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Destroyer Squadron 2 is a
destroyer squadron A destroyer squadron is a Squadron (naval), naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be ...
of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. It is administratively part of
Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT) is a post within the United States Fleet Forces Command. As Naval Surface Force Atlantic, it is a military formation, but the organization is often known as SURFLANT. Its headquarters are a ...
. , the following destroyers are assigned to this squadron: , , , , , , . Destroyer Squadron 2 is assigned to
Carrier Strike Group 12 Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12 or CARSTRKGRU 12) is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpow ...
.


Interwar period

Following the end of World War I, the U.S. Navy possessed an unprecedented number of
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s, increased dramatically with the war emergency program ships of the and es – known collectively as " flush-deckers" that differed from previous destroyer types that had been distinguished by raised
forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
decks. Destroyer Squadron Two first appeared in the U.S. Fleet organization in the spring of 1919, assigned to the Atlantic Fleet with the
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
as its
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
. It comprised three destroyer
flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' (fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class ...
s, each composed of three six-ship divisions. The
U.S. 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 ...
organization of 1 August 1919 lists Destroyer Squadron Two as a
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
force, the squadron flag in the
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
. It consisted of Flotilla Ten, comprising Division 29 (six ships), Division 30 (three ships), and Division 31 (six ships), and Flotilla Eleven, comprising six six-ship divisions (22, 23, 35, 32, 33 and 34), nine of the latter's ships apparently under construction, with names not yet assigned, in that they are listed only by number; some did not have commanding officers ordered to them. The ships were in caretaker status, an arrangement that continued into the summer of 1920. By September 1920, when the term "squadron" came into its present usage, Squadron Two returned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet's Destroyer Force as part of Flotilla Three, and comprised three divisions (27, 40, and 41) of reserve destroyers. By New Year's Day 1921, Division 27 was assigned to operate in European waters, as were two ships from Division 40 (the rest remaining in reserve but with one ship—- actually assigned to Division 27), and three from Division 41 (the rest in reserve). A month later, however (1 February 1921), the assignment table still carries Squadron Two under Flotilla Three, but with only one division of five ships assigned (and one of them—- still building) and based at
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. Only three of the ships in that division, however, which was carried as being in reserve had been in that unit the previous month. The table of assignment of U.S. ships for 1 September 1922 carries only four active destroyer squadrons – Nine and Fourteen in the Atlantic Fleet and Eleven and Twelve in the Pacific—each squadron consisting of three six-ship divisions, with a flagship for each squadron. During 1922, DesRon 2's three divisions operated with 50-percent crews as a result of post-
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
budget reductions. At that same juncture, a second table of that date September 1922 set forth the "general plan for the organization of the United States Fleet when the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets are united for combined operations," including "the assignment of certain vessels not now in commission" lists Squadron Two as under Destroyer Squadrons, Scouting Force. Squadron Two in that ypotheticalorganization comprised Divisions Four, Five, and Six, each consisting of six ships, with a squadron leader. The unit was not homogenous, however, consisting of a mix of older destroyers such as and the flush-deckers of the War Emergency Program. The Table of Organization for the United States Fleet for 1 April 1931 reflected the reappearance of Destroyer Squadron Two as part of Destroyer Flotilla Two, Destroyers,
Battle Force The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This f ...
, as part of the organization mandated in General Order No. 211 of 10 December 1930. It also marks the appearance of four-ship, vice the six-ship, divisions that had existed through 1930. Squadron Two, the flag in , at that point consisted of three divisions of flush-deckers: Division Four, consisting of , , and ; Five: , , , and ; and Six: , , , and . On 1 August 1932, Division Six's four ships were placed in Rotating Reserve Squadron 20, the Battle Force's first rotating reserve commission pool at
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the eas ...
,
Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the ...
, replaced by , , and . By the following spring, the old Division Six that had been in rotating reserve became the new Division Four, while the rest of the squadron composition remained unchanged. became the new squadron flagship by 1 July 1933, relieved by the beginning of 1934 by while Squadron Two's three divisions went through Rotating Reserve Squadron 20 into the spring of 1935, with essentially sixteen ships rotating through the squadron during that time. Between 1933 and 1935, each of DesRon 2's divisions took a turn spending six months pierside with a caretaker crew. With fiscal constraints, the rotating reserve system permitted the Fleet to conserve scarce manpower while keeping its destroyers as prepared as possible. By October 1935, DesRon 2 gained another four-ship division, Division 19. Ships of DesRon 2 participated in training exercises in 1936, with ''Decatur'' and ''Roper'' joining the Battle Fleet on the west coast to participate in Fleet Landing Exercise (FLEX) No. 3 – part of a series of such evolutions carried out to develop amphibious warfare tactics. Destroyer Squadron Two was decommissioned at San Diego at the start of 1937 (with ''Roper'' and ''Decatur'' going to Squadron Ten), to be re-equipped with new s. By that point, DesRon 2's new ships represented the pinnacle of American destroyer design. Unlike previous destroyer organization, where the squadron flagship was a
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
to those that made up the squadron, the new squadron flagship would be a different class of ship from those that made up the divisions. Under the reorganization of the fleet announced by Secretary of the Navy
Claude A. Swanson Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befor ...
on 26 May 1937, effective 14 June 1937, Squadron Two, under Destroyer Flotilla One, Destroyers, Scouting Force, U.S. Fleet, would consist of Division Three and Division Four, each consisting of four ''Mahan''-class destroyers—DesDiv 3: , , , and ; and DesDiv 4: , , , and , with , leader of the new class of "
destroyer leader Destroyer leader (DL) was the United States Navy designation for large destroyers from 9 February 1951 through the early years of the Cold War. United States ships with hull classification symbol DL were officially frigates from 1 January 1955Blac ...
s," serving as squadron flagship. Soon thereafter, ships of the newly reconstituted Squadron Two participated in the intensive search for the famed aviator
Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
utnam her navigator Frederick J. Noonan, and their twin-engine
Lockheed 10-E The Lockheed Model 10 Electra is an American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. The type gained considerable fame as one was fl ...
Electra that had disappeared en route to
Howland Island Howland Island () is an uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia and is an unorganized, unincorporated ter ...
. On 4 July 1937, ''Lamson'' and ''Drayton'' from DesDiv 3 and ''Cushing'' from DesDiv 4 (severe vibrations in her port high-pressure turbine compelled ''Perkins'' to return to
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
for a tender availability) joined the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
, with Captain Jonathan S. Dowell, ComDesRon 2, assuming command of the search group. Despite six days of efforts, however, often hindered by heavy squalls, 143,242 miles flown by the carrier's scout planes, and 151,556 square miles searched, the group turned up nothing. As Captain Dowell summarized the search: "No sign nor any evidence of the Earhart plane was discovered." As the Fleet expanded as the world drifted toward war, inevitable changes occurred in fleet organization and employment while training proceeded during 1938 and 1939. At the start of 1940, Squadron Two still consisted of the flagship ''Porter'' and two divisions of four ''Mahan''-class ships that had equipped the squadron since it had been reconstituted in early 1937. When President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
retained the U.S. Fleet at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
, Hawaii, in the spring of 1940, following the conclusion of Fleet Problem XXI, Squadron Two's destroyers began operations from that base. Troubled world conditions led to a cancellation of the Fleet Problem (XXII) scheduled for 1941. Squadron composition again became homogenous during 1941 with nine s: (flagship), , , , and formed DesDiv 3, while , , and formed DesDiv 4. Originally operating in the Pacific, the ''Sims''-class ships that comprised Squadron Two were transferred to the Atlantic (the movements highly secret, with the ships' prominent black-shadowed white hull numbers, as well as the names in black letters at their sterns being painted out) beginning in the spring of 1941, basing upon
Argentia, Newfoundland Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which re ...
; Iceland;
Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...
;
Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...
, Maine; and
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. Initially, Squadron Two was assigned to Task Force 4 (1 April 1941), then to Task Force 1 (1 July 1941). That autumn, Squadron Two's ships escorted convoys in the
North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
, depth-charging suspected German
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
contacts.


