She was authorized on 13 September 2002 and was built by
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. The keel was laid down on 4 October 2006 at the company's shipyard in
Pascagoula, Mississippi. On 26 January 2008,
Dewey was christened in a ceremony in Pascagoula, by Deborah Mullen, the wife of
Admiral Mike Mullen.
Dewey was commissioned in
Seal Beach, California on 6 March 2010, as the 55th
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. In April 2013,
Dewey was outfitted with a
Laser Weapon System (LaWS). This is an experimental weapon which can be used to disable small boats and drones. On 26 May 2017,
Dewey carried out a "freedom of navigation operation" (FONOP) in waters claimed by China in the South China Sea. According to Chinese sources,
Dewey was "warned and expelled" from Chinese waters near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea. According to the US Navy, the FONOP proceeded as planned by peacefully transiting the area, despite verbal challenges and approaches by Chinese vessels. On 16 June 2017,
Dewey got underway to assist after a collision with the Japanese-owned (NYK Line) Philippine-flagged container ship . On 4 September 2017, she deployed to the Port of Los Angeles as part of the 2017 fleet week activities. In October 2017,
Dewey spilled oil near the
Tijuana River. In November 2019, the Optical Dazzling Interdictor laser weapon was installed on
Dewey. She was the first ship to receive the new weapons system. The ship participated in
Exercise Malabar 2024 which was held from 8 to 18 October.
Deployments • 29 July 2011 – 27 February 2012 Maiden deployment • 22 August 2014 – 4 June 2015 West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf • 31 March 2017 – 31 July 2017 Western Pacific • 6 February 2018 – 11 May 2018 Western Pacific ==Awards==