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USS Mason (DDG-87)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Mason.

USS Mason on 29 July 2008
History
United States
NameMason
NamesakeNewton Henry Mason
Ordered13 December 1996
BuilderBath Iron Works
Laid down19 January 2000
Launched23 June 2001
Commissioned12 April 2003
HomeportMayport
Identification
MottoProudly We Serve
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeArleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
Displacement9,200 tons
Length509 ft 6 in (155.30 m)
Beam66 ft (20 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75,000 kW)
Speedexceeds 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement380 officers and enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

USS Mason (DDG-87) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Black crewmembers who served on board USS Mason (DE-529) during the period of racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.[1]

This ship is the 37th destroyer of her class. Mason was the 21st ship of this class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and construction began on 19 January 2000. She was launched and christened on 23 June 2001. On 12 April 2003, a commissioning ceremony was held at Port Canaveral, Florida. She is currently homeported at the Naval Station Mayport in Mayport, Florida.

Etymology

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This is the third U.S. Navy warship with the name USS Mason. The first Mason (DD-191), in service from 1920 to 1941, was named for John Young Mason, well known for his service as the Secretary of the Navy for two American Presidents. The second Mason (DE-529) was named for Ensign Newton Henry Mason, a Naval Aviator who was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. This ship is named for the crew of the second Mason (DE-529), as this was the first ship in the US Navy with the distinction of having a predominantly black crew.[2]

Service history

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2004–2015

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Mason in the Persian Gulf, January 2005
The visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team receive a fish from a Yemeni fisherman
An MK-38 25 mm gun system is fired during a live-fire exercise
Mason in the Atlantic, 2011

USS Mason conducted her maiden deployment with the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2004. Mason returned home after six months on 18 April 2005.[3]

On 3 October 2006, Mason departed Naval Station Norfolk for a seven-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of the Global War on Terrorism. She participated in Exercise Neon Falcon. Mason returned home in May 2007.[4]

Mason deployed with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on 12 September 2008 for a scheduled deployment.[5] Mason made scheduled port calls in 2008-2009 to ports in Mykonos, Nice, Aqaba, Istanbul, Dubai, Bahrain, and Jebel Ali.[citation needed] Mason conducted operations in the Persian Gulf in support of operation enduring freedom.[citation needed]

On 12 March 2011, she sailed through the Suez Canal en route to the Mediterranean, to support possible humanitarian or military action in response to the Libyan Civil War.[6] In April 2011, a boarding team from the ship successfully liberated five Yemeni hostages from 11 Somali pirates who had taken over the Yemeni-flagged ship F/V Nasri. The pirates had seriously injured two other fishermen in their attack, left the wounded ashore, and then taken Nasri to sea as a pirate mothership. Assault weapons, ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, and launchers were destroyed by the boarding team.[7]

On 22 July 2013, she deployed to the 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet area of responsibility as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. Mason returned to her homeport on 18 April 2014.

On 7 November 2015, Mason, acting as the flagship for Destroyer Squadron 26, completed the first East Coast Passing Exercise with the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army-Navy ships.

2016 attacks off the coast of Yemen

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On 3 October 2016, following a guided missile attack by Houthi rebels on the United Arab Emirates-operated HSV-2 Swift, Mason was deployed off the coast of war-torn Yemen, along with destroyers USS Nitze and USS Roosevelt, and USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock being used as a forward landing base and laser test bed.[8] According to an unnamed U.S. Department of Defense official, the purpose for sending the ships was "to ensure that shipping continues unimpeded in the strait and the vicinity."[9]

On 9 October 2016, Mason, operating near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, was targeted by two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory. Both missiles fell short and crashed into the water.[10][11] The Houthi insurgency denied launching the attack on the warship.[12] The United States Naval Institute reported that Mason fired two SM-2 Standard missiles and one RIM-162 ESSM missile to intercept the two missiles, and deployed her Nulka missile decoy. One of two U.S. defense officials cited anonymously added that it was not clear whether the incoming missiles had been shot down or crashed into the water on their own.[13] This marked the first recorded instance of ship-based anti-air missiles being fired from vertical launching cells in combat in response to an actual inbound missile threat.[14]