Second World War

Soon after war engulfed the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, however, Squadron Two's ships returned to the Pacific in December 1941 with the first carrier deployed to the Pacific, , and operated with "The Mighty Y" in the Early Pacific Raids (February–March 1942), the
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...
(4–8 May 1942) (where ''Sims'' was lost), and the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...
(4–6 June 1942) (where ''Hammann'' was lost while screening salvage operations of ''Yorktown''). ''O'Brien'' succumbed to torpedo damage in the wake of the torpedoing of in September, while ''Walke'' was lost in November at the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
. The first year of combat in the Pacific had thinned Squadron Two down to five ships – ''Morris'', ''Anderson'', ''Hughes'', ''Mustin'' and ''Russell''. Since before World War II, the first two ships of the ten-ship ''Benham'' class had operated in the Pacific, attached to DesRon 6. Of those, was lost in the same action as ''Walke''. after a west coast overhaul in late 1943, joined DesRon 2 on her return to the war zone, bringing its strength back to six ships. Meanwhile, DesDiv 15—''Benham''-class destroyers , , and —had operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean with ''Wasp'' and, in June 1942, escorted her to the Pacific. ''Wilson'' fought at the
Battle of Savo Island The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , and colloquially among Allied Guadalcanal veterans as the Battle of the Five Sitting Ducks, was a naval battle of the Solomon Islands ca ...
in August 1942 and ''Sterett'' participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal in November, where she earned a Presidential Unit Citation. In the summer of 1943, while DesRon 2 was dispersed with ''Hughes'', ''Mustin'' and ''Morris'' operating in the Aleutian Islands, DesDiv 15—less ''Wilson''—under Commodore
Rodger W. Simpson Rodger Whitten Simpson (June 4, 1898 – December 10, 1964) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who distinguished himself during World War II. The frigate was named in his honor. Biography Simpson attended the University of Oregon for a ...
, formed Support Division A-2 in Commodore
Frederick Moosbrugger Frederick Moosbrugger (9 October 1900 – 1 October 1974) was an officer of the United States Navy eventually attaining the rank of vice admiral. He is best known for his service in World War II as a highly successful commander of destroyer squadr ...
's victory at the
Battle of Vella Gulf The was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6–7 August 1943 in Vella Gulf between Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of the Southwest Pacific. This engagement was t ...
. ''Ellet'', ''Lang'', ''Stack'', ''Sterett'' and ''Wilson'' joined DesRon 2 later in the war. In 1944, the five ''Sims''-class veterans were combined into DesDiv 3 of DesRon 2 while the veteran DesDiv 15 was reassigned as DesDiv 4. In 1943 and 1944 respectively, and were also transferred to the squadron from the Mediterranean where they, like (the 12th and last ship of the ''Sims'' class, lost in the Mediterranean), had served as squadron flagships. Although assigned to DesRon 2 in 1945, those two ships never operated with it as a unit. Beginning in late 1943, DesRon 2 participated in the
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign were a series of battles fought from August 1942 through February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first steps of the drive across the cent ...
, where ''Anderson'' was hit by shore battery fire. Invasions of the Marianas, western New Guinea, Palau and the Philippines followed. In 1945, the
Okinawa campaign The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
saw ''Anderson'', ''Hughes'', ''Morris'', ''Sterett'' and ''Wilson'' suffering
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
damage, with the squadron's historical files being lost in flagship ''Morris'' when she was hit by a kamikaze. The combined record of the ships of DesRon 2 included 145
battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
s (some earned while attached to other units) including ten or more stars for all ships that survived the war. More than 450 of the squadron's men had died, however, and 175 had been wounded. Scrapping disposed of ''Lang'', ''Sterett'', ''Russell'', ''Morris'' and ''Roe'' while ''Stack'', ''Wilson'', ''Hughes'', ''Anderson'', ''Mustin'' and ''Wainwright'' served as
targets ''Targets'' is a 1968 American crime thriller film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, produced by Roger Corman, and written by Polly Platt and Bogdanovich, with cinematography by László Kovács.Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster' ...
during
Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity in July 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the ...
, the Bikini atomic tests. There, while ''Anderson'' was sunk in Test Able on 1 July 1946, ''Stack'', ''Wilson'', ''Mustin'', ''Hughes'' and ''Wainwright'' survived both Tests Able and Baker. Scientists monitored the contaminated ships until 1948, when they were scuttled by gunfire—''Stack'', ''Wilson'', ''Mustin'' and ''Wainwright'' off
Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
in April and July, and ''Hughes'', the last surviving member of the squadron, near California's
Farallon Islands The Farallon Islands, or Farallones (from the Spanish ''farallón'' meaning "pillar" or "sea cliff"), are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. The island ...
in October.


