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US Navy - Guided Missile Destroyer DDG 65 - USS Benfold |
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| 07/25 | ||
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Type,
class: Guided Missile Destroyer - DDG; Arleigh Burke
class, Flight I Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA STATUS: Awarded: January 16, 1991 Laid down: September 27, 1993 Launched: November 9, 1994 Commissioned: March 30, 1996 IN SERVICE Homeport: forward deployed to US Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan Namesake: HM3 Edward Clyde Benfold (1931-1952) Ships Motto: ONWARD WITH VALOR Technical Data: see: INFO > Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - DDG |
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 Subic Bay, Philippines - January 2025  Philippine Sea - December 2024  undocking from Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - February 18, 2024  in dry-dock at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - January 2024  in dry-dock at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - January 2024  Dutch Harbor, Alaska - August 2023  Dutch Harbor, Alaska - August 2023  Dutch Harbor, Alaska - August 2023  Philippine Sea - November 2022  Philippine Sea - November 2022  off Korea - September 2022  firing an RIM-174 Standard Missile ERAM SM-6 during Exercise Valiant Shield - Philippine Sea - June 2022  firing an RIM-174 Standard Missile ERAM SM-6 during Exercise Valiant Shield - Philippine Sea - June 2022  Philippine Sea - June 2022  Philippine Sea - June 2022  Philippine Sea - June 2022  Mk.32 torpedo tubes exercise - Philippine Sea - May 2022  Mk.32 torpedo tubes exercise - Philippine Sea - May 2022  Mk.32 torpedo tubes exercise - Philippine Sea - December 2021  a Standard Missile SM-2 was fired during Exercise Pacific Griffin - Philippine Sea - July 2021  Mk.32 torpedo tubes exercise - Philippine Sea - March 2021  Sagami Bay, Japan - February 2021  helicopter operations - Sagami Bay, Japan - February 2021 April 2019 - February 2020: Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) at Yokosuka Naval Shipyard, Japan  USS Benfold was pulled into a dry dock at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - April 2019  Busan, Republic of Korea - October 2018  Philippine Sea - September 2018  Philippine Sea - June 2018  Philippine Sea - June 2018  Exercise Pacific Griffin, Pacific Ocean, off Guam - August 2017  Exercise Pacific Griffin, Pacific Ocean, off Guam - August 2017  Exercise Pacific Griffin, Pacific Ocean, off Guam - August 2017  Exercise Pacific Griffin, Pacific Ocean, off Guam - August 2017  Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - August 2017  a missile canister was removed from the aft Mk.41 VLS - Naval Base Guam, Apra Harbor - September 2016  Naval Base Guam, Apra Harbor - September 2016  Naval Base Guam, Apra Harbor - September 2016  Philippine Sea - September 2016  USS Benfold fires a RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2MR from her aft Mk.41 VLS during exercise Valiant Shield - September 2016  USS Benfold fires a RGM-84 Harpoon SM missile from the Mk-141 launcher during exercise Valiant Shield - September 2016  Qingdao, China - August 12, 2016  Naval Base Guam, Apra Harbor - March 2016  Yokosuka, Japan - January 1, 2016  arriving at her new homeport, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 19, 2015  arriving at her new homeport, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 19, 2015  arriving at her new homeport, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 19, 2015  arriving at her new homeport, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 19, 2015  arriving at her new homeport, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 19, 2015  departing San Diego, California for her journey to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 2, 2015  departing San Diego, California for her journey to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan - October 2, 2015  Pacific Ocean - September 2015  San Diego, California - February 2015 August 2013 - December 2014: Extended Selected Restricted Availability (E-SRA) at BAE Systems, San Diego and Naval Base San Diego  returning to Naval Base San Diego, California - January 11, 2013  during exercise Koa Kai 12-2 - Pacific Ocean - April 2012  during exercise Koa Kai 12-2 - Pacific Ocean - April 2012  San Diego, California - December 2011  USS Benfold fires a RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2MR during exercise RIMPAC 2010 - Pacific Ocean - July 2010  USS Benfold fires a RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2MR during exercise RIMPAC 2010 - Pacific Ocean - July 2010  USS Benfold alongside USS Sampson (DDG 102) - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - July 2010  arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - June 2010  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010  Pacific Ocean - June 2010  with Royal Bahraini fast attack craft Al Jabiri (PGGF 21) - 5th Fleet AOR - January 2010  Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, California - August 2009  USS Benfold (DDG 65) fires a Standard Missile during training exercise Stellar Daggers in the Pacific Ocean. Benfold engaged multiple targets with Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IIIA and modified SM-2 BLK IV missiles. The overall objective of Stellar Daggers was to test the Aegis system's sea-based ability to simultaneously detect, track, engage and destroy multiple incoming air and ballistic missile threats during terminal or final phase of flight. The Benfold's Aegis Weapons System successfully detected and intercepted a cruise missile target with a SM-2 BLK IIIA, while simultaneously detecting and intercepting an incoming short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) target with a modified SM-2 BLK IV. This is the first time the fleet has successfully tested the Aegis system's ability to intercept both an SRBM in terminal phase and a low-altitude cruise missile target at the same time - Pacific Ocean - March 26, 2009  Everett, Washington - May 2007  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - March 2007  departing San Diego, California - September 2006  Pacific Ocean - August 2003  Andaman Sea - January 2005  Central Control Station - Indian Ocean - January 2005  Pacific Ocean - December 2004  Pacific Ocean - August 2004  Pacific Ocean - July 2002  Pacific Ocean - July 2002  Persian Gulf - November 1997 Commissioned: San Diego, California - March 30, 1996 Launched: November 9, 1994 Laid down: September 27, 1993 |