On 12 October 2016 Mason was again targeted by missiles fired from Yemeni territory, while it was operating in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.[15] Mason was not hit by the two missiles, which were fired from near the southern Yemen city of Al Hudaydah.[15] While the Navy was not certain whether the first incoming missile was intercepted or instead just fell into the sea, officials said Mason successfully intercepted the second missile at a distance of about 8 miles (13 km),[16] marking the first time in history a warship destroyed an inbound anti-ship missile with a SAM in actual self-defense. On 13 October 2016, the U.S. attacked three radar sites in Houthi-held territory which had been involved in the earlier missile attacks, with cruise missiles launched from Nitze.[17] The Pentagon assessed that all three sites were destroyed.[18]

On 15 October 2016, Mason was targeted in a third attack by Houthi rebels based in Yemen, by five anti-ship cruise missiles while operating in the Red Sea north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Mason fired a radar decoy, an infrared decoy, and several SM-2 Standard missiles in response, either neutralizing or intercepting four of the five incoming missiles. The Navy reported the fifth incoming missile as neutralized by a radar decoy launched from Nitze, after Mason alerted her to the threat.[19]

2017–2022

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On 23 May 2017, Mason was awarded the 2016 Battenberg Cup, signifying she was the best all-around ship or submarine in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet based on crew achievements. Mason was only the fifth destroyer in the prior 111 years to receive the award.[20]

On 22 August 2022, Mason completed a homeport shift to Naval Station Mayport, in Jacksonville, Florida.[21]

2023 Israel-Hamas war

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On 14 October 2023, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and her carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser Philippine Sea, along with Mason and sister-destroyers Laboon and Gravely, to the eastern Mediterranean in response to Israel's war with Hamas.[22] This is the second carrier strike group to be sent to the region in response to the conflict, following aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and her group, which had been dispatched six days earlier.[23]

On 26 November 2023, Mason responded to a distress call from the commercial tanker Central Park, which was seized by gunmen in the Gulf of Aden. Five gunmen tried to escape on a fast boat, but were chased and eventually surrendered to a search and seizure team dispatched by Mason. Two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen towards the general direction of Mason and Central Park, but they landed about 10 nautical miles away from the ships, with no reported injuries or damage.[24]

On 6 December 2023, Mason shot down an air drone headed toward Mason from Yemen, which officials attributed to Houthi rebels, as it was in the southern Red Sea.[25]

After the Norwegian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Strinda, traveling from Malaysia and carrying a cargo of palm oil, was struck by an anti-ship cruise missile whilst passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait on 11 December 2023, Mason responded to the ship's distress call and rendered assistance.[26][27]

On 13 December 2023, Mason shot down in self-defense a drone launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, that was heading directly towards the Mason.[28][29] Mason was at the time responding to the distress call issued by the tanker Ardmore Encounter.[29] Houthi forces had unsuccessfully attempted to board the tanker on skiffs, exchanged fire with the ship’s armed guards, and then fired two missiles in the Ardmore Encounter’s direction, prompting the distress call.[29] The tanker was carrying jet fuel from India to the Netherlands and Sweden.[29]

United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)

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Main article: United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)
See also: 2024 missile strikes in Yemen

On 12 January 2024, Philippine Sea, Mason and Gravely fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Three, embarked on the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower also participated in the strikes.[30]

Coat of arms

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Crest

The shield has background of white with a double chevron across the center. Above are opposing lions and below is a gold trident. The traditional U.S. Navy colors were chosen for the shield because dark blue and gold represents the sea and excellence respectively. The colors red, white and blue represent the United States. The double chevron is to honor DD 191 and DE 529, the former ships named USS Mason. The facing lions, adapted from the Mason family coat of arms, denote the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns of World War II. The trident, symbol of sea prowess, represents Mason’s modern warfare capabilities which include the AEGIS weapon system (including Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System from theater ballistic missiles) and Cooperative Engagement Capability.

The crest consists of a helm, crossing swords behind and a combined anchor and cross surrounded by a wreath. The helm is symbolic to strong defense with power projection. The anchor refers to the namesake of DD 191, John Y. Mason, who was the Secretary of the Navy under President John Tyler and James K. Polk. The cross is in reference to Newton Henry Mason's Distinguished Flying Cross award. The wreath represents all the awards, honors and achievements of the past ships with the namesake Mason and crews who served them.

