Destroyer Squadron ONE, also known as ''Destroyer Squadron 1'' and often abbreviated at '' DESRON ONE'' or ''DESRON 1'', is a squadron of

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group One and is administratively responsible to

Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific The Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific (COMNAVSURFPAC) is the type commander for the Surface Force under the United States Pacific Fleet. The COMNAVSURFPAC is also the Commander, Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFOR) and the Commander, Surf ...

. The Squadron's combat mission is to support the Operational Commander (currently Carrier Strike Group One) in achieving optimum combat readiness for his ships and to ensure adherence to Type Commander requirements. As such, Commander, Destroyer Squadron One (COMDESRON-1) conducts continuous, extensive liaison and coordination with the assigned Operational Commander. In addition to operations in the

U.S. Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering S ...

, the squadron's ships have deployed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

as part of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, to the Western Pacific as part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, and regularly support

Joint Task Force North Joint Task Force North (JTF North), formerly Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6), is a multi-service operation by the United States Department of Defense for counterdrug and anti-terrorist operations. JTF-North is headquartered at Biggs Army Airfie ...

counter-drug operations in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

, as well as other fleet commitments.

Composition

The current composition of the squadron includes: * Squadron Headquarters, at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego is a United States Navy base in San Diego, California. It is the world's second largest surface ship naval base. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the United States Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships ...

* USS Hopper (DDG-70) * USS Kidd (DDG-100) * USS Sterett (DDG-104) * USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110)

Mission

The Commander, Destroyer Squadron ONE is to direct, oversee and assist the ships of the squadron in achieving and maintaining the highest level of material, operational and personnel readiness. When required, he shall exercise command over ships assigned for naval operations in order to achieve sea and air control in pursuit of national objectives. Function as Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC), for assigned ships and prepare them for sustained combat operations at sea. Prepare ships for assignment to operational commanders as directed by Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific Fleet and Commander Third Fleet. Maintain ISIC responsibilities throughout the life cycle of the ship, regardless of location or operational control, except in circumstances where otherwise directed. Provide administrative and material support that will include, but not be limited to: personnel support, OMBUDSMAN program support, ship's restricted availability (SRA), Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) and other maintenance availability planning and administrative assistance.

Operational history

Destroyer Squadron One was initially listed in the U.S. Navy's order of battle in the ''Navy Directories'' of 1919, but disappeared from the Naval Register in 1927. In 1937, Destroyer Squadron Twenty (DESRON-20) was re-designated as Destroyer Squadron One.

World War Two

Destroyer Squadron One was present during the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

on 7 December 1941. DESRON-1 destroyers served as part of Task Force 11 in the aborted relief efforts for

Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...

and

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

, as well as seeing action during the Battle of Coral Sea. DESRON-1 destroyers subsequently saw further action during the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

and the

Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and in Japanese sources as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea) took place on 24–25 August 1942 and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campa ...

as part of

Task Force 16 Task Force 16 (TF 16) was one of the most storied task forces in the United States Navy, a major participant in a number of the most important battles of the Pacific War. In July 1941, drew the assignment of ferrying army aircraft to Iceland be ...

. DESRON-1 destroyers subsequently provided shore bombardment as Fire-Support Group Love and anti-submarine/anti-aircraft support as Air Support Group 1 to the initial phase of the

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

, and Destroyer Squadron One saw action during the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, the invasion of Attu, and the invasion of Kiska during the

Aleutian Islands campaign The Aleutian Islands campaign () was a military campaign fought between 3 June 1942 and 15 August 1943 on and around the Aleutian Islands in the American theater (World War II), American Theater of World War II during the Pacific War. It was t ...

. In September 1943, the squadron returned to the West Coast for overhaul. With Guadalcanal and the Aleutians secured, the U.S. Navy began its Central Pacific offensive with the

Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign was a series of engagements fought from August 1942 to February 1944, in the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Empire of Japan, Japan. They were the first battl ...

undertaken between November 1943 and February 1944. DESRON-1 destroyers , , and screened the escort carrier task group during the

invasion of Tarawa The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal r ...

while and screened the shore bombardment task group during the assault on Makin Island. and served as control ships for the assault craft. Subsequently, DESRON-1 destroyers ''Farragut'', , and ''Monaghan'' screened the escort carrier force while ''Macdonough'' and ''Aylwin'' escorted the amphibious transport force during the landings on Kwajalein. Also, ''Dewey'' and ''Hull'' provided support to the amphibious reserve force, and ''Phelps'' supported mine-sweeping operations and Marine landings on

Roi-Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today, the island is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and character ...