Immediate postwar period

The post-World War II period was analogous to the post-World War I time, when the U.S. Navy's destroyer forces consisted of large numbers of wartime construction-program ships, at a time of demobilization. The ''Wickes'' and ''Clemson'' classes were to the 1917–1920 destroyer force what the ''Allen M. Sumner'' and ''Gearing'' classes were to the destroyer force of 1944–1946. In January 1946, DesRon 66 included (flagship), , , , , in Division 131; and the , , and , in Division 132. DesRon 66 was then redesignated as DesRon 2, composed of DesDivs 21 and 22, and ordered to the Atlantic, where it came under Destroyers, Second Fleet. DesRon 2's complement of 2,200-tonners remained constant through the summer of 1946, when was reassigned from the Pacific Fleet, replacing ''Strong'' in DesDiv 21. DesRon 2 conducted a cold weather cruise toward the end of that year (29 October-9 November 1946), departing
NS Argentia Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941 to 1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Provinces and territo ...
and steaming up the east coast of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, and then returning by way of the
Strait of Belle Isle The Strait of Belle Isle (; french: Détroit de Belle Isle ) is a waterway in eastern Canada that separates the Labrador Peninsula from the island of Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Location The strait is the northern o ...
, the
Gulf of St. Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of . ...
, and
Cabot Strait Cabot Strait (; french: détroit de Cabot, ) is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint L ...
. The operation, as Capt. Walter C. Ford, ComDesRon 2 (additionally ComDesDiv 21), noted later, "enabled the officers and men to become acquainted with a waterway which will be of great importance in any future war, both defensively and for convoy routing…" The ships encountered two severe storms, however, one with winds gusting up to 50 knots for 36 hours, the second with wind velocities of 56 knots that caused 60 degree rolls. Flagship Putnam incurred damage to the gunshield of Mt. 51. The ships assigned to DesRon 2 remained constant through the autumn of 1949, after which DesDiv 21 does not appear in the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Force, while DesDiv 22 remained intact at the start of 1950. Soon thereafter, however, DesRon 2 received a new group of ships, 2,425 tonners: six of the nine being classified as "destroyer escorts" (DDE). The new DesDiv 21 consisted of , , , and ; DesDiv 22 consisted of , , and . By 1 October 1950, ''Harwood'' was reassigned to DesDiv 22. Early in 1951, however, the composition of DesRon 2 changed again (to 2,200 tonners) with DesDiv 21 becoming a six-ship division that included four destroyers and two radar picket destroyers (DDR) by 1 February: , , , ''Strong'' (back for a second tour in DesRon 2) , and . DesDiv 22 was composed of , , and . Further changes, however, occurred in the summer of 1951. While DesDiv 21 remained largely unchanged, with ''Charles P. Cecil'' shifted to that unit but temporarily assigned to DesDiv 221 effective "about 20 August…", DesDiv 22 was reconstituted with , , and (the last-named ship carrying on the distinguished tradition of a former DesRon 2 flagship from the 1930s)


