USN Cdr. Scott
Rosetti--Chesterton High School, Class of 1994--has assumed command of the
USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53), a guided missile destroyer.
Rosetti accepted
his new duties at a change-of-command ceremony on April 21 aboard the
storied World War II battleship USS Missouri, at Pearl Harbor.
John Paul Jones
is named for Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, who famously
said, “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast,
for I intend to go in harm’s way.” The ship’s own motto: “In Harm’s Way.”
John Paul Jones,
launched in 1991, is armed with the Aegis combat system and is designed to
direct and coordinate anti-air, surface, undersea, and strike warfare
operations.
It was chosen to
fire the first salvo of Tomahawk cruise missiles into Taliban - controlled
Afghanistan, on Oct. 7, 2001, the opening day of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The ship has a
complement of 33 officers, 38 chief petty officers, and 210 enlisted crew
members.
It’s currently
tasked to Destroyer Squadron 23, based out of San Diego, Calif.
Rosetti is the son
of Chesterton residents, John and Lori Rosetti.