USS Dewey Departs Otaru Following Port Visit

by Lt. Victor Murkowski

260206-N-JJ672-2005 U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ivan Dobrev, commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), right, greets Kumiko Okawa, chairwoman of Otaru Self-Defense Forces Supporters Association (SDFSA), left, and other members of SDFSA, on the ship’s quarterdeck during a port visit to Otaru, Japan, Feb. 6, 2026. Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. 7th Fleet is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Oscar Diaz)

USS Dewey Welcomes Otaru Community Leaders Aboard DDG 105

260206-N-JJ672-2005 U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ivan Dobrev, commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), right, greets Kumiko Okawa, chairwoman of Otaru Self-Defense Forces Supporters Association (SDFSA), left, and other members of SDFSA, on the ship’s quarterdeck during a port visit to Otaru, Japan, Feb. 6, 2026. Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. 7th Fleet is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Oscar Diaz)

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Photo By: Petty Officer 2nd Class Oscar Diaz

VIRIN: 260521-N-N0831-1014

The previous two U.S. Navy ships to visit Otaru include Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG 83) in February 2025 and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) in February 2024.

"To the esteemed city of Otaru and its gracious people, we extend our deepest gratitude for the warm and generous hospitality you have shown my crew," said Cmdr. Ivan Dobrev, Dewey's commanding officer. "Our time in this beautiful port has not only allowed for essential resupply and upkeep but has also forged invaluable bonds of friendship and understanding. These interactions are the very heart of the formidable U.S.-Japan alliance, a partnership that stands as a pillar of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific."

Crewed by approximately 300 Sailors, the 9,500-ton Dewey is one of many Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers comprising the backbone of the U.S. surface fleet. At 155 meters long, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission warships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. It is capable of fighting air, surface, and subsurface threats simultaneously.

Dewey is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed DESRON and the principal surface force for the U.S. 7th Fleet. The U.S. 7th Fleet, the largest of the Navy's forward-deployed numbered fleets, routinely interacts with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region.