Korean War

With the onset of hostilities in Korea in 1950, Atlantic Fleet destroyers were deployed to the Far East to augment the Pacific Fleet's destroyer forces. DesRon 2's DesDiv 22 served between October 1950 and May 1951; DesDiv 21 between June and September 1952; only USS ''Charles P. Cecil'' did not deploy to the war zone, being temporarily assigned to DesDiv 22 from 21 when it deployed to Korea. DesRon 2's ships served with distinction both as a part of Task Forces (TF) 77 and 95, supporting shore bombardment, search and rescue, anti-submarine screening (Hunter/Killer Groups), picket duty, and air-control missions. Its ships also provided anti-submarine screening for the carriers of TF 77 conducting raids against North Korean hydroelectric power stations on the
Yalu River The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...
. Aircraft from the carriers , , , and took part in these massive raids in concert with U.S. Air Force planes. At the end of August 1952, ''Barton'' joined DesDiv 21 in a hunter-killer antisubmarine training exercise off the east coast of Japan before rejoining TF 77 on 15 September. The tour proved brief, however, for, on the evening of the 16th, the destroyer struck a floating mine, the explosion tearing a 15-foot by 25-foot hole in the starboard side, completely flooding the forward fireroom and killing five men and wounding seven of those on watch there. Fast and effective action by the repair parties kept ''Barton'' afloat and enabled her to reach
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
on 20 September where she made temporary repairs. ''Charles P. Cecil'', meanwhile, was returned to DesDiv 21 in the spring of 1953, but by the summer had been reassigned out of DesRon 2 entirely. DesRon 2's composition remained unchanged during 1954, with DesDiv 21 – ''Barton'' (flag), ''Soley'', and ''Strong'', joined by the radar picket destroyer , visiting
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, Natal, Union of South Africa (3–8 July), then
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
(10–12 July) before heading for South America, after a deployment with the 7th Fleet. The same four ships visited
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Brazil (22–25 July), then
Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...
(28–29 July) after which they proceeded to
Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
, Trinidad. Training exercises and Atlantic Fleet maneuvers out of Norfolk, generally operating in the Virginia capes area and the West Indies, followed as the composition of DesRon 2 remained constant during 1955 and into 1956. Hunter-killer antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training prepared the ships to return to the Mediterranean. The ships participated in a
North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
(NATO) Exercise Whipsaw, after which ''Barton'' and ''Soley'' steamed to
Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
, Egypt, to transit the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
and proceed into the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
for a routine six-week patrol with the
Middle East Force United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...
. On 29 October 1956, ''Barton'' and ''Soley'' started south from the vicinity of
Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...
, Iran, to leave the gulf, circumnavigate the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
, and retransit the Suez Canal. Hostilities broke out that same day between Israel and Egypt, however, over Egypt's nationalization of the canal - the
Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
. The war closed the waterway, and subsequent international military action prompted Egypt to block it with sunken ships. Meanwhile, ''Barton'' and ''Soley'' anchored in Sitrah Harbor, Bahrain, and stood by in case a need arose to evacuate Americans from the region. Operating from Bahrain, ''Barton'' spent the next two months anchored at night and conducting tactical and gunnery drills by day. Finally, on 12 December, the destroyer received orders directing her around the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
to Norfolk, where she tied up on 5 February 1957. DesRon 2 continued to operate with the same ships into 1958. Following a period of upkeep, ''Barton'' prepared to put to sea on 14 March, and soon thereafter she, along with USS ''William M. Wood'' received orders to escort the guided missile heavy cruiser as she carried President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
to Bermuda to confer with British Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as "Supermac", he ...
. ''Barton'' carried members of the press to the ceremony and stood guard with ''William M. Wood'' at the entrance to the harbor. The destroyer then conducted ASW patrol and spent time in Norfolk in upkeep before going into drydock in Newport News for hull repairs. ''Barton'' exited
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
on 1 July and set out for yet another Mediterranean cruise. After several weeks of training operations with NATO forces and other units of the 6th Fleet, ''Barton'' anchored in Port Said on the night of 20 September. The following day, she and ''Soley'' transited the Suez Canal together once again and then headed to the Persian Gulf for a month of operations with the
Iranian Navy , ''Daryādelān''"Seahearts" , patron = , motto = fa, راه ما، راه حسین است, ''Rāh-e ma, rāh-e hoseyn ast''"''Our Path, Is Hussain's Path''" , colors = , ...
. In November 1958, ''Barton'' (DesRon 2 flagship), along with ''Soley'' and ''John R. Pierce'', visited the Mediterranean, mooring briefly at
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
as well as at
Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
, Italy, where, while entering port, the oiler , accompanying DesRon 2 and the attack carrier , rescued an Italian fisherman from his boat suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage. ''
La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno ''La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno'' (lit. "Gazette of the South") is an Italian daily newspaper, founded in 1887 in Bari, Italy. It is one of the leading newspapers published in Southern Italy, with most of its readers living in Apulia and Basilicata ...
'',
Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
's provincial newspaper, published a laudatory article concerning the rescue. As the new year 1959 began, DesRon 2 was still operating under the operational control of Commander, 6th Fleet, with ''John R. Pierce'' and ''Soley'' having worked round-the-clock through Christmas of 1958 and New Year's Day of 1959, endeavoring to prevent the sinking of the Panamanian-flag tanker ''Mirador'' following an onboard explosion and fire at
Iskenderun Bay The Gulf of Alexandretta or İskenderun ( tr, İskenderun Körfezi) is a gulf of the eastern Mediterranean or Levantine Sea. It lies beside the southern Turkish provinces of Adana and Hatay. Names The gulf is named for the nearby Turkish city ...
, Turkey; DC2 John L. King, from ''Soley''s damage control party, perished in the battle with the flames, but the destroyermen managed to quell the fires. A second outbreak of fire on board ''Mirador'' in mid-January, however, caused another explosion that eventually claimed the ship, and in the process set afire the Turkish salvage vessel ''Imroz'', that ''Soley'' saved when her firefighters made quick work of the flames. In February 1959, after a strong storm with 70 miles-per-hour winds suddenly arose off the Arabian coast, sinking several small fishing craft, ''Strong'' sped to the scene and searched those waters for over 24 hours, eventually rescuing 13 local fishermen. With all eight ships in the squadron in one place for the first time since the 1958–1959 Mediterranean deployment began, DesRon 2 gathered at Gibraltar on 28 March 1959 to begin the homeward voyage. Returning to the United States on 8 April 1959, the squadron lost ''Strong'' to DesRon 32, and received no replacement, making DesRon 2 a seven-ship squadron. From that point through June, DesRon 2's ships underwent needed maintenance, with an interim yard availability assigned concurrently with a tender availability. The first squadron to "feel the full effect of the change in policy lengthening the overhaul cycle to three years," with "budget slashes, antiquity, rapid turnover of key eopleand reduced manning levels" magnifying maintenance problems. "Keeping our ships in fighting trim and ready for all commitments," one observer noted, "now, more than ever before, requires all-out effort and cooperation from all hands at all times." Soon thereafter, ships from DesRon 2 were assigned to the operational control of Commander Antisubmarine Defense Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, which conducted Hunter-Killer (HUK) operations with the antisubmarine warfare support carrier . In those exercises, DesRon 2 destroyers acted as the coordinating unit of a team that included fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, to test new attack and screening methods against conventional and nuclear-powered submarines. "Tomorrow," one observer wrote, "in the event of an all-out war, we must fight with the weapons we have today, not those on the drafting boards." While destroyermen admitted that "the nuclear-powered submarine has the edge in the contest, our assignment is to dull this edge and eventually gain the upper hand." After spending 1960 operating with Task Group ALFA, DesRon 2 undertook training both at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Norfolk, Virginia, where ships also underwent overhaul in 1961, and operated in support of
Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
space shot operations. In addition, ''Soley'' proceeded to the waters off the Dominican Republic, in readiness to evacuate Americans if unrest should arise in the wake of the assassination of
Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...
, as did ''Borie'' and ''Wallace L. Lind'', after which the latter two ships "chased rojectMercury shots…and a myriad of other assignments." On 9 September 1961, the Norfolk, Va., based ''Barton'', ''Soley'', ''John R. Pierce'', ''English'', and ''Hank'' proceeded to the Mediterranean to operate with the Sixth Fleet, leaving ''Borie'' and ''Wallace L. Lind'' in Norfolk, where they began Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) II conversions on 21 November and 22 December, respectively. The Mediterranean deployment involved fleet exercises as well as visits to liberty ports including
Suda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri ...
, Crete;
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
, Greece;
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, Italy, and
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
, Monaco. Following her refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, the ''Fletcher''-class , assigned to the squadron on 1 October 1961, joined the squadron for its Mediterranean deployment in January 1962, and returned to Norfolk with the squadron on 31 March 1962; she would remain assigned to DesRon 2 until 9 July, when she sailed to enter the
Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...
at
Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
, Texas. Remaining briefly in port, the squadron – minus ''Borie'' and ''Wallace L. Lind'' – took part in an amphibious demonstration for President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
at
Onslow Beach Onslow Beach is a stretch of undeveloped beach at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, North Carolina Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its ...
, North Carolina. Resuming Mercury shot recovery operations, ''John R. Pierce'' recovered the
Aurora 7 Mercury-Atlas 7, launched May 24, 1962, was the fourth crewed flight of Project Mercury. The spacecraft, named ''Aurora 7'', was piloted by astronaut Scott Carpenter. He was the sixth human to fly in space. The mission used Mercury spacecraft No ...
capsule after a helicopter from had retrieved astronaut Lt. Comdr.
M. Scott Carpenter Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercu ...
, on 24 May 1962 off Puerto Rico.


