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USS Benfold

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Port bow view of USS Benfold (DDG-65) underway in the South Pacific Ocean.
History
United States
NameBenfold
NamesakeEdward Clyde Benfold
Ordered16 January 1991
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down27 September 1993
Launched9 November 1994
Commissioned30 March 1996
HomeportYokosuka
Identification
MottoOnward with valor!
Honors and
awards		See Awards
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeArleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement
  • Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t)
  • Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length505 ft (154 m)
Beam59 ft (18 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)
Installed power3 × Rolls-Royce AG9130F (Allison 501-K34) (2.5 MW Each)
Propulsion2 × shafts
SpeedIn excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Sikorsky MH-60R

USS Benfold (DDG-65) is a Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is a multi-mission platform capable of anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) with the powerful Aegis Combat System suite and anti-aircraft missiles, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), with towed sonar array, anti-submarine rockets, anti-surface warfare (ASUW) with Harpoon missiles, and strategic land strike using Tomahawk missiles. Benfold was one of the first ships fitted with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and during the 2010 Stellar Daggers exercise was the first ship to simultaneously engage a ballistic missile and a cruise missile.[4]

Former Benfold commanding officers include Admiral Mark Ferguson, Admiral Michael Gilday, Vice Admiral Thomas H. Copeman III, and author D. Michael Abrashoff.[5]

Design, construction and improvements

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Benfold launches a Standard Missile (SM) 6 during the coordinated multi-domain, multi-axis, long-range maritime strikes against Ex-USS Vandegrift as part of Valiant Shield 2022 (VS 22).

Built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Benfold is the 15th of a planned 90 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. Named for posthumous Korean War United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient Hospital Corpsman Third Class Edward Clyde Benfold, she joined the U.S. Pacific Fleet for service on 30 March 1996.[6]

Equipped with the Aegis air-defense system and the Mark-41 Vertical Launch System for multiple types of guided missiles, Benfold is capable of defensive and offensive operations against warplanes, anti-ship missiles, surface ships, submarines, and shore targets. In addition to her missiles, she carries one 5-inch rapid-fire naval gun for action against surface ships and for shore bombardment. She also carries anti-submarine torpedoes, and two Phalanx CIWS anti-missile guns. She has a flight deck for MH-60R/S Seahawk Helicopters and is capable of refueling and re-arming these helicopters, but she does not have a hangar for storing and maintaining helicopters.

Modernization 2011

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Benfold conducts routine underway operations in the Philippine Sea, 24 June 2022.

In 2011, Benfold entered drydock at BAE Systems, San Diego to receive an extensive $32 million mid-life upgrade. The hull mechanical and electrical (HM&E) upgrades included a fully integrated bridge, improved machinery and damage control, quality of life improvements, an advanced galley, and commercial-off-the-shelf computing equipment.[7]

Modernization 2013

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In 2013, Benfold underwent extensive combat systems upgrades to include the installation of Aegis Baseline 9C, Ballistic Missile Defense version 5.0, A(V) 15 SONAR Suite, and also became Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) capable.

Service history

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Deployments

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  • 14 August 1997 to 19 February 1998 – Persian Gulf
  • 18 June 1999 to 17 December 1999 – Pacific Ocean/Persian Gulf
  • 13 March 2001 to 15 September 2001 – Gulf
  • 18 October 2004 to 1 March 2005
  • 13 September to 2006 13 March 2007
  • 4 May 2008 to 3 November 2008
  • 8 September 2009 to 16 March 2010
  • 15 June 2012 to 11 January 2013 – Persian Gulf
  • 2 October 2015 to present - U.S. 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan
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Change of command ceremony in front of Benfold's main gun, 2012

In 2012, Benfold was the first San Diego–based naval ship invited to participate in the Koa Kai naval exercises. Benfold conducted integrated flight operations, anti-surface and anti-submarine training, dynamic ship maneuvers, ballistic missile defense, small boat attacks and Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) utilizing the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team.[8]

