Retired Vice Adm. Henry C. Mustin passed away April 11 from congestive heart failure at age 82. The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, will hold funeral services at the Academy Chapel to honor Mustin and his 34-year service to the Navy.

A fifth generation naval officer, Mustin commissioned as an ensign from the Naval Academy June 3, 1955.

"From as far back as the 1800s, the Mustin family name has been synonymous with a legacy of service in our Navy," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) is named for the Mustin family.

The Vietnam veteran served with the Delta River Patrol Group as flag lieutenant to the commander-in-chief Pacific and later as a destroyerman serving at sea both in the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets.

"His forward-leaning approach to warfighting was instrumental in the development of numerous shipboard and weapons technologies," Richardson said. "Vice Adm. Mustin took strong hold of the naval legacy passed to him by both his father and grandfather, cementing into history a continued family drive for ingenuity and service to country."

Some of those naval developments and fleet introductions include the Tomahawk cruise missile, Standard missile (SM-2), LAMPS helicopters and the Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided-missile cruisers. He was also instrumental in the initial requirements for Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

Mustin directed all U.S. Navy arms control planning, including negotiations with the Soviet Union and led high level U.S. interagency delegations to Moscow; London; Paris; Lisbon, Portugal; Oslo, Norway; and Seoul, Republic of Korea. He also served as the senior U.S. military representative to the United Nations.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Lucy, the entire Mustin family and the countless shipmates that mourn his loss," Richardson said. "He will be greatly missed."

Mustin retired from the Navy in 1989. His decorations include two Distinguished Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, three Bronze Stars with Combat "V," Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Gold Star and Combat "V," Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal With Combat "V," Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, two Navy Unit Commendations, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, many campaign and service medals, and numerous foreign decorations and awards, including the Vietnamese Medal of Honor and Gallantry Cross with Palm.