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) for close defensive combat and two Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes carrying Mark 46 lightweight torpedoes for anti-ship and anti-submarine combat.

While being a *Kidd*-class destroyer, it seems as though her armaments are more in-line with a modernized *Spruance*-class ship, modernizations the other *Kidd*-class never received.

## History

The USS *Johnston* was launched in June 1983 and subsequently finished later on, entering service in March 1985. It was built to the *Kidd*-class design of guided-missile destroyers, derived from the *Spruance*-class, and designed for air defense in hot weather. As such, for the first few years of its operational life, the ship operated in the Middle East.

Within the series, the *Johnston’s* combat records haven’t truly been explored in depth. What is known is that the ship operated in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War in 1991. It also took part in various following operations within the same region. Many years after ward, in 1997, the *Johnston* went into dry dock for an extended maintenance check and midlife overhaul. This would take quite some time, with the ship being back in the water by the end of 1999 and going into 2000. From that point forward, it would mostly be much quieter compared to the constant waring.

Shortly after completing his officer training, then Lieutenant Arthur Snow was assigned as a CIC operator aboard the *Johnston*, and would see his first tour of duty aboard the destroyer. During this time, while Arthur was controlling the guns, the destroyer managed to eliminate a target at a range of 30 km with the two 5-inch/54 caliber guns alone, showing Arthur's knack for naval gunnery.

Sometime after Arthur left the ship, the *Johnston* was officially deactivated and consequently decommissioned from the US Navy’s active service fleet. The initial plan was to sell the ship to Taiwan like the other *Kidd*-class destroyers, but those plans disappeared when war broke out between the United States and Urocyia, having established itself as an empire following a long while of tension. However, instead of recommissioning the *Johnston*, the Navy maintained the ship in the Reserve Fleet, keeping it at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Bremerton, Washington. The ship is still in reserve at Bremerton as of 2020.

## Known Crew

### Former

* Lieutenant Arthur Snow – CIC Operator/Gunnery Officer; since reassigned and promoted

## Trivia

* While the *Kidd*-class destroyers existed in real life, the *Johnston* is completely fictional. It, along with another fictional *Kidd*-class destroyer, the USS *Mannert L. Abele* (DDG-999), fill in the missing numbers between the *Kidds* and *Spruances* and the *Zumwalt*-class stealth destroyers.
	+ The USS *Hayler*, the last of the *Spruance*-class destroyers in real life, had the hull number 997 while the USS *Zumwalt* held the number 1000. The two fictional *Kidds* introduced in the series fill in the missing 998 and 999 numbers.
* The *Johnston* is generally described as being a hybrid between a *Kidd*-class and a *Spruance*-class destroyer; it’s modernization reflects that of the *Spruance*-class later on in their lives, and what the *Kidd*-class never had. Despite that, the *Johnston* is officially documented as a *Kidd*-class DDG.
* This ship shares its name with a real destroyer, the USS *Johnston* (DD-557), a *Fletcher*-class destroyer that fought during the Battle off Samar in the greater Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II. It made a bold charge against the oncoming Japanese Center Force, but was ultimately sunk by Japanese destroyers. A *Gearing*-class destroyer, designation DD-821, also bore the name.