Later career and collision
In May of 1997, Arthur W. Radford received the first ever shipboard installation of the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor System which fully integrates advanced materials, structures, and manufacturing technologies with sensor technology, electromagnetics, and signature reduction to achieve improved warfighting capabilities.
At 11:34pm EST on 4 February of 1999, Arthur W. Radford was involved in a collision with the Saudi cargo ship Saudi Riyadh off the Virginia Capes. Prior to the collision, the destroyer had been circling a buoy to calibrate electronic warfare equipment approximately 25 miles east of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The bulbous bow of the cargo ship penetrated the starbord bow proximate to the forward 5"/54 gun mount of the destroyer to near the centerline of the ship, flooding a number of spaces including the forward 5"/54 gun mount magazine and powder rooms, and the sonar equipment room. Damage to the hull extended through to the port side of the destroyer. After the incident, the ship was four feet down at the bow. The only casualty was a USN sailor whose arm was broken.
Both Saudi Riyadh and Arthur W. Radford returned to Norfolk on their own power. Arthur W. Radford was drydocked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 25 February. The captain of the destroyer, Commander Daniel W. Chang, who had been in command approximately 100 days, received a punitive letter of reprimand for dereliction of duty.
The U.S. Navy maintained throughout the subsequent civil trial that its ship had the right-of-way in this incident and thus was not at fault. The Navy attempted to recover damages from the Saudi Riyadh's owners, but was limited by maritime law to the value of the Saudi ship and her cargo, approximately $9 million.
Following repairs to the ship costing some $34.5 million, USS Arthur W. Radford deployed twice more. Her last deployment was in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Arthur W. Radford was decommissioned in 2003 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 6 April 2004.
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