USS Farragut Tour: Rare Look Inside US Navy Guided-Missile Destroyer

It’s not every day you get up close and personal with a working missile launcher.

USS Farragut, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned in 2006, celebrated America’s 250th birthday by participating in the largest maritime celebration in US history and offering a rare look into its wide-ranging armament and capabilities.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Farragut are powerful multimission platforms loaded with advanced sensors, missiles, and guns that can engage enemy forces on land, in the air, and at sea. In 2023, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro called Arleigh Burke-class destroyers “the backbone of the surface fleet and one of the most successful shipbuilding programs in the history of the Navy.”

USS Farragut has been deployed as part of carrier strike groups protecting aircraft carriers, including USS George H.W. Bush, USS Harry S. Truman, and USS Theodore Roosevelt. In 2024, the Farragut apprehended over $44 million of cocaine as part of counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea, the US Naval Forces Southern Command reported.

I boarded the Farragut when it visited New York City in July for Sail4th 250 to see how it lives up to its motto, “Prepared for Battle.”

Here are the parts of the ship I was allowed to see.

The Farragut served as the official reviewing warship for the International Naval Review held in honor of America’s 250th birthday.

USS Farragut in New York Harbor during the International Naval Review.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Antonio Ramos

USS Farragut is named for Adm. David Glasgow Farragut, a Civil War-era naval commander and the first person to be awarded the rank of admiral in the US Navy, according to the US Navy’s official website. He is also remembered for his order at the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay: “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”

The Farragut measures 509 feet and 6 inches long and has a crew of about 350 people. It was built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine and is homeported at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. The Department of Defense has continued to build these versatile warships and has asked to buy one of the $2.5 billion ships for the upcoming fiscal year.

Vice President JD Vance sailed on the Farragut during a parade of naval ships held in New York City on July 4.

After the Independence Day parade, the Farragut docked at New York City’s Pier 88, where I boarded the ship.

The USS Farragut. — USS Farragut.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Farragut has opened to the public at past Fleet Week events in other cities, but it wasn’t offering public tours at Sail4th 250. I was able to join a special tour of the ship held for US Navy veterans and their families.

The tour began on the flight deck, where we received a safety and security briefing.

On the flight deck of the USS Farragut. — On the flight deck of USS Farragut.

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The command duty officer told us to move carefully through the ship and to pay attention to pipes, wires, electrical boxes, and other machinery protruding from the floor.

“This ship is designed to protect our nation, but it’s not people-friendly,” he said.

He also said that we could only take photos topside, not inside the ship, and that crew members wouldn’t go into detail about classified systems on board.

We proceeded to the boat deck, where two small boats are stored on cradles, ready to be lowered to the water on crane-like devices called davits.

A boat on board the USS Farragut. — A small boat on board USS Farragut.

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The small boats are used for man-overboard recoveries and transferring personnel or supplies to and from other ships. They are also used for boarding other ships.

On the forecastle, pronounced “folk-sill,” we were introduced to the ship’s 5-inch gun.

A 5-inch gun on board the USS Farragut. — A 5-inch gun on board USS Farragut.

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The Mark 45 5-inch gun can fire up to 20 rounds per minute. The deck gun fires a high-explosive round with a diameter of 5 inches.

Red paint on the deck instructed crew members to give the 5-inch gun a wide berth.

The “danger area” around the 5-inch gun.

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The 5-inch gun features a 22.5-foot-long barrel and can rotate rapidly to acquire targets. The red circle indicates the area sailors need to avoid so they don’t get hit by the turret when it moves during firing or maintenance work.

The light-grey panels on either side of the superstructure, behind the 5-inch gun, are the SPY-1 radar, a key element of the missile defense system.

The forecastle of USS Farragut.

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The SPY-1 electronically directs its beams to search for and track the position and velocity of targets rapidly.

Named for the shield carried by Zeus in Greek mythology, the Aegis combat system can simultaneously search for and track over 100 targets and assign targets to the ship’s weapons.

I also got a close-up look at the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System, or VLS, which launches missiles.

A Mark 41 Vertical Launching System.

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The system is capable of launching several types of weapons, such as surface-to-air interceptors, a missile-launched torpedo to attack submarines, and Tomahawk cruise missiles for long-range strikes.

In the Mark 41 VLS, canistered missiles are kept beneath the armored deck for maximum survivability.

This photo from a 2022 training exercise shows what the forecastle looks like when USS Farragut fires a live missile.

USS Farragut was photographed launching a Standard Missile-2 during Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training, or SWATT, in 2022.

The last stop on the tour was the aft missile deck, which we accessed by climbing this ladder.

A ladder on the USS Farragut. — A ladder on USS Farragut.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Farragut are 153 feet tall, so lots of steep ladders are involved in moving around the ship.

The aft missile deck featured a larger VLS launcher.

The aft missile deck on Farragut. — The aft missile deck.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The forward VLS features a 32-cell launcher module, while the aft VLS has 64 cells.

Signs reading “Danger: Missile Blast Area” were posted all over the deck.

A sign reading “Danger: Missile Blast Area” on board USS Farragut.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The signs were a stark reminder that the Farragut is an active warship with lethal firepower. The ship’s weather decks are closed to crew members for safety during missile launches.

The Close-In Weapon System, or CIWS, serves as the last line of defense against airborne threats.

Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) on the USS Farragut. — Close-In Weapon System, or CIWS, on USS Farragut.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Pronounced “see-whiz,” CIWS “automatically detects, tracks, and engages” close-range threats that penetrate the ship’s other defenses, according to the US Navy. It has a 20mm cannon and can fire 4,500 rounds per minute.

“It’s usually a bad day if we have to use that,” our guide said.

The aft missile deck provided a better view of the flight deck below, where our tour began.

The flight deck viewed from an upper deck.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

USS Farragut can carry two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, known as “Romeo” aircraft. These aircraft can hunt for submarines or ferry crew and critical supplies to and from the ship. It’s designed to carry up to five passengers in addition to its flight crew.

Even though it was a rainy day, the Farragut’s deck offered sweeping views of the city and the other international naval ships docked in New York Harbor.

Talia Lakritz on board the USS Farragut. — On board USS Farragut.

Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A German Navy frigate, FGS Sachsen, was docked right next to the Farragut and used its flight deck as a bridge for its own gangway — an example of the close relationships between the US Navy and its international allies that all of the ships were there to celebrate.

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