Collision

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On 19 November 2017 Benfold was involved in a minor collision with a Japanese commercial tug off Sagami Bay. The tug lost power and drifted into Benfold, causing damage described as minimal, with some scraping to the ship's side. There were no injuries reported on either vessel; Benfold continued at sea, while the tug was towed to Yokosuka.[9]

Freedom of Navigation operations

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Benfold has conducted the following Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) in the South China Sea:

In 2022, Benfold was praised by Seventh Fleet leadership as an exemplar of good ship preservation.[15] On 6 August 2023, Benfold and three other destroyers responded to a joint Chinese-Russian patrol in international waters near Alaska. The Chinese–Russian flotilla left without incident.[16]

On 9 August 2023, the Navy announced plans to extend the ship's service life beyond the initial 35 years, intending to keep Benfold in service until at least 2036.[17] The Navy has announced plans to rotate Benfold to Everett, Washington, replacing her in Japan with USS Preble.

Awards

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Benfold has been awarded the Navy Battle "E" for the following years: 1997,[21][20] 1999,[21][20] 2001,[20] 2003 (listed as "BENFOLD DDG 76" on awards site, year of Benfold DDG-65 / Higgins DDG-76 "Sea Swap"),[20] 2004,[20] 2005,[20] 2007,[20][22] 2009,[20] 2018,[23] 2021, and 2022.

References

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  1. ^ "Mk46 MOD 1 Optical Sight System". Kollmorgen. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  2. ^ Rockwell, David (12 July 2017). "The Kollmorgen/L-3 KEO Legacy". Teal Group. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. ^ Hart, Jackie (17 December 2023). "Decoy Launch System Installed Aboard USS Ramage". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense". Missile Defense Agency. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  5. ^ Captain D. Michael Abrashoff: It's Our Ship. grandcentralpublishing.com. 27 June 2017. ISBN 9780446537063. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  6. ^ "GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER USS BENFOLD (DDG 65) COMMISSIONING CEREMONY AT BROADWAY PIER, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA". defense.gov. 28 March 1996. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  7. ^ NAVSEA (4 May 2011). "First Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers Successfully Complete Comprehensive Modernization Program". Archived from the original on 29 October 2011.
  8. ^ Cobb, ENS Daniel; Martin, ENS James (16 April 2012). "USS Benfold Completes Koa Kai 2012". Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  9. ^ "US warship and Japanese tug collide in latest incident". BBC News. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  10. ^ "China says it 'drove away' U.S. warship on anniversary of tribunal ruling". reuters.com. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Destroyer Performs FONOP, U.S. Navy Disputes Chinese Claim That It Ousted Warship". usni.org. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  12. ^ "7th Fleet Destroyer conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation in South China Sea". navy.mil. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  13. ^ "US destroyer sails past Chinese-held South China Sea islands". washingtonpost.com. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.(subscription required)
  14. ^ "US Navy challenges Chinese claims in South China Sea for second time in a week". cnn.com. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  15. ^ Mike, Glenn (21 August 2022). "Navy fights never-ending battle with nature, losing ships to rust and corrosion". Washington Times.
  16. ^ Yang, Maya (6 August 2023). "US dispatches warships after China and Russia send naval patrol near Alaska". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Navy extends service lives of four more destroyers". navytimes.com. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  18. ^ "USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL TROPHY". NAVADMINS/NAV2005/NAV05211. 29 August 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  19. ^ Abrashoff, D. Micheal. It's your Ship: It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, 10th Anniversary Edition. Grand Central Publishing, 2012.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "UNIT AWARDS FOR BENFOLD DDG 65". awards.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Benfold". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
  22. ^ Velazquez, MC2 Elena (4 March 2008). "COMNAVSURFOR Announces Winners of Battle "E"".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Surface Force Commander Encourages Continued Excellence to USS Benfold Crew". USS Benfold. navy.mil. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
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Public Domain This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

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