The motto is written on a scroll of white with a red trim. The ship's motto is "Proudly We Serve". The motto is in honor of the high achievement of the African American crew of DE-529 who made history with their selfless bravery in defense of the U.S. in World War II, and marks their contribution to the eventual desegregation of the U.S. Navy.

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 Mason" at the top and "DDG 87" in the base all gold.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "History". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  2. ^ "History of USS Mason". United States Navy. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Mason Conducts Maritime Operations in Persian Gulf". Navy NewsStand. Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  4. ^ Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Returns from Deployment Navy NewsStand Archived 13 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "USS Theodore Roosevelt Deploys in Support of Maritime Security". Navy NewsStand. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. ^ Libya Live Blog, 12 March. Al Jazeera Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "USS Mason Intercepts Pirate Mother-ship in Arabian Sea". Combined Maritime Forces. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  8. ^ LaGrone, Sam (4 October 2016). "Officials: 3 U.S. Warships Off Yemen Following Attack on UAE Ship". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  9. ^ Tomlinson, Lucas (3 October 2016). "U.S. warships sent to area where Iran-backed rebels attacked Saudi-led coalition ship". Fox News.
  10. ^ "US Navy ship targeted in failed missile attack from Yemen". CNBC. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Missiles Fired From Yemen Target U.S. Navy Ship in Failed Attack". Bloomberg. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  12. ^ Browne, Ryan; Crawford, Jamie (10 October 2016). "Yemen: Missiles target U.S. warship, Pentagon says". CNN. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  13. ^ LaGrone, Sam (11 October 2016). "USS Mason Fired 3 Missiles to Defend From Yemen Cruise Missiles Attack". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  14. ^ "U.S. Navy Successfully Thwarts Attack With First Engagement of Missile Defense System". Foxtrot Alpha. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  15. ^ a b LaGrone, Sam (12 October 2016). "Pentagon Pledges to Respond in 'Appropriate Manner' After New Yemen Missile Attack on USS Mason". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  16. ^ Copp, Tara (13 October 2016). "Aegis defense system helped stop missile attack on USS Mason". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  17. ^ Stewart, Phil (12 October 2016). "U.S. military strikes Yemen after missile attacks on U.S. Navy ship". Reuters. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Yemen conflict: U.S. strikes radar sites after missile attack on ship". BBC News. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  19. ^ Ziezulewicz, Geoff (3 November 2017). "Four ship crews receive Combat Action Ribbon". Navy Times. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  20. ^ "USS Mason Awarded Battenberg Cup". United States Navy. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Photos: The USS Mason arrives at Naval Station Mayport". 22 August 2022.
  22. ^ Raddatz, Martha; Martinez, Luis (14 October 2023). "Exclusive: US to send 2nd aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean". ABC News. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Statement From Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on U.S. Force Posture Changes in the Middle E". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  24. ^ Ali, Idrees; Stewart, Phil; El Yaakoubi, Aziz (27 November 2023). "Tanker in Middle East safe from attackers after U.S. Navy responds, officials say". Reuters. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  25. ^ Correll, Diana (6 December 2023). "USS Mason shoots down another air drone in the Red Sea". Navy Times.
  26. ^ Jon Gambrell (14 December 2023). "USS Mason Responds After Houthi Missile Strikes Norwegian-Flagged Tanker in Red Sea". Military.com.
  27. ^ "Missile Launched from Yemen Hits Tanker". www.voanews.com. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  28. ^ Danielle Wallace, Jennifer Griffin (13 December 2023). "US destroyer in Red Sea shoots down another Houthi drone". Fox News.
  29. ^ a b c d Papachristou, Harry (14 December 2023). "Houthi drone targeted US warship during Ardmore attack". TradeWinds | Latest shipping and maritime news.
  30. ^ Mongilio, Heather (12 January 2024). "Ike's Carrier Air Wing 3, USS Gravely, USS Philippine Sea and USS Mason Struck Houthi Targets". USNI News. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  31. ^ LaCrosse, Lenny (2 January 2018). "Recognizing the Best of the Fleet". Surface Warfare Magazine. No. 57. United States Navy. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  32. ^ "USS Mason Earns the Bloodhound Award".
  33. ^ "USS Mason Earns the Bloodhound Award".

Further reading

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