Cuban Missile Crisis to 1990s

With the onset of the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
in the autumn of 1962, DesRon 2, commanded by Capt. George R. Reinhart, departed Norfolk for the Caribbean along with much of the Atlantic Fleet. There, the squadron performed myriad tasks that included support for carrier operations, ASW support for Service Forces, Atlantic and Amphibious Forces, Atlantic units, escort duty for ships evacuating Americans from Guantanamo Bay, and filling the quarantine line. ''John R. Pierce'', along with sistership , boarded and inspected the Lebanese-flagged freighter '' Marucla'', contracted by the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
to carry cargo to Cuba, the first vessel boarded after imposition of the quarantine, on 26 October 1962. When the crisis abated, ''English'' and ''Hank'' returned to Norfolk on 27 November and the rest of DesRon 2 during the first week of December. From 1963 to 1966, DesRon 2 carried out Operation Springboard training as part of Anti-Submarine Warfare Forces, Atlantic Fleet. DesRon 2 also deployed to the Mediterranean during these years. Organizationally, joined DesDiv 21, Borie was reassigned to DesDiv 21, while USS ''John R. Pierce'' was reassigned to DesDiv 22 on 1 January 1963. Soon thereafter, in March 1963, ''Barton'', ''John R. Pierce'', ''Soley'', ''English'', and ''Hank'' operated under the Commander Mid East Force while serving in the Red and Arabian Seas as well and the Indian Ocean. In April, ''Wallace L. Lind'' participated in the unsuccessful search for the submarine , then on 13 June broke the flag of Admiral
Harold Page Smith Admiral Harold Page Smith (February 17, 1904 – January 4, 1993) was a United States Navy four-star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces Europe/Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and M ...
, Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, as he observed the firing of a
Polaris missile The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missile ...
from the fleet ballistic missile submarine . At the end of a Mediterranean deployment in August 1963, ''Barton'' and ''Borie'' made a goodwill tour of the Baltic Sea to support Vice President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
's Scandinavian tour. The destroyers held "open ship" for general visiting at
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark, and
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland, before heading home on 10 September, proceeding via the
Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (german: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, literally "North- oEast alticSea canal", formerly known as the ) is a long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the N ...
,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, England, and
the Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. Meanwhile, ''Furse'' joined the squadron upon completion of her FRAM I conversion (15 September); ''Hank'' and ''English'' were transferred to the Reserve Fleet on 1 October; and ''Richard E. Kraus'', upon completion of her FRAM I conversion that had begun on 30 June at Boston, rejoined on 15 October. During 1964, , , and were assigned to DesRon 2, enlarging its complement to ten ships, each division composed of five ships: DesDiv 21 with ''Blandy'', ''Borie'', ''Barton'', and ''Steinaker''; DesDiv 22 with ''Furse'', ''Murray'', ''Wallace L. Lind'', ''John R. Pierce'' and ''Robert A. Owens''. On 26 May 1965, the squadron sailed to participate in the
Project Gemini Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...
GT-4 Recovery Mission, after which it stopped in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, Portugal. Aside from cruises, the squadron continued training operations, including exercise Straight Laced, a NATO ASW/Strike exercise. Most of DesRon 2's resources were devoted to training ships in anti-submarine warfare in 1967. During the January Mediterranean transit, ''Steinaker'' surfaced a Soviet
Foxtrot-class submarine The Foxtrot class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built in the Soviet Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641. The Foxtrot class was designed to replace the earlier Zulu cl ...
. With six of nine squadron ships deployed to the Mediterranean, ComDesRon 2 functioned as a part of the Gold Group of
Task Force 60 Task Force 60 is a task force of the United States Navy. It is often referred to by the abbreviation CTF 60 (Commander, Task Force 60). As of 2011 Task Force 60 will normally be the commander of Naval Task Force Europe and Africa. Any naval unit ...
, the fast carrier attack force of the Sixth Fleet. The squadron engaged in training with four other navies, but led the second annual Spanish-American bilateral exercise, dubbed SpanEx 1–67. Returning home afforded opportunities to conduct low flyer recognition and satellite reconnaissance training. The next year, 1968, saw DesRon 2's temporary transfer to the Western Pacific (WestPac), when the squadron – ''Blandy'', ''Rich'', ''Borie'' and ''Steinaker'' — was ordered to Vietnam to operate with the Seventh Fleet. Its first division arrived at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, on 6 May and the second division on 20 May. On 11 May, ''Blandy'' with Capt. Frank C. Dunham embarked, cleared Subic Bay, and arrived off the I Corps area, Vietnam. There Capt. Dunham assumed command of all naval gunfire support operations by allied forces for the entire coast of South Vietnam. In addition, ships of DesRon 2 took part in
Operation Sea Dragon Operation Sea Dragon was a series of American-led naval operations during the Vietnam War They began in October 1966 to interdict sea lines of communications and supply going south from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, and to destroy land targe ...
, providing suppression fire against North Vietnamese coastal defense gun sites. DesRon 2 concluded combat responsibilities associated with its WestPac deployment on October 1. After leaving Subic Bay, the integrity of each of DesRon 2's divisions was disrupted, and the squadron failed to reunite until its return to Norfolk in November. While in Vietnam, DesRon 2 tallied over 350 killed of the enemy, over 2,300 military structures damaged or destroyed, and over sixty major caliber enemy weapons silenced. ''Rich'' exemplified the other aspect of the work of the ships of DesRon 2, when she steamed to Yankee Station, where, from 13 May to 20 July 1968 she provided escort and plane guard services for four successive attack aircraft carriers: , , , and in
Tonkin Gulf The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern c ...
. The squadron was restructured in July 1969 as part of a reordering within the Cruiser-Destroyer Force. All ships, except ''Robert A. Owens'' were transferred from DesRon 2 to other squadrons, and the new squadron's DesDiv 21 comprised guided missile frigate , , and that spent the rest of the year in Norfolk for leave, upkeep, and availabilities. The following year, 1970, DesRon 2 participated in extensive training, first, in the Caribbean for RIMEX IV-70, and later in the Mediterranean where, as part of TF 60, it conducted Exercise National Week in the
Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...
. While in the Mediterranean, the squadron distinguished itself in responding to the
Fedayeen Fedayeen ( ar, فِدائيّين ''fidāʼīyīn'' "self-sacrificers") is an Arabic term used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign. Etymology The term ''fedayi'' is derived from Arabic: '' ...
hijacking of four airliners to Jordan that endangered American citizens in Jordan, and received the
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 s ...