. ''Macdonough'', ''Monaghan'', and ''Aylwin'' provided shore bombardment support to the amphibious landings on Parry Island. Following the conclusion of the Gilbert and Marshall campaign, DESRON-1 destroyers screened Task Group 58.1 during carrier air strikes against

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...

Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...

Woleai Woleai (), also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, and located approximately west-northwest ...

, Truk, Satawan, and Ponape. DESRON-1 destroyers also provided naval gunfire support to the Hollandia invasion which initiated the

Western New Guinea campaign The Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Dutch East Indies KNIL, United States and Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases and positions in the northwest coastal areas of Netherlan ...

. The next objective of the Central Pacific offensive was the Mariana Islands campaign that occurred between June and November 1944. DESRON-1 destroyers screened Task Group 58.1 during this operation, while also carrying out individual ship assignments during the invasion. ''Dewey'', ''Hull'', and ''Macdonough'' supported minesweeping and underwater demolition pre-invasion operations at

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

while ''Farragut'', ''Dale'', ''Monaghan'', and ''Aylwin'' carried out patrol and shore bombardment duties. Later, Task Group 58.1 and Destroyer Squadron One saw combat action during the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

. In December 1944, while operating in support the Philippines Campaign, Task Force 38 was hit by a powerful typhoon, and DESRON-1 destroyers ''Monaghan'' and ''Hull'' were lost. In February 1945, DESRON-1 destroyers ''Dewey'', ''Farragut'', ''Dale'', and ''Aylwin'' screened the fleet logistic force supporting the invasion of Iwo Jima. On 1 March 1945, Destroyer Squadron One was re-designated as Destroyer Division 10 of Destroyer Squadron 5, and in this capacity, it participated in the invasion of Okinawa in April. DESRON 1's original nine destroyers earned a combined total 103

service stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

during the Asiatic-Pacific campaign, with 97 while attached to Destroyer Squadron 1.

Cold War

Destroyer Squadron One subsequently participated in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and the Taiwan Strait Patrols. Destroyer Squadron One was re-designated as Reserve Destroyer Squadron 27 (ResDesRon 27), established on January 13, 1958, which was subsequently re-designated Destroyer Squadron 27 (DesRon 27) in October 1970 and Surface Squadron 1 (SS-1) in March 1980 before being returned to its original designation of Destroyer Squadron One in October 1993.

Recent operations

Commander, Destroyer Squadron One (COMDESRON 1) was assigned as the Task Group Commander of the

Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) is a series of annual bilateral military exercises conducted by the United States Pacific Fleet, with several member nations of ASEAN in Southeast Asia. Currently, the navies of Bangladesh, ...

(CARAT) WESTPAC deployments to Southeast Asia from 2002-2007. CARAT is a rolling series of bilateral exercises conducted with the navies of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. The primary mission of these deployments is to enhance cooperative engagement and naval interoperability with the participating Southeast Asian countries. On 10 January 2011, two DESRON-1 guided-missile destroyers, ''Stockdale'' and ''Gridley'', and their embarked detachments from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49 (HSL-49) participated in a Passing Exercise ( PASSEX) with the JMSDF helicopter destroyer ''Kurama'' in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

. Later in the same day, ''Stockdale'' and ''Gridley'' participated in separate PASSEX maneuvers with units of the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and Amphibious warfare, amphibious operations. The South ...

. On 23 April 2011, the news media reported that the squadron's commodore, Captain Donald Hornbeck, was relieved of command by ''Carl Vinson'' strike group commander Rear Admiral Samuel Perez during an investigation into a possible improper relationship. At the time, the squadron was on a deployment to the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

DESRON ONE Commodores

;World War TwoRoscoe. ''U.S. Destroyer Operations in WW2'', p 539. ;Destroyer/Surface Squadron One

Notes

Sources

External links

* * * {{US Navy navbox, state=collapsed Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in the 1910s Military in San Diego