Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2016 U.S. Naval Institute / www.usni.org U.S. BATTLE FORCE CHANGES 1 JANUARY–31 DECEMBER 2015 Compiled by Lieutenant Jim Dolbow, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve COMMISSIONING/CONSTRUCTION/NAMING OF U.S. NAVY 14 Apr Richard Dixon Delivered and placed in AND COAST GUARD SHIPS (WPC-1113) Commission, Special. Date Name (Hull No.) Comments 17 Apr St. Louis (LCS-19) Name announced. 9 Jan Hyman Rickover Name announced. 2 May John Finn (DDG-113) Christened. (SSN-795) 9 May Brunswick (T-EPF-6) Christened. 10 Jan Trenton (T-EPF-5) Christened. 16 May Indiana (SSN-789) Keel laid at Newport 15 Jan Isaac Mayo Delivered and placed in News Shipbuilding. (WPC-1112) Commission, Special. 19 May Brunswick (T-EPF-6) Launched. 24 Jan William Trump Placed in Commission, 24 May New Jersey (SSN-796) Name announced. (WPC-1111) Full at Key West, FL. Homeported at Key West, 5 Jun James (WMSL-754) Delivered and placed in FL. Commission, Special. 7 Feb Lewis B. Fuller Christened. 13 Jun Gabrielle Giffords Christened. (T-ESB-3) (LCS-10) 9 Feb Wichita (LCS-13) Keel laid at Fincantieri 20 Jun Richard Dixon Placed in Commission, Marinette Marine, (WPC-1113) Full at Tampa, FL. Marinette, WI. Homeported at San Juan, PR. 18 Feb Omaha (LCS-12) Keel laid at Austal USA, Mobile, AL. 25 Jun John Warner Delivered and placed in (SSN-785) Commission, Special. 20 Feb Joseph Gerczak Names announced. (WPC-1126), Richard 18 Jul Little Rock (LCS-9) Christened. T. Snyder (WPC- 19 Jul Cincinnati (LCS-20) Name announced. 1127), Nathan 20 Jul Kansas City (LCS-22) Name announced. Bruckenthal (WPC- 21 Jul Delbert D. Black Start of fabrication 1128), Forrest O. (DDG-119) at Huntington Ingalls Rednour (WPC-1129), Shipbuilding. Robert G. Ward (WPC-1130), Terrell 25 Jul Cooperstown Name announced. Horne III (WPC- (LCS-23) 1131), Benjamin A. 30 Jul Heriberto Hernandez Delivered and placed in Bottoms (WPC-1132), (WPC-1114) Commission, Special. Joseph O. Doyle 1 Aug John Warner Placed in Commission, (WPC-1133), William (SSN-785) Full at Norfolk, VA. C. Hart (WPC-1134), Homeported at Norfolk, and Oliver F. Berry VA . (WPC-1135). 8 Aug James (WMSL-754) Placed in Commission, 25 Feb Gabrielle Giffords Launched at Austal USA, Full at Boston, MA. (LCS-10) Mobile, AL. Homeported at 7 Mar Colorado (SSN-788) Keel laid at General Charleston, SC. Dynamics Electric Boat. 11 Aug Jackson (LCS-6) Delivered and placed in 13 Mar Delbert D. Black Name announced. Commission, Special. (DDG-119) 19 Aug Oakland (LCS-24) Name announced. 21 Mar John P. Murtha Christened. 22 Aug John F. Kennedy Keel laid at Newport (LPD-26) (CVN-79) News Shipbuilding. 28 Mar John Finn (DDG-113) Launched at Huntington 22 Aug Idaho (SSN-799) Name announced. Ingalls Shipbuilding. 2 Sep Iowa (SSN-797) Name announced. 28 Mar Isaac Mayo Placed in Commission, (WPC-1112) Full at Key West, FL. 2 Sep Montana (SSN-794) Name announced. Homeported at Key West. 3 Sep Minneapolis/St. Paul Name announced. 31 Mar Midgett (WMSL-757) Contract awarded to (LCS-21) Huntington Ingalls 12 Sep Munro (WMSL-755) Launched at Huntington Industries. Ingalls Shipbuilding. 15 Sep Tulsa (LCS-16) Name announced. 100 • May 2016 www.usni.org Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2016 U.S. Naval Institute / www.usni.org 16 Sep City of Bismarck Name announced. In Commission, Full – The date on which the commissioning (T-EPF-9) ceremony was performed and the ship was fully received into 16 Sep Wichita (LCS-13) Name announced. the Fleet. 23 Sep R/V Neil Armstrong Delivered to the U.S. In the case of the Coast Guard, ships are placed in full (T-AGOR-27) Navy and placed in commission after they reach their homeports. This event service. depends on the District Headquarters, the commanding officer of the ship, and the weather. 10 Oct Illinois (SSN-786) Christened. 14 Oct Hershel Woody Construction started Williams (T-ESB-4) at General Dynamics SHIPS DELIVERED TO THE MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND NASSCO in San Diego, (MSC) AND PLACED IN SERVICE CA. Date Name (Hull No.) Comments 16 Oct Milwaukee (LCS-5) Delivered and placed in 13 Apr Trenton (T-EPF-5) Delivered and placed in Commission, Special. service. 16 Oct Heriberto Hernandez Placed in Commission, 12 Jun Lewis B. Fuller Delivered and placed in (WPC-1114) Full at San Juan, PR. (T-ESB-3) service. Homeported at San Juan. 20 Oct Joseph Napier Delivered and placed in U.S. NAVAL SHIP DEPLOYMENTS/RETURNS (WPC-1115) Commission, Special. Date Name (Hull No.) Comments 20 Oct Paul Ignatius Keel authenticated at (DDG-117) Huntington Ingalls 7 Jan Leyte Gulf (CG-55) Returned from a six- Shipbuilding. month deployment to the 6th Fleet area of 31 Oct Rafael Peralta Christened. responsibility, where the (DDG-115) ship assumed duties as 2 Nov Billings (LCS-15) Keel laid at Fincantieri Standing NATO Maritime Marinette Marine in Group (SNMG) 2 Marinette, WI. flagship. 