for its action on that contingency mission. After ComDesRon 2 planned with the ComPhibLant and Hellenic Destroyer Squadron staffs for the NATO Exercise Deep Express/Deep South, the squadron returned to Norfolk on 17 November. It passed most of 1971 training either in Norfolk or in the Caribbean, the latter engaged in Springboard operations, before embarking on another Mediterranean deployment on 1 December. Under the flagship, guided missile cruiser , DesRon 2 began 1972 by sailing from
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, Spain, to intercept, follow, and gather intelligence on Soviet warships in the Western Mediterranean as part of Bystander Operations. The squadron participated in National Week Operations in February, and when a special operation was cancelled, moored at Athens for Administrative and Material Inspection. After visiting Italy and Monte Carlo, the squadron returned to Norfolk on 29 June 1972, and commenced a standdown. In 1973, ''Richard E. Byrd'' resumed Springboard operations in the Puerto Rico operating areas before sailing for extended operations with the Sixth Fleet to the Mediterranean, where she remained until 1 December due to the tensions incident to the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
. Other ships engaged in training exercises or remained at Norfolk. The squadron's actions through 1973 were of a similar variety, including Atlantic Fleet Readiness exercises in the Puerto Rico operating area as well as a deployment to the Mediterranean in November for duty with the Sixth Fleet. In November, ComDesRon 2 participated in Operation Quick Draw with Italian Navy units, and the next month, took part in National Week XVI, before spending the holidays in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, Spain and returning to Norfolk on 15 May 1975. The squadron passed the summer of 1975 in Norfolk, before it conducted SXTEX 2–76 and COMPTUEX 2–76 exercises in September in Norfolk and off the Virginia capes, and following a successful MISSILEX operation, remained in Norfolk until the end of the year. As it entered 1976, ComDesRon 2 embarked in ''McCandless'', shifted his pennant to ''Mitscher'', and assisted with the major NATO exercise, Safe Pass'76 (6–24 March). In May, DesRon 2 participated in the Joint U.S. exercise, Solid Shield, and in July, proceeded to
Rota, Spain The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...
for duty with Commander Carrier Group 2 and Commander Sixth Fleet. While deployed, DesRon 2 took part in ASW Week exercises as well as National Week XXI (23 August-24 September). Participating in further ASW exercises and visiting ports in Italy, France, and Spain, it remained in the Mediterranean for the remainder of the year, and, on 30 December, set out to conduct surveillance operations in the Gulf of Sollum off the United Arab Republic and Libyan littorals. After completion of that work and brief port visits in Spain, DesRon 2 returned to Norfolk for upkeep, but returned to Europe in June for a month-long tour, labeled Exercise Silver Jubilee, the multinational exercise coinciding with celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's 25-year reign. In April 1978, DesRon 2 became one of six non-deploying readiness squadrons. At the start of the year, DesRon 2 consisted of six guided missile destroyers, three frigates, three ''Spruance''-class destroyers and . A reorganization of the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer squadrons on 4 April gave DesRon 2 an administrative disparate complement of 16 ships, a number lessened by one with the decommissioning of on 1 June. By year's end, the squadron included: guided missile destroyers , , , , , USS ''Richard E. Byrd'', , , , , the frigates and , destroyers ''Dupont'' and ''Blandy'' and guided missile frigate . ComDesRon 2 provided support for the ships under his administrative control as immediate unit commander, and served as chief inspector for nuclear weapons acceptance inspections, Navy technical proficiency inspections, embarked in various ships to observe operational propulsion plant inspections, visited assigned ships undergoing overhauls in remote locations to monitor progress of the work, and carried out at-sea operational readiness inspections of various units. In June 1982, ComDesRon 2 Anti-Air Warfare Tactics Board was established to serve as a forum for tactical dialogue. The following year the squadron introduced the Personnel Training Initiatives Program in order to provide its ships with additional means for training key people. Focusing on three areas, these training initiatives sent undesignated seamen and firemen to Class "A" schools on returnable quotas, transferred Second Class Petty Officers and those of higher rank for temporary additional duty with Fleet Training Group at Guantanamo Bay for four to six weeks, and cross-decked E-5's and above to ships undergoing refresher training. The training program met with encouraging results. Continuing its training efforts over the next three years, ComDesRon 2 served as Chief Inspector for Nuclear Weapons Acceptance Inspections, Navy Technical Proficiency Inspections, Type Commander 3M and Supply Management Inspections, and increased the number of Command Inspections it conducted overall. ComDesRon 2 retained its role as CINTEX Coordinator for the Norfolk waterfront. In order to enhance training, new initiatives were implemented, including the integration of MUTTS (Multi-Units Tactical Training System), ULQ-13 Countermeasures Signal Stimulator Vans, and U.S. Air Force AWACS assets into formal CINTEX Training scenarios. The next year, NTISA DET, FLETCCORGRU 2, and NAVSECGRU were included. Furthermore, efforts to integrate inter-service participation within CINTEX were introduced. These included participation by the AWACS assets and Coast Guard ships, as well as foreign warship participation during Norfolk port visits. And for her work in 1984, Preble earned the Arleigh Burke Award Trophy for displaying the greatest improvement in Battle Efficiency within the Atlantic Fleet. The CMS QuickLooks program, which provided for one-day notice CMS quicklooks on board squadron units was continued, and, on 10 December 1986, CinCLantFlt Inspector General's office conducted a surprise command security inspection of CDS-2 Staff and attached ships, of which ComDesRon 2 had the best seen security program to date. In 1989, ComDesRon 2 was assigned as OTC for Type Commander's Core Training Exercise, and was home-ported in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. In September, the squadron's training in the Puerto Rican Operating area ended abruptly as
Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...
thrashed St. Thomas, St. John, and Puerto Rico. ComDesRon 2 assumed on scene commander for relief efforts, for which the squadron was awarded the
Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (includi ...
in February 1991. The unit also assumed waterfront in-port training responsibilities for all Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8 units. CINTEX exercises also occurred with an emphasis on Basic Command and Control. Over the next two years, DesRon 2 provided material, administrative, and operational support to the ships under its direct administrative control including units temporarily assigned from Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8. As a training agent for Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8, ComDesRon 2 conducted weekly waterfront in-port training in Radio/Combat Information Center and Visual Communication. In addition, specific ASW, convoy, amphibious warfare, and Anti-Surface Warfare exercises occupied the unit's time. Besides participating in these and other training exercises, ComDesRon 2 acted as Regional Training Conference Board Chairman for team trainers managed by ComTraLant.


