Destroyer Squadron ONE, also known as ''Destroyer Squadron 1'' and often abbreviated at '' DESRON ONE'' or ''DESRON 1'', is a squadron of

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster an ...

s 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 of ...

. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group One and is administratively responsible to

Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific (COMNAVSURFPAC) is a United States Navy vice admiral, who leads the Naval Surface Force, United States Pacific Fleet. The commander is also designated as commander, Naval Surface Force (COMNAVSURFOR), a "d ...

. The Squadron's combat mission is to support the Operational Commander (currently Carrier Strike Group One) in achieving optimum combat readiness for his ships and to ensure adherence to Type Commander requirements. As such, Commander, Destroyer Squadron One (COMDESRON-1) conducts continuous, extensive liaison and coordination with the assigned Operational Commander. In addition to operations in the

U.S. Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...

, the squadron's ships have deployed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body ...

as part of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, to the Western Pacific as part of the

U.S. Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...

, and regularly support

Joint Task Force North Joint Task Force North (JTF North), formerly Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6), is a multi-service operation by the United States Department of Defense for counterdrug and anti-terrorist operations. JTF-North is headquartered at Biggs Army Airfield ...

counter-drug operations in South America and the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, as well as other fleet commitments.

Composition

The current composition of the squadron includes: * Squadron Headquarters, at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, con ...

* USS O'Kane (DDG-77) * USS McCampbell (DDG-85) * USS Mustin (DDG-89) * USS Kidd (DDG-100) * USS Sterett (DDG-104) * USS Stockdale (DDG-106)

Mission

The Commander, Destroyer Squadron ONE is to direct, oversee and assist the ships of the squadron in achieving and maintaining the highest level of material, operational and personnel readiness. When required, he shall exercise command over ships assigned for naval operations in order to achieve sea and air control in pursuit of national objectives. Function as Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC), for assigned ships and prepare them for sustained combat operations at sea. Prepare ships for assignment to operational commanders as directed by Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific Fleet and Commander Third Fleet. Maintain ISIC responsibilities throughout the life cycle of the ship, regardless of location or operational control, except in circumstances where otherwise directed. Provide administrative and material support that will include, but not be limited to: personnel support, OMBUDSMAN program support, ship's restricted availability (SRA), Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) and other maintenance availability planning and administrative assistance.

Operational history

Destroyer Squadron One was initially listed in the U.S. Navy's order of battle in the ''Navy Directories'' of 1919, but disappeared from the

Naval Register A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

in 1927. In 1937, Destroyer Squadron Twenty (DESRON-20) was re-designated as Destroyer Squadron One.

World War Two

Destroyer Squadron One was present during the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ju ...

on 7 December 1941. DESRON-1 destroyers served as part of Task Force 11 in the aborted relief efforts for

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of ...

and

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

, as well as seeing action during the

Battle of 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 battl ...

. DESRON-1 destroyers subsequently saw further action during 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 A ...

and the

Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea) took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific ca ...

as part of

Task Force 16 Task Force 16 (TF16) was one of the most storied task forces in the United States Navy, a major participant in a number of the most important battles of the Pacific War. It was formed in mid-February 1942 around ''Enterprise'' (CV-6), with Vic ...

. DESRON-1 destroyers subsequently provided shore bombardment as Fire-Support Group Love and anti-submarine/anti-aircraft support as Air Support Group 1 to the initial phase of the

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

, and Destroyer Squadron One saw action during the

Battle of the Komandorski Islands The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was a naval battle between American and Imperial Japanese forces which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North Pacific, south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands. The battle was a daylight surface engagem ...

, the invasion of Attu, and the invasion of Kiska during the Aleutian Islands campaign. In September 1943, the squadron returned to the West Coast for overhaul. With Guadalcanal and the Aleutians secured, the U.S. Navy began its Central Pacific offensive with 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 cen ...

undertaken between November 1943 and February 1944. DESRON-1 destroyers , , and screened the escort carrier task group during the

invasion of Tarawa The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, a ...

while and screened the shore bombardment task group during the assault on Makin Island. and served as control ships for the assault craft. Subsequently, DESRON-1 destroyers ''Farragut'', , and ''Monaghan'' screened the escort carrier force while ''Macdonough'' and ''Aylwin'' escorted the amphibious transport force during the landings on

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. civili ...

. Also, ''Dewey'' and ''Hull'' provided support to the amphibious reserve force, and ''Phelps'' supported mine-sweeping operations and Marine landings on

Roi-Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today it is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and characterizing missi ...

