Carrier Strike Group 15

Carrier Strike Group 15, (CSG-15 or CARSTRKGRU 15, and sometimes spelled out, viz. "Fifteen") is a training formation of the United States Navy. It trains and certifies Pacific Fleet Carrier Strike Groups, Amphibious Ready Groups, and independently deploying surface ships. It replaced Commander, Strike Force Training Pacific in a title change. Carrier Strike Group Four is the equivalent command for US Fleet Forces (Atlantic Fleet) ships.

The group was one of fourteen U.S. Navy carrier strike groups established on 1 October 2004. Carrier strike groups are employed in a variety of roles, all of which involve gaining and maintaining sea control.

The group was established as Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 circa 1973. It was redesignated Carrier Strike Group 15 in 2004 but then soon afterwards disbanded. Carrier Strike Group 15 was briefly based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in 2004, prior to changing its homeport to Naval Air Station North Island, California, in 2005, with the Nimitz class aircraft carrier assigned as its flagship. It was then disbanded, but reestablished as a training formation in 2014.

Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1

In 1978, Norman Polmar writes that Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1, with its staff and all its subordinate units at San Diego, consisted of Destroyer Squadron 5, Destroyer Squadron 13, and Destroyer Squadron 23. Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 led Battle Group Sierra to the Middle East in 1987. The Group consisted of , USS ''Bunker Hill'', , , USS ''Curts'' (FFG-38), and USS ''Kansas City'' (AOR-3). While part of the Third Fleet, Battle Group Sierra was designated Task Group 30.7, which changed to TG 70.10 when en route to the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

Rear Admiral J. Paul Reason commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 from 1988 to November 1990, also commanding Battle Group Romeo during that period. Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 was led by ''Constellation'' for its November 1994–1995 'Westpac '95' cruise. Effective 1 October 1995, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1/USS ''Constellation'' Battle Group was to include: USS ''Lake Erie'' and USS ''Chosin''. (Globalsecurity.org). Then Rear Admiral Barry M. Costello became Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 in June 2002. For ''Constellation''s final cruise in 2002, Destroyer Squadron 7 provided the screen, being made up of ''Bunker Hill,'' ''Benfold'', ''Valley Forge'', ''Howard'', ''Kinkaid'', ''Milius'', , USS ''Higgins'', and USS ''Thach''.

''Constellation''s 20th deployment began on 16 March 2001. She entered the Persian Gulf on 30 April and immediately commenced operations in support of OSW. On 13 May, CAPT John W. Miller assumed command as ''Connie's'' 30th skipper, and her last. She ceased OSW operations on 4 August, having conducted multiple air strikes in response to Iraqi violations of the no-fly zone. ''"Connie"'' departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 9 September with dependents on board for the traditional Tiger Cruise on the final leg to San Diego. On 11 September ''Constellation'' was nearly halfway between Pearl Harbor and San Diego when word was received of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Despite discussions about turning the battle group around, the carrier was allowed to complete her regularly scheduled deployment. ''Connie'' arrived in San Diego on Friday 14 September and celebrated her 40th birthday the next month.

Following an abbreviated turnaround cycle, ''Constellation'' prepared for her final deployment. She departed on 2 November 2002, leading Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 under the command of Rear Admiral Barry M. Costello. She was soon supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; on 17 December she entered the Persian Gulf to begin OSW missions. On 19 March 2003, with two carriers in the eastern Mediterranean and three in the Persian Gulf, Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced. ''Connie'' was designated a night carrier and remained on station throughout the major ground combat phase. She launched more than 1,500 sorties and CVW-2 aircraft delivered over 1.7 million pounds (770,000 kg) of ordnance. While one aircraft was lost in an operational mishap, there were no fatalities.

Before 2004 (2003?), Cruiser-Destroyer Group One included USS ''Constellation'', USS ''Bunker Hill'', and USS ''Lake Erie''.

South American transit 2004

On 27 May 2004, the carrier ''Ronald Reagan'' departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, to move to her new homeport of Naval Air Station North Island, California. While the homeport change cruise was underway, many U.S. Navy aircraft carriers were active simultaneously, an occurrence grouped by the Navy as ' Exercise Summer Pulse'. Rear Admiral Robert T. Moeller, Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group One (CCDG-1), and his group staff, led the deployment. Admiral Moeller oversaw all the training exercises and the transit of ''Reagan'' to San Diego. The following squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eleven

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