US Navy missile destroyer arrives in Manila

MANILA, Philippines—An Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer of the US Navy arrived in Manila on Friday for a routine port call, the US Embassy said.

During its visit, the USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) will refuel and replenish supplies, while its crew will render community service at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Fort Bonifacio,  it said.

The 8,300-ton ship has a crew of 300, 24 of whom are Filipino-Americans.

The visit highlights “the strong historic, community, and military relations between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines.”

The ship was named after the third Secretary of the Navy of the US, the Hamilton was commissioned in 1995 at the US Naval Station in Charleston, South Caroline, and is now based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The ship is 505 feet long and has a top speed of more than 30 knots.