USS Halsey ( DDG - 97 ) USS " Halsey " ( DDG - 97 ) is an " Arleigh Burke " - class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy . " Halsey " is named in honor of Fleet Admiral William Frederick " Bull " Halsey Jr . " Halsey " was commissioned 30 July 2005 at Naval Air Station North Island , Coronado , California , under commanding officer Commander James L . Autrey . Built in Pascagoula , Mississippi , the ship and crew were completely certified and " surge ready " 17 January 2006 , nearly a year faster than previous DDGs . " Halsey " departed for her maiden deployment 6 August 2006 under her second commanding officer , Commander Pinckney . 2 November 2006 " Halsey " visited Kagoshima , Japan . That night , after a party for visiting local Japanese dignitaries , during which on - duty crew were drinking , there was a fire which damaged one of the main reduction gears . An incomplete report was filed and months later another fire and explosion brought to light the extent of the first fire . The ship ' s commander was relieved and the damage to the ship was $ 8 . 5 million . " Halsey " returned 24 December 2006 , having worked with the " Kitty Hawk " Carrier Strike Group and taking part in ANNUALEX . Commander Paul Schlise took command of " Halsey " March 2007 . Commander Robert Beauchamp took command of " Halsey " on 17 August 2008 . " Halsey " departed Naval Base San Diego for her second deployment on 4 May 2008 for a deployment to the Persian Gulf . After six months and numerous port visits " Halsey " returned home to San Diego on 3 November 2008 . " Halsey " , homeported in San Diego , was part of Expeditionary Strike Group assigned to deploy to the U . S . 5th Fleet area of operations to conduct maritime security operations ( MSO ) . MSO help develop security in the maritime environment , which promotes stability and global prosperity . These operations complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists ' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel , weapons or other material . " A sailor who died from a gunshot wound aboard the guided - missile destroyer " Halsey " is thought to have committed suicide , a navy spokesman said . Sonar Technician ( Surface ) 3rd Class Gregory Egan , 32 , of Ridgefield , Conn . , was shot on March 22 aboard the ship , which is undergoing maintenance at a San Diego shipyard . “ It appears from a preliminary examination that ( Egan ) was killed by a self - inflicted gunshot wound , ” Lieutenant Commander Bradley Fagan , a Naval Surface Forces spokesman in Coronado , Calif . , said Monday . “ There is no one else involved . ” Fagan said it may take a month for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to finish looking into Egan ’ s death . Egan ’ s mother had told the Danbury News - Times that he was shot in the head when another sailor ’ s weapon misfired . But navy officials sought to correct the impression that the sailor might have been shot by someone else . " On 18 January 2011 crewmember Petty Officer Dominique McNair Cruz was lost overboard from the ship in the Gulf of Oman and died . Her body was recovered the next day . On 25 January 2013 " Halsey " performed a hull swap with USS " Russell " and arrived at her new homeport , Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam on 14 February 2013 .