USS PORTER, or “Freedom’s Champion” as she’s known to crewmembers past and present, is the 28th ship in the ARLEIGH BURKE class of Guided Missile Destroyers and the fifth ship to bear the name of two naval legends: Commodore David Porter and his son Admiral David Dixon Porter. Commissioned in March of 1999 PORTER and her crew have served honorably in theaters and operations across the globe, from combating piracy off the coast of Somalia to launching coordinated strikes in Syria. As of 2015 PORTER has been stationed in Rota, Spain to conduct vital Ballistic Missile Defense in support of US Sixth Fleet. In following this tradition PORTER and her crew stand ready to defend the United States and its allies wherever called.
