Guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Monday, July 7, for a deployment to U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
Halsey is a multi-mission ship with anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare surface combatants capabilities; designed to operate independently or with an associated strike group. While deployed, Halsey will conduct Theater Security Cooperation and maritime presence operations with partner nations.
The mission of Halsey is to conduct sustained combat operations at sea, providing primary protection for the Navy’s aircraft carriers and battle groups, as well as essential escort to Navy and Marine Corps amphibious forces and auxiliary ships, and independent operations as necessary.
“After an exceptionally challenging training cycle and rigorous training exercises in Southern California with the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Strike Group, the 300 strong, proud Sailors of Halsey are ready to be deployed to the waters that our famous namesake sailed in the past,” said Cmdr. Linda Seymour, commanding officer of Halsey.
The ship is assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron 31 (CDS-31), immediate superior in command for all Pearl Harbor-based destroyers in the Western Pacific aligned under Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.
Commander, U.S. Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific leads and manages the overall warfighting capability of the surface combatant force homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. MIDPAC ships support U.S. Pacific Fleet in leading America’s rebalance to the Pacific.
[mappress] Press Release, July 08, 2014; Image: US Navy