USS Halsey (DDG-97)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Halsey.

USS Halsey (DDG-97) is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight IIA) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the second ship to be named after Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr.

USS Halsey (DDG-97)

USS Halsey at Pearl Harbor on 14 February 2013
History
United States
Name	Halsey
Namesake	William Halsey, Jr.
Ordered	6 March 1998
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi
Laid down	13 January 2002
Launched	9 January 2004
Commissioned	30 July 2005
Homeport	Naval Station San Diego
Identification	MMSI number: 369970407 Callsign: NBUL Hull number: DDG-97
Motto	Hit Hard Hit Fast Hit Often
Honours & awards	See Awards
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class & type	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement	9,300 tons
Length	509 ft 6 in (155.30 m)
Beam	66 ft (20 m)
Draft	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75 MW)
Speed	30+ knots (55+ km/h)
Complement	257 officers and enlisted
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasures Mk 36 Mod 12 decoy launching systems Mk 53 Nulka decoy launching systems Mk 59 decoy launching systems[1]
Armament	Guns: 1 × 5-inch (127 mm)/62 Mk 45 Mod 4 (lightweight gun) 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Phalanx CIWS 2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 machine gun system 4 × 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) caliber guns Missiles: 1 × 32-cell, 1 × 64-cell (96 total cells) Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS): RIM-66M surface-to-air missile RIM-156 surface-to-air missile RIM-174A standard ERAM RIM-161 anti-ballistic missile RIM-162 ESSM (quad-packed) BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile RUM-139 vertical launch ASROC Torpedoes: 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes: Mark 46 lightweight torpedo Mark 50 lightweight torpedo Mark 54 lightweight torpedo
Aircraft carried	2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

Construction

Built in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the ship and crew were completely certified and "surge ready" 17 January 2006, nearly a year faster than previous DDGs.^[2]

Operational history

USS Halsey at her commissioning ceremony in 2005.

USS Halsey transiting through the Pacific Ocean in August 2007.

Halsey departed for her maiden deployment 6 August 2006 under her second commanding officer, Commander Pinckney.^[3] 2 November 2006 Halsey visited Kagoshima, 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 and taking part in ANNUALEX.^[4][5]

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.^[6] Commander Paul J. Schlise took command of Halsey March 2007.^[7]

Commander Robert Beauchamp took command of Halsey on 17 August 2008.^[8]

Halsey departed Naval Base San Diego for her second deployment on 4 May 2008 for a deployment to the Persian Gulf. After six months and numerous port visits Halsey returned home to San Diego on 3 November 2008.^[9]

Halsey, homeported in San Diego, was part of USS Peleliu 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.^[8]

On 25 January 2013 Halsey performed a hull swap with USS Russell and arrived at her new homeport, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam on 14 February 2013.^[10]

Awards

• Navy Unit Commendation - (Sep 2010-Mar 2011)
• Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - (Nov 2011-May 2012)
• Navy E Ribbon - (2011)

Namesake

Halsey is named in honor of Fleet Admiral William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. Halsey was commissioned 30 July 2005 at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, California, under commanding officer Commander James L. Autrey.^[11][12]

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).^[13]