U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) is set to return to its homeport Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after completing a five-month deployment.
While deployed to the Western Pacific under the U.S. 3rd Fleet Forward construct, Michael Murphy promoted security and stability throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
The ship was underway for nearly 150 days and conducted more than 600 flight hours with the ship’s attached helicopter squadron Maritime Helicopter Strike Squadron (HSM) 37, Detachment 2.
“I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication the crew exhibited during this deployment with the Carl Vinson Strike Group,” said Cmdr. Robert A. Heely Jr ., Michael Murphy’s commanding officer. “They were resilient and always up to the task.”
Michael Murphy began the deployment by conducting training as part of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Hawaii to improve readiness and cohesion as a strike group.
Michael Murphy then conducted an 18-day joint mission with the U.S. Coast Guard in the Central and South Pacific under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) to combat transnational crimes, enforce fisheries laws and enhance regional security.
Following the OMSI mission, Michael Murphy linked back up with the strike group to conduct a routine security patrol in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, focusing on normalizing U.S. presence in the region.
Michael Murphy conducted several exercises with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).
Among the exercises was a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise. Sailors from ROK Gang Gam Chan (DDH 979) conducted a VBSS boarding aboard Michael Murphy. Michael Murphy VBSS members then boarded Gang Gam Chan to complete the exercise.
Over the five-month span, Michael Murphy executed port visits in Suva, Fiji; Honiara, Solomon Islands; Port Klang, Malaysia; and Guam. A group of Sailors also visited Funafuti, Tuvalu, for a community service event. Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sponsored tours and events were also offered, allowing Sailors to explore the ports and experience the culture of each location.
Commissioned Oct. 6, 2012, USS Michael Murphy is named after former U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan, June 28, 2005. He was the first person to be awarded the medal for actions in Afghanistan and was the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.