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USS James E. Williams (DDG-95)
Encyclopedia
USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Arleigh Burke class destroyer
The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the United States Navy's first class of destroyer built around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke, the most famous American destroyer officer of...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was named for Petty Officer 1st Class James Eliott Williams (1930–1999), a Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient.
USS James E. Williams was laid down on 15 July 2002 by the Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
Ship Systems at Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
in Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
and launched on 25 June 2003. On 11 December 2004, The USS James E. Williams was commissioned in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, sponsored by Elaine Weaver Williams, Petty Officer Williams' widow.
Commander Philip Warren Vance, a 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
took command. She joined the Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, Destroyer Squadron 22 and is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
.
On 17 February 2006, CDR Vance was relieved by CDR Ian Michael Hall as Commanding Officer of USS James E. Williams. CDR Hall is a graduate of William & Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
and the former commander of USS Raven
USS Raven (MHC-61)
USS Raven , an Osprey-class coastal minehunter, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the raven. The contract to build her was awarded to Intermarine USA in Savannah, Georgia on 31 March 1993 and her keel was laid down on 1 April 1995...
(MHC-61).
On 2 May 2006, The USS James E. Williams deployed on its maiden deployment as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06-2. The USS James E. Williams joined the Naval Station Norfolk, Va.,-based amphibious transport dock USS Trenton (LPD 14) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., which surged April 18 as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06-2. On 17 October 2006, The USS James E. Williams completed its first deployment conducting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
as part of the maritime security operations.
On 28 June 2007, CDR Hall was relieved by CDR Timothy R. Trampenau.
The USS James E. Williams deployed again on 9 July 2007 as a part of the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group. The strike group consisted of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and USS Stout (DDG 55); the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and the fast-attack submarine USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) all based in Norfolk, and also the fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) based out of Earle, NJ. On the morning of 30 October 2007, Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, based in Bahrain, received a call from the International Maritime Bureau, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, providing the status of the North Korean cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan, which had been taken over Oct. 29 by Somali pirates. The ship was approximately 60 nautical miles (111.1 km) northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia. At that time, The USS James E. Williams was about 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) from the vessel and sent a helicopter to investigate the situation. The USS James E. Williams arrived in the vicinity of the Korean ship midday local time and contacted the pirates via bridge-to-bridge radio, ordering them to give up their weapons. At that point, the Korean crew had confronted the Somali pirates, regained control of the ship and began communicating with the USS James E. Williams, requesting medical assistance. The crew said the pirates had been in control of the bridge, but the crew had retained control of the steering and engineering spaces. The USS James E. Williams crew provided care and assistance for approximately 12 hours to crew members and Somali pirates aboard Dai Hong Dan. Six pirates were captured and one was killed. The pirates remained aboard Dai Hong Dan. In November 2007, The USS James E. Williams aided the crew of the Taiwanese ship, M/V Ching Fong Hwa 168. After the Somali pirates returned to shore, the destroyer escorted the Taiwanese ship out of Somali waters and provided needed supplies and medical assistance.
On 19 December 2007, she returned from her second deployment to the Fifth Fleet AOR
Area of responsibility
Area Of Responsibility is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to a Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan , that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and conduct operations; for which a force, or component commander...
in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
In December 2008, CDR Trampenau was relieved by CDR Paul Marquis. After being relieved, CDR Trampenau reported to Deputy, Combat Systems Integration and OA Requirements Officer (N866B).
On 20 April 2009, James E. Williams left on her 3rd deployment in 3 years, deploying to the sixth and fifth Fleet areas of operations from Naval Station Norfolk as the lead element of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. The James E. Williams conducted maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf regions, and work with international maritime forces to ensure security and awareness in the maritime domain. She returned to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on 19 October 2009.
In December 2009, 1½ months after the ship returned to Norfolk from a six-month cruise to the Mediterranean and Arabian seas, nine crewmembers were given non-judicial punishment
Nonjudicial punishment
Non-judicial punishment in the United States military, is a form of military justice authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Non-judicial punishment or "NJP" permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial...
for fraternization
Fraternization
Fraternization is "turning people into brothers"—conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class as though they were siblings, family members, personal friends or lovers....
. Five of the nine were male chief petty officers while the other four were female junior enlisted sailors. The chiefs involved are being processed for separation from the Navy. In addition, the ship's skipper, Commander Paul Marquis, and top enlisted sailor, Command Master Chief Timothy Youell, were relieved of their positions and reassigned to shore-based administrative duties. Neither Marquis nor Youell are implicated in the fraternization cases or alleged sexual assault. Their failures are ones of leadership. Furthermore, one other crew member faced criminal charges for sexual assault. Marquis' Executive Officer Cmdr. Daniel Sunvold, who was serving as executive officer on the James E. Williams, has been reassigned to the same position on the destroyer Bainbridge. He has not been implicated in any of the allegations.
In December 2009 CMDR T.J. Linardi took command as Commanding Officer.