Destroyer Squadron A destroyer squadron is a 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 used for larger a ...

15 is a squadron of

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 ...

''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyers based at

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

History

Destroyer Squadron Fifteen was founded in 1920 as a reserve fleet unit. The squadron was disestablished in 1922 and another destroyer squadron was re-designated as Destroyer Squadron Fifteen in 1928. That squadron was then re-designated as Destroyer Squadron 5 in 1931. Following the U.S. entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Destroyer Squadron Fifteen was re-established and fought in Mediterranean battles during the war. In 1945, the squadron was converted to destroyer minesweepers and was again re-designated this time as Mine Squadron 21. In 1946 the squadron was re-activated in the Pacific Fleet but was decommissioned briefly in 1950. Later the same year it was reestablished due to the Korean War. In 1971 the squadron departed San Diego and became a permanently forward deployed squadron stationed in

Yokosuka, Japan is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

. Since this time, DESRON FIFTEEN has serves as the Sea Combat Commander for the

USS Midway (CV-41) USS ''Midway'' (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned 8 days after the end of World War II, ''Midway'' was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the ...

USS Independence (CV-62) The fifth USS ''Independence'' (CV/CVA-62) was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the fourth and final member of the of conventionally powered supercarriers. She entered service in 1959, with much of her early years spen ...

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, and

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) USS ''Ronald Reagan'' (CVN-76) is a , Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of Ronald Reagan, Ronald W. Reagan, President of the Unit ...

Carrier Strike Groups, forward deployed to the Western Pacific. Destroyer Squadron 15 has taken part 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:{ ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Operation Desert Storm 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-Ma ...

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

and

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 ...

Ships

The squadron consists of the following ships: * * * * * * * * The squadron was assigned to Task Force 70 (Battle Force, Seventh Fleet), which had operational control of all carrier strike groups and independently deployed cruisers, destroyers, and frigates that deployed or transited through the 7th Fleet area of operations from 1971 to 2021. In 2021, Commander, U.S. SEVENTH Fleet dissolved Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet and re-designated Commander, Destroyer Squadron FIFTEEN as Commander, Task Force 71 - Theater Surface Warfare Commander for the SEVENTH Fleet Area of Responsibility. Today, Destroyer Squadron FIFTEEN, as Theater Surface Warfare Commander exercises control of the Guided Missile Destroyers assigned to the squadron as well as all independent deployments of US Cruisers, Destroyers, and US Coast Guard Cutters deployed to the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility. DESRON 15 is also the lead coordinating authority for all allied and partner nation Cruiser/Destroyer Surface Action Group operations throughout the AOR and regularly deploys its ships along side the

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

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 inc ...

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

, and the navies of dozens of other partner nations. In addition to these duties, DESRON FIFTEEN still provides Sea Combat Commander duties to CTF70, embarked in

Previous Commanders

CAPT Chase Sargeant, CAPT Seven DeMoss, CAPT Jon C. Duffy, CAPT Jeff Bennett, RDML Chris Sweeney, CAPT John Schults, CAPT Bill Wagner, RDML Charles Williams, RADM Mark Montgomery, RADM Robert Girrier

References

{{reflist Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy Yokosuka Military units and formations established in 1920