Guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) Oct. 23.
Commanded by Cmdr. Todd Hutchison, the ship and its crew of more than 300 Sailors, assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 31, are scheduled to conduct goodwill activities with partner nations along with various presence operations such as Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) during the ship’s first operational forward deployment.
Hutchison said:
Team Murphy is excited to be on our maiden deployment, and looking forward to conducting a wide range of exercises while in the AOR.
We are dedicated to ensuring that every day we are contributing to strengthening maritime partnerships, promoting stability, and showing our commitment to the region.
The 7th Fleet AOR covers more than 48 million square miles and spans from west of the international dateline to the western coast of India. Vice Adm. Robert Thomas Jr., commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, is responsible for more than 45,000 Sailors, 100 ships and submarines, and more than 200 aircraft in the largest naval AOR.
Michael Murphy is named for Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a New York native who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. Murphy was the first person to be awarded the medal for actions in Afghanistan, and the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.
Homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Michael Murphy 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.
Press release, Image: US Navy