Post Cold War

DesRon 2 experienced dramatic changes in 1992. As a result of the Navy's reorganization and downsizing plans,
Destroyer Squadron 10 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in 1 ...
was decommissioned on 1 September, and DesRon 2 absorbed its ''Spruance'' and ''Kidd''-class destroyers and ''Arleigh Burke''-class guided missile destroyers, raising the number of classes maintained and trained by DesRon 2 to five. As part of that realignment, ComDesRon 2 also assumed the title of Commander, Naval Surface Group Norfolk (ComNavSurfGru). With that added responsibility, DesRon 2 provided the oversight for the manning, material, and readiness for all cruisers and destroyers home-ported in Norfolk. As training agent for ships based there, ComDesRon 2 led bi-weekly waterfront in-port training in both Radio/Combat Information Center and Visual Communications, coordinated mutual training exercises between surface and subsurface units with bi-weekly mutual training meetings, and served as Training Conference Board Chairman for team trainers managed by ComTraLant. Throughout 1993 and 1994, with the arrival of three new ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyers, DesRon 2 expanded to include 18 ships. In the Commander Naval Surface Group capacity, the command swelled to a total of 32 ships as a result of the commissioning of new ships as well as homeport shifts in accordance with the
Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...
decisions. In addition to its 1994 routine deployments to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and North Atlantic, the squadron assisted in Haiti as a part of
Operation Support Democracy Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
and conducted Cuban migrant rescues during Operation Able Vigil. Other missions that year included a deployment to the Adriatic where the unit conducted both surface and air surveillance against the
former republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the Breakup of Yugoslavia, breakup of the Socialist ...
in compliance with United Nations Sanctions, Maritime Interdiction Operations to enforce
United Nations Sanctions against Iraq The sanctions against Iraq were a comprehensive financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Iraq. They began August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, stayed largely in force until May 22, ...
in the Northern Red Sea and Persian Gulf, and
UNITAS Unitas may refer to: * 306 Unitas, a main belt asteroid * UNITAS, a multi-lateral naval exercise in South and Central America * Unitas Capital, a private equity firm, formerly known as CCMP Capital Asia * ''Humani generis unitas'', a planned ency ...
XXXV with South American allies. In June 1995, as part of the Navy's new "Forward…from the Sea" missions, the Atlantic Fleet's surface combatant ships were reorganized into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons and a new
Western Hemisphere Group The Western Hemisphere Group was a United States Navy formation active from 1 September 1995 to 1999–2000. Headquarters was at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. In October 1996 Commander U.S. Second Fleet created Task Force 28, consisting of indep ...
. The squadrons were assigned to the battle groups on a rotational basis, depending on where they are in their maintenance and deployment cycles. DesRon 2, formerly a non-deploying readiness squadron, was disestablished, and converted to a Sea Duty command with a new staff and four permanently assigned ships: , destroyers and , and the guided missile frigate . Those restructurings raised the squadron's ship tally to 29 and caused NavSurfGru Norfolk's ranks to number 43 ships. DesRon 2 began its 1996 training in May, when the squadron cruised to the Puerto Rican Operations area for INDEX 96-2 and Naval Gunfire Support qualification. After successful training exercises, deployed in July for a two-and-a-half month UNITAS 37–96 missions, in which an American task group circumnavigates South America while conducting joint exercises with host-nation navies along the route. Following its UNITAS deployment, DesRon 2 spent the rest of 1996 at Norfolk. While preparing to deploy to the Mediterranean, Commodore, Capt. Jimmie R. Jackson was relieved by Capt. Samuel J. Locklear III. At that time, the squadron's focus shifted from administrative oversight of four ships to tactical operations and preparations for the Mediterranean deployment. Assigned the role of Sea Combat Commander (SCC) for the Battle Group at the Warfare Commanders Conference, DesRon 2's responsibilities included Undersea Warfare, Surface Warfare, Maritime Interception Operations, and Screen Commander. In December, joined DesRon 2, while the following year, 1998, saw the loss of ''Kauffman'' and the gain of and . Capping a successful year of preparation for deployment, ''Kauffman'' won the Battle "E" award. In June 1998, DesRon 2 departed Norfolk, ComDesRon 2 embarked in ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' as the Sea Combat Commander as part of the ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' Battle Group, and participated in seven bi-lateral and multi-lateral exercises, as well as supporting NATO in enforcing NATO Security Council Resolutions during the
Kosovo crisis The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...
. DesRon 2 – with guided missile destroyers ''Arleigh Burke'', ''Mitscher,'' and ''Porter'', destroyers ''Stump'' and ''Deyo'', and guided missile frigate ''Carr'' permanently assigned – began the year 2000 at Norfolk, then participated in a group sail with the Battle Group, ComDesRon 2 in ''Porter'' (31 January-10 February). DesRon 2 participated in a second group sail in the spring (3–17 May), with the squadron commander on board ''Stump'', after which time the squadron carried out training off the Virginia capes (19–24 June), with ComDesRon 2 again in ''Stump''. Further training followed, including exercise Unified Spirit with ''Harry S. Truman'' (11–26 October), as the squadron prepared to deploy to the Mediterranean. That scheduled movement as part of the ''Harry S. Truman'' Battle Group began on 28 November, ComDesRon 2 in ''Porter''. DesRon 2 visited
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
, Spain, beginning on 11 December, then conducted exercises at sea (18 December), and began a port visit to Barcelona three days before Christmas of 2000. Following a port visit to
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
