After sailing for weeks, future USS Daniel Inouye docks at homeport of Pearl Harbor

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -The future USS Daniel Inouye received a warm and long-awaited welcome Thursday morning at it pulled into its home port of Pearl Harbor.

Christened in 2019, the Navy’s newest ship made its way from Maine to California to Hawaiian waters.

The $1.5 billion guided missile destroyer ― named in tribute to the legendary political statesman and war hero ― is the latest asset in America’s fleet.

It’s outfitted with a top of the line weapons system and technology operated by 300 crew members.

“To me, I liken this to when he received the Medal of Honor,” said Ken Inouye, son of the late senator. “That was one of the few times I ever saw him kind of searching for the right word to say at various points because it kind of hit home to him. I think that this would be a similar experience.”

Fittingly, the ship’s motto is “Go For Broke,” the rallying cry of the famed 442nd regimental combat team, which Inouye served in.

“I don’t think there’s a better motto to get behind,” said USS Daniel Inouye commanding officer Cmdr. DonAnn Gilmore.

“The crew just really feels that. They’re all very well educated in the sacrifices of the 442nd and of the senator and they’re thrilled to represent that and carry on that courage and commitment.”

Helping guide all of its future voyages and missions is a personal and treasured item from the Inouye family ― a 100-year-old Japanese language Bible, which belonged to the late senator’s mother.

“He grew up during the Depression and it helped them through troubled times and we saw this as a way to hopefully give something of him that would help the ship and their crew through troubled times,” Inouye said.

Before docking at Pearl Harbor, the warship sailed through the islands as part of the “Honoring the Islands” tour — stopping in Hilo Bay, Kahului Bay and Nawiliwili Bay.

Organizers said the tour paid tribute to the memory and legacy of Inouye and his lengthy career of service to the people of Hawaii.

Along with being a politician, Inouye was also a serviceman. Among his numerous accolades, he has been awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Italy in World War II.

Inouye died in 2012. The future USS Daniel Inouye is scheduled to be commissioned on Dec. 8, a day after the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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