PACIFIC OCEAN (March 24, 2020) A 2014 Imbler High School graduate and Summerville, Oregon, native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59).
Petty Officer 2nd Class Cole Campbell is a fire controlman specializing in advanced electronics for Russell’s fire control radar.
“My primary job is to be a technician for the ship’s radar," said Campbell. "I make sure that our radar is working properly and whenever anything goes wrong it is my responsibility to fix it.”
Commissioned May 20, 1995, Russell measures approximately 500 feet and is powered by four gas turbines that allow the destroyer to achieve over 30 mph in open seas.
The ship is the second in U.S. Navy history to bear the name Russell and is named in honor of Rear Admiral John Henry Russell and his son, Commandant of the Marine Corps John Henry Russell, Jr.
The ship has been fitted with the Aegis ballistic-missile-defense (BMD) capability that enables the ship to conduct long-range surveillance, tracking, and engagement of short and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Destroyers are tactical, multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, and humanitarian assistance. Fast, maneuverable and technologically advanced, destroyers provide the required warfighting expertise and operational flexibility to execute any tasking.
Approximately 30 officers and 300 enlisted men and women make up the ship's company. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the ship running smoothly. The jobs range from washing dishes and preparing meals to maintaining engines and handling weaponry.
Campbell said that he is excited to become more proficient at his job during deployment.
“I have been in the Navy for five years now and onboard Russell for three years,” said Campbell. “This deployment is giving me the opportunity to do what I joined the Navy to do.”
Russell, part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, is on a scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet, Sailors are on watch throughout the region and are important assets supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific and stability within the region.