Double-take....
SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 18, 2020) -- United States Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) (foreground) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) team-up for a routine patrol.
(Yes....the U.S. Navy continues almost routine operations around the world, albeit with the added challenges of keeping their ships -- their Sailors -- coronavirus-free.)
This is, indeed, a rare sight....seeing the same obvious hull numbers on two different warships from the same country. But, by a quirky coincidence stemming from how U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers have been numbered in recent decades....
....we get both CG 52 and DDG 52 side-by-side....
....for this double-take.
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>>Note: There’s a huge difference in the design and intrinsic missions of these two ships, despite their having similar hull numbers.
In broad generalities, a cruiser (the closest ship in the photos above) is primarily designed for anti-air defense (protecting the aircraft carrier from incoming missiles and attack aircraft)....
....while a destroyer focuses its missions on anti-surface (ships) and anti-subsurface (submarines) offense.
They may appear to have some similar weapons systems....but they’re likely loaded with different variations of armament to suit their different missions.)
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>>CLICK the photos for a closer look....
>>Photos: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas V. Huynh, USN