fleet.wikisort.org - Ship

USS Benfold (DDG-65) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy.

USS Benfold on 26 March 2001
History
United States
Name	Benfold
Namesake	Edward Clyde Benfold
Ordered	16 January 1991
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	27 September 1993
Launched	9 November 1994
Commissioned	30 March 1996
Homeport	Yokosuka
Identification	IMO number: 9457701 MMSI number: 338816000 Callsign: NECB Hull number: DDG-65
Motto	Onward with valor!
Honors and awards	See Awards
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement	Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t) Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length	505 ft (154 m)
Beam	59 ft (18 m)
Draft	31 ft (9.4 m)
Installed power	3 × Rolls Royce AG9130F (Allison 501-K34) (2.5 MW Each)
Propulsion	2 × Shafts
Speed	In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range	4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots (8,100 km at 37 km/h)
Complement	33 commissioned officers 38 chief petty officers 210 enlisted personnel
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPY-1D PESA 3D radar (Flight I, II, IIA) AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Flight III) AN/SPS-67(V)3 or (V)5 surface search radar (DDG-51 – DDG-118) AN/SPQ-9B surface search and fire-control radar (DDG-119 onwards) AN/SPS-73(V)12 surface search/navigation radar (DDG-51 – DDG-86) BridgeMaster E surface search/navigation radar (DDG-87 onwards) 3 × AN/SPG-62 fire-control radar Mk 46 Mod 1 optical sight system (Flight I, II, IIA) Mk 20 Mod 1 electro-optical sight system (Flight III) AN/SQQ-89 ASW combat system, consisting of: AN/SQS-53C sonar array AN/SQR-19 tactical towed array sonar (Flight I, II) TB-37U multi-function towed array sonar (DDG-113 onwards) AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III shipboard system
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suites AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures Mk 36 Mod 12 Decoy Launching Systems Mk 53 Nulka Decoy Launching Systems AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Buoys
Armament	Guns: 5-inch (127 mm)/54 Mk 45 Mod 1/2 (lightweight gun) 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × 25 mm Mk 38 Machine Gun System 4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns Missiles: 2 × Mk 141 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Launcher 1 × 29-cell, 1 × 61-cell (90 total cells) Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS): RIM-66M Surface-to-Air Missile RIM-156 Surface-to-Air Missile BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC Torpedoes: 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes: Mark 46 Lightweight Torpedo Mark 50 Lightweight Torpedo Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo
Aircraft carried	Flight deck can embark 1 Sikorsky MH-60R

Benfold is a multi-mission platform capable of AAW (Anti-Aircraft Warfare) with the powerful AEGIS combat systems suite and anti-aircraft missiles, ASW (Anti-submarine warfare), with towed sonar array, anti-submarine rockets, ASUW (Anti-surface warfare) with a Harpoon missile launcher, 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.[1]

Former Benfold commanding officers include ADM Mark Ferguson, ADM Michael Gilday, VADM Thomas H. Copeman III, and author D. Michael Abrashoff.[2]

Service history

Built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Benfold is the 15th of 76 planned 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.[3]

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 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

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.[4]

Naval exercises 2012

In 2012, USS 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.[5]

Modernization 2013

In 2013, USS 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.

Deployments

• 14 Aug 1997 19 Feb 1998 Persian Gulf
• 18 Jun 1999 17 Dec 1999 Pacific Ocean/Persian Gulf
• 13 Mar 2001 15 Sep 2001 Persian Gulf
• 18 Oct 2004 1 Mar 2005
• 13 Sep 2006 13 Mar 2007
• 4 May 2008 3 Nov 2008
• 8 Sep 2009 16 Mar 2010
• 15 June 2012 11 Jan 2013 Persian Gulf
• 2 Oct 2015 - TBD, U.S. 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan

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 the Benfold, causing damage described as minimal, with some scraping to the ship's side. No one was injured on either vessel; the Benfold continued at sea, while the tug was towed to Yokosuka.[6]

Freedom of Navigation Operations

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

• 12 Jul 2021 - Paracel Islands[7]
• 8 Sep 2021 - Spratly Islands[8]
• 18 Jan 2022 - Spratly Islands^{[citation needed]}
• 20 Jan 2022 - Paracel Islands[9]
• 13 Jul 2022 - Paracel Islands[10]
• 16 Jul 2022 - Spratly Islands[11]

Awards

• 2003–2004 – USS Arizona Memorial Trophy Award, for "superior performance in combat readiness and battle efficiency."[12]
• 1998 – Spokane Trophy[13][14]
• Navy Unit Commendation for 01-Oct-1997 to 30-Apr-1998[15]
• Meritorious Unit Commendation as a part of the Constellation Battle Group for 01-Jan-1999 to 10-Sep-2001[15]
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, for four separate time periods between October 1997 and August 2001[15]
• Humanitarian Service Medal for Operation Unified Assistance from 28-Dec-2004 to 12-Feb-2005[15]

USS Benfold has been awarded the Navy Battle "E" several times

• Calendar Year 1997[16][15]
• CY1999[16][15]
• CY2001[15]
• CY2003, listed as "BENFOLD DDG 76" on awards site, year of Benfold DDG-65 / Higgins DDG-76 "Sea Swap"[15]
• CY2004[15]
• CY2005[15]
• CY2007[15][17]
• CY2009[15]
• CY2018[18]

References

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.

External links

• Official website

На других языках

---

- [en] USS Benfold

---

[ru] USS Benfold (DDG-65)

USS Benfold (DDG-65) — эсминец типа «Арли Бёрк». Построен на верфи Ingalls Shipbuilding, приписан к морской станции Сан-Диего, штат Калифорния.

---

---