. ''Macdonough'', ''Monaghan'', and ''Aylwin'' provided shore bombardment support to the amphibious landings on Parry Island. Following the conclusion of the Gilbert and Marshall campaign, DESRON-1 destroyers screened Task Group 58.1 during carrier air strikes against

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Mic ...

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...

Woleai Woleai, also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-n ...

, Truk,

Satawan Satawan Atoll is an atoll located about southeast of Chuuk Lagoon proper. Geographically it is part of the Nomoi or Mortlock Islands in the Carolines and administratively it is part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. About 3 ...

, and Ponape. DESRON-1 destroyers also provided naval gunfire support to the Hollandia invasion which initiated the

Western New Guinea campaign The Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Dutch East Indies KNIL, United States and Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases and positions in the northwest coastal areas of Netherl ...

. The next objective of the Central Pacific offensive was the Mariana Islands campaign that occurred between June and November 1944. DESRON-1 destroyers screened Task Group 58.1 during this operation, while also carrying out individual ship assignments during the invasion. ''Dewey'', ''Hull'', and ''Macdonough'' supported minesweeping and

underwater demolition Underwater demolition refers to the deliberate destruction or neutralization of man-made or natural underwater obstacles, both for military and civilian purposes. History Charles Pasley In 1839 Charles Pasley, at the time a colonel of the Royal ...

pre-invasion operations at

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 es ...

while ''Farragut'', ''Dale'', ''Monaghan'', and ''Aylwin'' carried out patrol and shore bombardment duties. Later, Task Group 58.1 and Destroyer Squadron One saw combat action during the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious inva ...

. In December 1944, while operating in support the Philippines Campaign, Task Force 38 was hit by a powerful typhoon, and DESRON-1 destroyers ''Monaghan'' and ''Hull'' were lost. In February 1945, DESRON-1 destroyers ''Dewey'', ''Farragut'', ''Dale'', and ''Aylwin'' screened the fleet logistic force supporting the invasion of Iwo Jima. On 1 March 1945, Destroyer Squadron One was re-designated as Destroyer Division 10 of Destroyer Squadron 5, and in this capacity, it participated in the

invasion of Okinawa 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 ...

in April. DESRON 1's original nine destroyers earned a combined total 103

service stars 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 ...

during the Asiatic-Pacific campaign, with 97 while attached to Destroyer Squadron 1.

Cold War

Destroyer Squadron One subsequently participated in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{{ ...

and the Taiwan Strait Patrols. Destroyer Squadron One was re-designated as Reserve Destroyer Squadron 27 (ResDesRon 27), established on January 13, 1958, which was subsequently re-designated Destroyer Squadron 27 (DesRon 27) in 1970 and Surface Squadron 1 (SS-1) in 1980 before being returned to its original designation of Destroyer Squadron One in October 1993.

Recent operations

Commander, Destroyer Squadron One (COMDESRON 1) was assigned as the Task Group Commander of the

Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Exercise CARAT) is a series of annual bilateral military exercises conducted by the United States Pacific Fleet with several member nations of ASEAN in Southeast Asia. Currently, the navies of Banglad ...

(CARAT) WESTPAC deployments to Southeast Asia from 2002-2007. CARAT is a rolling series of bilateral exercises conducted with the navies of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. In ...

, Brunei,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...

, and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...

. The primary mission of these deployments is to enhance cooperative engagement and naval interoperability with the participating

Southeast Asian countries Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. On 10 January 2011, two DESRON-1 guided-missile destroyers, ''Stockdale'' and ''Gridley'', and their embarked detachments from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49 (HSL-49) participated in a Passing Exercise (

PASSEX A passing exercise (a PASSEX in U.S. Navy terminology) is an exercise done between two navies to ensure that the navies are able to communicate and cooperate in times of war or humanitarian relief. Common drills include flashing light drills, sem ...

) with the JMSDF helicopter destroyer ''Kurama'' in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

. Later in the same day, ''Stockdale'' and ''Gridley'' participated in separate PASSEX maneuvers with units of the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy in ...

. On 23 April 2011, the news media reported that the squadron's commodore, Captain Donald Hornbeck, was relieved of command by ''Carl Vinson'' strike group commander Rear Admiral Samuel Perez during an investigation into a possible improper relationship. At the time, the squadron was on a deployment to the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel a ...

DESRON ONE Commodores

;World War TwoRoscoe. ''U.S. Destroyer Operations in WW2'', p 539. ;Destroyer/Surface Squadron One

Notes

Sources

External links

* * * {{US Navy navbox, state=collapsed Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in the 1910s Military in San Diego