USS Callaghan (DD/DDG-994)
...was the second ship of the Kidd class of destroyers operated by the U.S. Navy. Derived from the Spruance class, these vessels were designed for air defense in hot weather. She was named for Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan, who was killed in action aboard his flagship, the heavy cruiser San Francisco, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.
Namesake: Daniel Callaghan
Builder: Litton Ingalls,
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Laid down: 23 October 1978
Launched: 1 December 1979
Commissioned: 29 August 1981
Decommissioned: 31 March 1998
Struck: 31 March 1998
Fate: Sold to Taiwan, 30 May 2003; commissioned as ROCS Su Ao (DDG-1802)
"...on September 27, 1997, during routine drug interdiction operations, Callaghan detected a high speed contact off Columbia waters. When the sun rose the contact was visually identified as a high speed cigarette boat. Callaghan pursued the contact for over three days, and in the final three hours the craft dumped its load of illegal drugs. Once completed the craft was able to accelerate and outran the Callaghan. It was pursued by a high speed craft and helicopters until the cigarette boat reached Columbia territorial waters. The Callaghan returned and fished 3.5 metric tons of watertight cocaine bundles floating in the water. The bales tested to be pure cocaine and had a street value at over $1 billion."