USS ''Halsey'' (DDG-97) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight IIA)

Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

in 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 ...

. She is the second ship to be named after Fleet Admiral

William Halsey Jr William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (30 October 1882 – 16 August 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others be ...

Construction

Built in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

, the ship and crew were completely certified and "surge ready" 17 January 2006, nearly a year faster than previous DDGs.

Operational history

''Halsey'' departed for her maiden deployment 6 August 2006 under her second commanding officer, Commander Pinckney. 2 November 2006 ''Halsey'' visited

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

, Japan. That night, after a party for visiting local Japanese dignitaries, during which on-duty crew were drinking, there was a fire which damaged one of the main reduction gears. ''Halsey'' returned 24 December 2006, having worked with the ''Kitty Hawk''

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 ...

and taking part in ANNUALEX. An incomplete report was filed and months later another fire and explosion brought to light the extent of the first fire. The ship's commander was relieved and the damage to the ship was $8.5 million. Commander

Paul J. Schlise Paul J. Schlise (born 1966) is a retired Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral in the United States Navy. Personal life Schlise is originally from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He received a civilian education at Marquette University, earning a b ...

took command of ''Halsey'' March 2007. Commander Robert Beauchamp took command of ''Halsey'' on 17 August 2008. ''Halsey'' departed

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 ...

for her second deployment on 4 May 2008 for a deployment 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 ...

. After six months and numerous port visits ''Halsey'' returned home to San Diego on 3 November 2008. ''Halsey'', homeported in San Diego, was part of Expeditionary Strike Group assigned to deploy to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to conduct maritime security operations (MSO). MSO help develop security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and global prosperity. These operations complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. On 25 January 2013 ''Halsey'' performed a hull swap with and arrived at her new homeport,

Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is Joint Base, an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy's Naval Station Pearl ...

on 14 February 2013.

Awards

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

- (Sep 2010-Mar 2011) *

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

- (Nov 2011-May 2012) *

Navy E Ribbon A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

- (2011)

Namesake

''Halsey'' is named in honor of

Fleet Admiral An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. ''Halsey'' was commissioned 30 July 2005 at

Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

, under commanding officer Commander James L. Autrey.

In popular culture

In the fall of 2012, USS ''Halsey'' served as a filming location for the TNT television series ''The Last Ship'' and its setting, USS ''Nathan James'' (DDG-151).

References

External links

Official ship's site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey (DDG-97) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 2004 ships