8 Nov Massachusetts Name announced. 10 Jan James E. Williams Returned from an eight- (SSN-798) (DDG-95) month deployment to 14 Nov Munro (WMSL-755) Christened. the 6th Fleet area of responsibility. 16 Nov Thomas Hudner Keel laid at General (DDG-116) Dynamics Bath Iron 10 Jan Mahan (DDG-72) Returned from a five- Works. month deployment to the 5th Fleet area of 20 Nov Omaha (LCS-12) Launched at Austal USA responsibility. in Mobile, AL. 10 Jan Bonhomme Richard Departed on a three- 21 Nov Milwaukee (LCS-5) Placed in Commission, (LHD-6) month deployment Full at Milwaukee, WI. to the 7th Fleet area Homeported at San Diego, of responsibility. CA. Accompanied by Ashland 5 Dec Jackson (LCS-6) Placed in Commission, (LSD-48) and Green Bay Full at Gulfport, MS. (LPD-20). Homeported at San Diego, 11 Jan Mahan (DDG-72) Returned from a five- CA. month deployment to the 12 Dec Ralph Johnson Launched at Huntington 5th and 6th Fleet areas of (DDG-114) Ingalls Shipbuilding. responsibility. 19 Dec Omaha (LCS-12) Christened. 11 Jan Kauffman (FFG-59) Departed on the ship’s 23 Dec Winslow Griesser Delivered and placed in final deployment to (WPC-1116) Commission, Special. the 4th Fleet area of Notes: In Commission, Special – Official date of responsibility. commissioning and when the ship enters the force-level 16 Jan Cape St. George Returned from a seven- structure. This is also the date the ship is delivered by the (CG-71) month deployment to builder to the Navy and the ship’s birthday. This status was the 7th Fleet area of created to legally ferry the ship in question from her builder’s responsibility. yard to the site where the official commissioning ceremony is to be performed if it is at a location other than where the ship was built. www.usni.org PROCEEDINGS • 101 Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2016 U.S. Naval Institute / www.usni.org US NAVY (THOR LARSON) US NAVY In 2015, the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) completed a three-month deployment to the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. Here, a U.S. Marine MV-22B Osprey with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit takes off on 10 March 2016 during a combined amphibious exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps, Australian Army, and Royal New Zealan Army Forces. 16 Jan Boise (SSN-764) Returned from a 3 Feb La Jolla (SSN-701) Arrived at the Norfolk deployment to the 5th, Naval Shipyard to begin 6th, and 7th Fleet areas of conversion to a Moored responsibility. Training Ship (MTS). 16 Jan Sherman (WHEC-720) Departed San Diego, CA, 8 Feb Alex Haley Returned from a 70-day for her new home port in (WMEC-39) deployment to the Bering Honolulu, HI, to replace Sea and Aleutian Islands. the decommissioned Rush 9 Feb San Francisco Returned from a seven- (WHEC-723). (SSN-711) month deployment to the 24 Jan California (SSN-781) Returned from her Western Pacific region. maiden deployment to 13 Feb Laboon (DDG-58) Deployed to conduct the 6th Fleet area of ballistic-missile defense responsibility. operations in the 6th Fleet 26 Jan Green Bay (LPD-20) Departed San Diego, CA, area of responsibility. for Sasebo, Japan, to join 14 Feb Paul Hamilton Departed for an the 7th Fleet’s Forward- (DDG-60) independent deployment Deployed Naval Forces. to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific Ocean. 30 Jan Independence (LCS-2) Departed San Diego, CA, 19 Feb Green Bay (LPD-20) Arrived in Sasebo, Japan, for Naval Air Station after transiting the Pacific Pensacola, FL, to conduct Ocean from her former operational evaluation home port of San Diego, and testing of the mine- CA. countermeasures mission package. 102 • May 2016 www.usni.org Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2016 U.S. Naval Institute / www.usni.org 20 Feb Kanawha (T-AO-196) Returned from a three- 13 Mar Cole (DDG-67) Returned from a seven- month deployment to month deployment to the 6th Fleet area of the 6th Fleet area of responsibility. responsibility. 25 Feb Makin Island (LHD-8) Returned from a seven- 24 Mar Preble (DDG-88) Departed on an month deployment to independent deployment the 5th and 7th Fleet to the Western Pacific areas of responsibility. Ocean. Accompanied by 27 Mar Porter (DDG-78) Departed Norfolk Naval Comstock (LSD-45) and Station for the last time San Diego (LPD-22). before being forward- 25 Feb Olympia (SSN-717) Returned from a six- deployed to Rota, Spain. month deployment to the 27 Mar Anzio (CG-68) Departed to participate Western Pacific. in Exercise Joint Warrior 8 Mar Alert (WMEC-630) Returned from a 61-day (JW) 15-1 off the coast of counternarcotics mission Scotland.