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USS
Benfold (DDG 65): USS Benfold (DDG-65) was laid down on 27 September 1993 at Pascagoula, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Litton Industries; launched on 12 November 1994; sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy A. Waida, widow of the late HN3 Benfold; and commissioned on 30 March 1996 at San Diego, Calif., Cmdr. Mark E. Ferguson III in command. 30 Sepember 1996 -10 January 1997: Post-shakedown availability/drydock period, San Diego. 14 August 1997: After a year of systems trials and combat readiness inspections, Benfold departed for her first overseas deployment. October - December 1997: Boarded and searched 19 ships in support of MIO duties. (explain MIO) 29 April-1 July 1998: Selected Restricted Availability (SRA), San Diego. August-November 1999: MIO duties Arabian Gulf. 19 February-28 April 2001: SRA, Continental Marine, San Diego. (explain SRA) March 2001: Deployed with Constellation Battle Group; served as Theater Ballistic Missile Defense Commander while in CentCom AOR. May-July 2001: Boarded and searched 28 ships, including 3 non-compliant, and conducted six SAR ops; MIO duties in the Arabian Gulf. 2001: Participated in ex-John Paul Jones SinkEx. August 2001: Operated as Air Defense Commander for Battle Group during two-day exercise off China. 3-22 December 2001: Served as Pacific Northwest Air Defense Picket Ship (Operation NOBLE EAGLE). 16 April-22 May 2002: Readiness Availability, Continental Marine, San Diego. 3 April-1 May 2003: Paired with Higgins (DDG-76) for Commander, Naval Surface Forces Sea Swap experiment. Benfold crew flew to Higgins while in SRA at Singapore in Apr 2003; Higgins crew took over Benfold on 1 May 2003. 20 June-27 August 2003: SRA, Continental Marine, San Diego. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on 26 December 2004, triggering a tsunami across the Indian Ocean littoral that killed more than 230,000 people. Combined Support Force 536 coordinated Operation Unified Assistance, multinational relief efforts. United States naval forces often reached disaster zones before aid agencies, and aircraft delivered supplies and emergency responders to otherwise inaccessible inland areas. Benfold had deployed with the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Carrier Strike Group to the Western Pacific, and she came about from Hong Kong in company with aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and guided missile cruiser Shiloh (CG-67) and steamed to Indonesian waters. On 1 January 2005, four Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawks from Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 47 and some SH-60Fs and HH-60Hs of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (HS) 2, embarked on board Abraham Lincoln, began to ferry supplies from collection points in Sumatra to victims. Despite the health hazards posed by the collapse of services and unsanitary conditions, more than 300 Benfold crewmembers volunteered to help the victims of the tragedy. Helicopters flew Humanitarian Aid Relief Teams of eight sailors from Benfold into Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force Base near Banda Aceh each day, where the sailors toiled alongside international and military relief workers to unload humanitarian supplies from trucks and waiting helicopters that delivered aid to survivors in remote locations. Although several of the ships could support helicopter refueling, Benfold proved a popular refueling choice among aircrew because she operated close inshore while facilitating an embarked Naval Oceanographic Office hydrographic survey team engaged in remapping the waters affected by the tsunami. On average, the ship transferred about 155 gallons of fuel a day, accounting for more 14,500 gallons total. Reinforcements at times included amphibious assault ships Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) and Essex (LHD-2), Lockheed P-3C Orions of Patrol Squadrons (VPs) 4 and 8, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 11, four Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragons from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 15 Detachment 2, six Boeing Vertol CH-46E Sea Knights from Okinawa, two MH-60Ss from HC-5, embarked on board Military Sealift Command-manned combat store ship USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS-3), Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 352, and a USCG Lockheed HC-130H Hercules. Despite earthquake aftershocks those aircraft flew 1,747 missions, transported 3,043 passengers, and delivered 5.92 million-pounds of supplies to people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. On 3 February, Abraham Lincoln came about from Indonesian waters, and 11 days later the force ceased relief operations. Subsequent to Benfold’s participation in Unified Assistance, the guided missile destroyer participated in relief efforts closer to home when Santa Ana winds drove 23 wild fires across 12 southern Californian counties on 22 October 2007. Benfold joined other ships battling the infernos and evacuating people including aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), amphibious assault ships Boxer (LHD-4), Precommissioning Unit Makin Island (LHD-8), and Peleliu (LHD-5), amphibious transport dock Cleveland (LPD-7), guided missile cruiser Cape St. George (CG-71), guided missile frigates Thach (FFG-43) and Vandegrift (FFG-48). In addition, Marines evacuated more than 40 aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and all the armed forces aided civilian firefighters. Commander Maritime Strike Wing Pacific established the Helicopter Coordination Center at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, Calif. The center coordinated aircraft including a P-3C Orion from