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Destroyer Squadron 26 (DESRON 26) is a
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
squadron 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 was first created in 1950. It has seen action in the Korean War, service in the Atlantic, in the Vietnam War. From 1974 for a period it became the 'Mod Squad', trialling ships commanded by officers one rank junior to the usual appointment rank.


Composition

As of July 2020 the squadron comprises: * Squadron Headquarters, at
Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...
* * * * *


History

In 1950, four general purpose destroyers were grouped into Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Six, which saw combat action 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 ...
until 1952. Following the end of the Korean War, the squadron departed the Pacific for a new homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. By 1957 Destroyer Squadron 26 consisted of two divisions Destroyer Division 261 and Destroyer Division 262. Destroyer Division 262 consisted of four ships; the destroyers USS ''Corry'' (DDR-817), USS ''C. P. Cecil'' (DDR-835), USS ''Stickell'' (DDR-888), and USS ''O'Hare'' (DDR-889). On February 6, 1961 I went aboard the day she returned to D&S Piers Norfolk from a Med Cruise. Corry was in DESRON 26, DESDIV 262. Commander H.W. Hiller was the CO and LCDR Crevier was XO.' In July 1964, Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-SIX became one of the Navy's three all guided missile squadrons consisting of six modern and versatile destroyers. The squadron also saw combat action off Vietnam with the
US Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...
from 1964 to 1970. From 1971 to 1974, Destroyer Squadron 26 was selected by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral
Elmo Zumwalt Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. (November 29, 1920 – January 2, 2000) was a United States Navy officer and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an Admiral (United States), admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Opera ...
, to evaluate a new manning concept in which ships would be manned and commanded by outstanding officers one rank junior to those normally assigned. This "Mod Squad," as it was nicknamed, initiated the "Go Navy" cruise recruiting program with 626 prospective recruits embarked in the squadron's ships conducting operations off Newport, Rhode Island. On 1 January 1971, joined the squadron. Since 1974, Destroyer Squadron 26 has participated in the first Anti-Air Warfare Training Ship Program, the first Atlantic Fleet Open Ocean Mobile Sea Range Operation,
Operation Sail Operation Sail refers to a series of sailing events held to celebrate special occasions and features sailing vessels from around the world. Each event is coordinated by Operation Sail, Inc., a non-profit organization established in 1961 by U.S. Pr ...
("Review of the Tall Ships"), and the 1976 NATO Firepower Demonstration, operating with the
United States Second Fleet The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for operations in the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. Established after World War II, Second Fleet was deactivated in 2011, when the United States gov ...
. In April 1978, Destroyer Squadrons in the Atlantic were reorganized and Destroyer Squadron 26 was designated a tactical squadron. As such, it was responsible for the "at-sea" training and operations of destroyers and frigates during exercises and deployments, while administrative responsibilities were assigned to readiness squadrons who remained in homeport. In September 1995, as a result of the reorganization of
Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic The Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT) is the Surface Force Type Commander (TYCOM) under the United States Fleet Forces Command. As Naval Surface Force Atlantic, it is a military formation, and the organization is often k ...
, destroyer squadrons became permanent Immediate Superior In Command (ISIC) to all destroyers and frigates. This reorganization replaced all tactical destroyer squadrons and readiness squadrons and combined the duties and responsibilities of the two into the new destroyer squadron. was under command of (tactical) Destroyer Squadron 26 in 1993, 1994 and 1995, while administratively part of
Destroyer Squadron 2 Destroyer Squadron 2 is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. It is administratively part of Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic. . Destroyer Squadron 2 is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Twelve. , the following destroyers are assi ...
. From August 31, 1995, in accordance with the reorganization, Destroyer Squadron 26 was to oversee the combat readiness of four ships, , , , and . In July 1996 the squadron deployed with the Battle Group, completing a highly successful Black Sea visit. During the visit it made port visits to
Varna, Bulgaria Varna (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, t ...
; Constanta, Romania; and
Odessa, Ukraine Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
. By the end of the deployment, DESRON 26 ships had participated in 13 major exercises. DESRON 26 crew members participated in community relations projects such as painting, electrical and mechanical repairs and lawn work. When visiting high school students, "...Sailors shared stories about growing up in America." In 2005 the squadron was made up of , , , and . Squadron duties also include the stewardship and oversight of training, material readiness, maintenance, and the personnel of the assigned ships. In 2010–11, whether deployed or in homeport (Norfolk, VA), DESRON 26 reported administratively and operationally to Commander
Carrier Strike Group Ten Carrier Strike Group 10 (abbreviated as CSG-10 or CARSTRKGRU 10), is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. , CSG-10 consists of , the strike group's current flagship, with Carrier Air Wing Seven embarked on board, as well as the , and four ships of ...
. In 2012, and ''Mitscher'' were detached from
Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22, often abbreviated as DESRON 22, is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Two Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2 or COMCARSTRKGRU 2) is a U.S. Navy carrier s ...
to Destroyer Squadron 26 for the UK's Joint Warrior 12-2 exercise.


Activities from 2010

In 2013 Destroyer Squadron 26's mission was officially described as to conduct underway operations and exercise tactical control of destroyers, frigates, submarines, and aircraft during peace and wartime operations. When deployed as part of a
carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer Squadron (naval), squad ...
, the squadron commander serves as Alternate Composite Warfare Commander (CWC) and Sea Combat Commander (SCC). The SCC is responsible for performing numerous roles within the Strike Group, including Undersea Warfare Commander, Surface Warfare Commander, Submarine Operations Coordinating Authority, Maritime Interception Operations Commander, and Screen Coordinator. During underway operations separate from the carrier strike group, the squadron commander may also serve as a Joint or naval Task Group Commander. Squadron duties also include the stewardship and oversight of training, material readiness, maintenance, and the personnel of the assigned ships. Whether deployed or in its homeport,
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, the squadron reports administratively and operationally to Commander Carrier Strike Group Ten. As of 2016, Destroyer Squadron 26 consisted of the s , , , , , and . On 14 March 2014, US warships under Destroyer Squadron 26 set sail for
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
to participate
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
exercise Joint Warrior 14–2, a semi-annual United Kingdom-led training exercise designed to prepare NATO and allied forces for global operations. Joint Warrior 14-2 will involve air, naval, and ground forces from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.


Commanders

Commanders of the squadron include: * June 2013 – 2015 Captain Brian Fort * 2015–2018 Captain William S. Switzer * 2018–2019 Captain Chris H. Innskeep * 2019–2020 Captain William K. Shafley *2020-2021 Captain Zoah Scheneman *2021–2022 Captain Frank Brandon *2022-present Captain Stephen Aldridge


References

{{Reflist, 30em Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in 1950