, Croatia (5–9 January 2001), ComDesRon 2 in ''Porter'', serving as Commander Task Force 60 with the departure of ''Harry S. Truman'' deploying to the Persian Gulf, got underway for the eastern Mediterranean to conduct Reliant Mermaid, after which the ships paused briefly at Souda Bay, Crete (2–5 February). Proceeding thence to
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, Israel, for exercise
Juniper Cobra Exercise Juniper Cobra is a five-day combined military exercise between Israel and the United States. The exercise exists to strengthen American-Israeli military cooperation against regional threats, and promote long-term security. In recent years, ...
I, ComDesRon 2 logged a succession of Mediterranean locations: Souda Bay, Crete; Capo Teulada, Sardinia; and
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; Naples, Palma, and
Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...
, and
La Maddalena La Maddalena (Gallurese: ''Madalena'' or ''La Madalena'', sc, Sa Madalena) is a town and ''comune'' located on the islands of the Maddalena archipelago in the province of Sassari, northern Sardinia, Italy. The main town of the same name is locat ...
, Italy;
Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, France; Aksaz, Turkey; before replenishing at Souda Bay (18 April). Punctuating the remainder of the deployment with exercises Babylon Express (19 April) and SHAREM 137 (21 April), and visits to Antalya, Turkey and a return call to Gaeta, and Málaga, ComDesRon 2 embarked in ''Stump'' for the return crossing on 11 May, and reached Norfolk on the 24th, concluding the deployment of the ''Harry S. Truman'' Battle Group DesRon 2 began the year 2002 with five permanently assigned ships, ''Arleigh Burke'', ''Porter'', ''Stump'', (that had been assigned to DesRon 2 on 1 December 2001), and ''Carr'', with ComDesRon 2 inport at Norfolk. ComDesRon 2 embarked in Porter on 15 January in preparation for a joint tactical forces exercise with the Battle Group, and the latter sailed on 18 January to conduct those evolutions, returning to port on 26 January, with ComDesRon 2 serving as Opposition Force, Officer Controlling Exercise during that evolution. During the summer of 2002, ''Porter'' and ''Stump'', as well as guided missile frigate , destroyer and guided missile destroyer , participated in Midshipmen Core Training '02, providing instruction to 130 NROTC midshipmen (17–21 June). Two major antisubmarine warfare exercises followed during the summer. The first was Smart Search '02 (12–19 July) during which a ready destroyer squadron deployed on short notice in the event of the proximity of a forward-deployed submarine, using ''Arleigh Burke'', ''Carr'', and ''Porter'', in addition to organic LAMPS helicopters and other assets. The second was Keflavik Tactical Exercise '02/SHAREM 143 that took place between 26 August and 23 September. A number of group sails brought the training cycle for the year to a close for several of the ships attached to DesRon 2. On 14 December, ComDesRon 2 embarked in the carrier . In January 2003, ComDesRon 2 departed Norfolk in ''Theodore Roosevelt'' and surge-deployed in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. During that period, ComDesRon 2 served as the SCC for the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' Carrier Strike Group operating in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of
Task Force 60 Task Force 60 is a task force of the United States Navy. It is often referred to by the abbreviation CTF 60 (Commander, Task Force 60). As of 2011 Task Force 60 will normally be the commander of Naval Task Force Europe and Africa. Any naval unit ...
. As the SCC, ComDesRon 2 was responsible for numerous mission areas, including surface warfare, force defense, LAMPS element coordinator and Maritime Interception Operations (MIO) commander. The strike group's ships and aircraft conducted tactical air and TLAM strikes into Iraqi during combat operations from the Eastern Mediterranean. As MIO commander, ComDesRon 2 planned and executed a number of critical boardings of suspect vessels. Further, during Operation Iraqi Freedom the SCC managed the daily scheme of maneuver of all CTF 60 forces, including two aircraft carriers and up to 14 surface combatants. Despite deploying four months earlier than scheduled, the ships and staff of DesRon 2 successfully executed a number of critical missions in support of combat operations. In 2004, DesRon 2 was assigned to Commander
Carrier Strike Group 12 Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12 or CARSTRKGRU 12) is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpow ...
. ''Cole'' and ''McFaul'' shifted squadrons and ''Stump'' was decommissioned. During October and November, DesRon 2 participated in a major multi-national exercise, United Kingdom Joint Conference (JMC 04-3). Working with the Royal Navy's Commander Amphibious Task Group Staff, commanded by Commodore C.J. Parry, RN, ComDesRon 2 embarked in , ''Arleigh Burke'', ''Winston S. Churchill'', and ''Porter'' participated in that exercise that stressed naval and marine coalition coordination in a littoral environment. ComDesRon 2 commenced 2005 with all ships in the Unit Level Training Phase and Intermediate Training Phase. In May, ComDesRon 2 embarked in ''Porter'' for Submarine Commander's Course (SCC) Operation 05–2 with ''Arleigh Burke'', ''Carr'', and . Effective August 25, 2005, ISIC/TACON functions of guided missile frigate were transferred to ComDesRon 2 and ComCarStrikeGru 12. During the winter months of 2004 and into the New Year 2005 ComDesRon 2 focused on the upcoming deployment as Sea Combat Commander for the Strike Group. Multiple Groupsails, Maritime Group Inport Training (MGIT), COMPTUEX, and JTFEX flexed the staff in a number of missions within the Surface, Strike, and Anti-Submarine/Undersea Warfare areas including Maritime Security, Show-of-Force, Mine Countermeasure, Anti-Piracy, MIO/VBSS, and TLAM Operations. The squadron deployed with ''Enterprise'' Strike Group in 2006. DesRon 2 again accomplished a myriad of diverse missions across Second, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Fleets. As of June 2010, the squadron comprised USS ''Arleigh Burke'', , ''Stout'', , , , and . ComDesRon 2 will deploy with the ''Enterprise'' Strike Group. In May 2019, 3 of these ships escort the : , and .


Notes

{{Reflist


References

*Robert J. Cressman, Historian Editor, DANFS History and Archives Division
Naval History and Heritage Command The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...
805 Kidder Breese Street, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060


External links


Destroyer Squadron 2 – Official U.S. Navy web site
Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in 1919