USS ''Bulkeley'' (DDG-84) is an in 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 ...

. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley. This ship is the 34th destroyer of its class. USS ''Bulkeley'' was the 15th ship of this class to be built at

Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and at 12,500 employees, the second largest ...

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

, and construction began on 10 May 1999. She was launched on 21 June 2000 and was christened on 24 June 2000. On 8 December 2001 she was commissioned during a pierside ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in

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, with CDR

Carlos Del Toro Carlos Del Toro (born 1961) is a Cuban-American businessman and retired United States Navy officer who serves as the 78th United States Secretary of the Navy since 2021. Early life and education Del Toro was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated ...

in command. Del Toro would then go on to become the 78th

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

in 2021.

Service history

On 13 June 2004, ''Bulkeley'' came to the aid of a vessel in distress, ''Al-Rashid Mum 131''. Shortly after turning the vessel over to an Iranian tugboat, it sank. ''Bulkeley'' rescued three crew and recovered the body of a fourth. The tug rescued one additional crewman; the other seven were lost at sea. The incident is recounted in the book ''In the Shadow of Greatness''. In February 2011, ''Bulkeley'' was involved in a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to rescue four American citizens from the

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

''Quest'' which was attacked by

Somali pirates Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali, ...

. On 5 March 2011, ''Bulkeley'' was involved in rescuing a Japanese oil tanker, , from Somali pirates while on duty with

Combined Task Force 151 Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational naval task force, set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to enga ...

off the coast of

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

. Three of the pirates were tried and convicted in Japan, the fourth was turned over to juvenile authorities, as it was determined that he was a minor. On 16 May 2011, ''Bulkeley'' responded to a mayday call from the Panamanian flagged very large crude carrier ''Artemis Glory'' by dispatching a Seahawk helicopter (from HSL 48) to its position. Seeing that a piratical skiff carrying four men was firing upon ''Artemis Glory'', the Seahawk investigated the skiff. The pirates opened fire on the helicopter with small arms and were summarily neutralized by crew served weapons from the helicopter in self-defense. The helicopter then withdrew without any casualties to its own crewmembers or that of ''Artemis Glory''. The ship returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During its deployment, she had participated in operations which had captured 75 Somali pirates and had missile strikes by its carrier strike group against the Libyan government. On 4 August 2022, ''Bulkeley'' departed Norfolk for a homeport shift 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 o ...

, arriving on 17 August. Her aft

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS (often spoken as "sea-wiz") is a gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the Gen ...

was replaced with a SeaRAM CIWS.

Awards

* Navy Unit Commendation – (Nov 2015 – Jul 2016) *

Navy 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 ...

– (Jan 2011 – Nov 2012, Aug 2013 – Mar 2014, Apr–Dec 2018) * Battle "E" – (2006, 2011, 2018) * Arizona Memorial Trophy – (2005–2006

Coat of arms

Shield

The shield has background of blue and a medium blue trim. A red chevron with anchors surround a lion in the center of the shield, with a reversed star below.

The traditional Navy colors were chosen for the shield because dark blue and gold represents the sea and excellence respectively. The inverted star at the shield base refers to the Medal of Honor Admiral Bulkeley received for his forcefulness and daringness during the defense of the Philippines. The hallmarks of USS ''Bulkeley'', honor and high achievement, are represented in the gold wreath. From the family coat of arms, the red chevron represents the valor and sacrifice displayed by Admiral Bulkeley when he led a flotilla of PT boats and minesweepers to Utah Beach before troops stormed the beach at Normandy. The lion indicates the heritage of Normandy and represents courage and strength. Silver anchors surround the lion to display the U.S. Navy sailors' devotion and commitment while defending the countries freedom, keeping USS ''Bulkeley'' and the United States Navy "Second to None."

Crest

The Philippine sun surrounds a Patrol Torpedo boat parting waves of the sea.

A PT boat from World War II is surrounded by the Philippine sun shows honor to Admiral Bulkeley's role in the Pacific. This includes the daring rescue of General MacArthur and Philippine President Quezon from the Battle of Corregidor.

Motto

The motto is written on a scroll of gold with blue trim.

The ships motto is "Freedom's Torch". The motto is a reference to both the honorable feats of Admiral Bulkeley and the Medal of Honor he received.

Seal

The coat of arms in full color as in the blazon, upon a white background enclosed within a dark blue oval border edged on the outside with a gold rope and bearing the inscription "USS Bulkely" at the top and "DDG 84" in the base all gold.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulkeley (Ddg-84) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 2000 ships Carrier Strike Group Two