VP-46, Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons (HSCs) 3 and 85, SH-60Fs from HSs 4 and 6, SH-60Bs from HSL-45, USMC CH-46E Sea Knights and CH-53E Super Stallions from Camp Pendleton and Miramar, and a Bell UH-1N Iroquois from NAS Fallon, Nev. Other facilities including NAS North Island accommodated evacuees. The responders contained the fires by 3 November. Benfold took part in the Theater Ballistic Missile Defense Program during the 21st century. She detected and tracked multiple target missiles during Stellar Daggers, a multi-threat exercise in the eastern Pacific, 24-26 March 2009. The Third Fleet oversaw command and control while Benfold tested her Aegis system’s ability to engage multiple missiles on 26 March. The destroyer fired a Standard SM-2 Block IIIA surface-to-air missile that intercepted and splashed a cruise missile target, and simultaneously launched a modified SM-2 Block IV that shot down an incoming short range ballistic missile (SRBM) target. The event marked the first time that the fleet successfully tested the Aegis system’s ability to intercept both an SRBM in its terminal phase and a low-altitude cruise missile at the same time. Deployments: 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 - Persian 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 - present - U.S. 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan On November 19, 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. 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. 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. 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. source: wikipedia + USN |
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HM3 Edward Clyde Benfold (January 15, 1931 - September 5,
1952): Edward Clyde Benfold, born on 15 January 1931 at Staten Island, N.Y., to Edward and Glenys Benfold, graduated from Audubon High School, N.J., and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1949 at Philadelphia, Pa. He had recruit training at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill., and upon completing his instruction there in December 1949, attended the basic course at the Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes. He was then assigned to the Naval Hospital, Newport, R.I., advancing to Hospitalman 3rd Class on 12 August 1950 and then studying a four month course in neuropsychiatric nursing technic at the Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, graduating with the designation of Neuropsychiatry Technician. He continued to serve at Philadelphia until June 1951, when he was transferred to the Field Medical Service School at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Benfold married Dorothy A. Groff on 9 June 1951, and their union produced a son, Edward J. Designated Medical Field Technician the following July, Benfold was ordered to duty with the Fleet Marine Force, Ground, Pacific. Benfold returned to the United States in June 1952, for a month’s duty at the Marine Barracks, Camp Pendleton, Calif., and on 21 July 1952, rejoined the Fleet Marine Force, deploying with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, First Marine Division during the Korean War. The enemy fired heavy artillery and mortar barrages, and then a communist force estimated at a battalion in strength launched a massive assault on Benfold’s company on the night of 5 September 1952. The young Hospitalman 3rd Class bravely moved from position to position in the face of intense fire, treating wounded men and lending words of encouragement. Leaving the shelter of his sheltered position to treat the wounded when the enemy troops attacked both the front and the rear of the platoon area in which he worked, Benfold moved forward to an exposed ridge line where he observed two Marines in a large crater. As he approached the two men to determine their condition, an enemy soldier threw two grenades into the crater while two other communist soldiers charged the position. Picking up a grenade in each hand, Benfold leaped out of the crater and hurled himself against the onrushing enemy troops, pushing the grenades against their chests and killing both attackers. Mortally wounded while carrying out this heroic act, Benfold courageously saved the lives of both of the Marines. He received the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart posthumously, and was buried in Beverly National Cemetery, N.J. On 16 July 1953, Rear Admiral John H. Brown Jr., Commandant of the 4th Naval District, presented the Medal of Honor to Benfold’s son, Edward Joseph. source: US Naval History & Heritage Command Medal of Honor citation: >> For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Hospital Corpsman attached to a company in the 1st Marine Division during operations against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 5 September 1952. When his company was subjected to heavy artillery and mortar barrages, followed by a determined assault during the hours of darkness by an enemy force estimated at battalion strength, Petty Officer Benfold resolutely moved from position to position in the face of intense hostile fire, treating the wounded and lending words of encouragement. Leaving the protection of his sheltered position to treat the wounded when the platoon area in which he was working was attacked from both the front and rear, he moved forward to an exposed ridge line where he observed two Marines in a large crater. As he approached the two men to determine their condition, an enemy soldier threw two grenades into the crater while two other enemy charged the position. Picking up a grenade in each hand, Petty Officer Benfold leaped out of the crater And hurled himself against the onrushing hostile soldier, pushing the grenades against their chest and killing both the attackers. Mortally wounded while carrying out this heroic act, Petty Officer Benfold, by his great personal valor and resolute spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death, was directly responsible for saving the lives of his two comrades. Petty officer Benfold's exceptional courage, personal initiative, and selfless devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for others.” <<
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