Destroyer Squadron 2 Destroyer Squadron 2 is a Destroyer squadron of the United States Navy . It is administratively part of Commander , Naval Surface Forces Atlantic . , the following destroyers are assigned to this squadron : , , , , , , and . Destroyer Squadron 2 is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Twelve . Interwar period . Following the end of World War I , the U . S . Navy possessed an unprecedented number of destroyers , increased dramatically with the war emergency program ships of the Wickes class destroyer and Clemson class destroyer – known collectively as " flush - deckers " that differed from previous destroyer types that had been distinguished by raised forecastle decks . Destroyer Squadron Two first appeared in the U . S . Fleet organization in the spring of 1919 , assigned to the Atlantic Fleet with USS Columbia ( C - 12 ) as its flagship . It comprised three destroyer flotillas , each composed of three six - ship divisions . The U . S . Pacific Fleet organization of 1 August 1919 lists Destroyer Squadron Two as a reserve force , the squadron flag in USS " Salem " . It consisted of Flotilla Ten , comprising Division 29 ( six ships ) , Division 30 ( three ships ) , and Division 31 ( six ships ) , and Flotilla Eleven , comprising six six - ship divisions ( 22 , 23 , 35 , 32 , 33 and 34 ) , nine of the latter ' s ships apparently under construction , with names not yet assigned , in that they are listed only by number ; some did not have commanding officers ordered to them . The ships were in caretaker status , an arrangement that continued into the summer of 1920 . By September 1920 , when the term " squadron " came into its present usage , Squadron Two returned to the U . S . Atlantic Fleet ' s Destroyer Force as part of Flotilla Three , and comprised three divisions ( 27 , 40 , and 41 ) of reserve destroyers . By New Year ' s Day 1921 , Division 27 was assigned to operate in European waters , as were two ships from Division 40 ( the rest remaining in reserve but with one ship — Overton ( DD - 239 ) - - actually assigned to Division 27 ) , and three from Division 41 ( the rest in reserve ) . A month later , however ( 1 February 1921 ) , the assignment table still carries Squadron Two under Flotilla Three , but with only one division of five ships assigned ( and one of them — Bainbridge ( DD - 246 ) - - still building ) and based at Charleston , S . C . Only three of the ships in that division , however , which was carried as being in reserve had been in that unit the previous month . The table of assignment of U . S . ships for 1 September 1922 carries only four active destroyer squadrons – Nine and Fourteen in the Atlantic Fleet and Eleven and Twelve in the Pacific — each squadron consisting of three six - ship divisions , with a flagship for each squadron . During 1922 , DesRon 2 ' s three divisions operated with 50 - percent crews as a result of post - World War I budget reductions . At that same juncture , a second table of that date [ 1 September 1922 ] , set forth the " general plan for the organization of the United States Fleet when the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets are united for combined operations , " including " the assignment of certain vessels not now in commission " lists Squadron Two as under Destroyer Squadrons , Scouting Force . Squadron Two in that [ hypothetical ] organization comprised Divisions Four , Five , and Six , each consisting of six ships , with a squadron leader . The unit was not homogenous , however , consisting of a mix of older destroyers such as Allen ( DD - 66 ) and the flush - deckers of the War Emergency Program . The Table of Organization for the United States Fleet for 1 April 1931 reflected the reappearance of Destroyer Squadron Two as part of Destroyer Flotilla Two , Destroyers , Battle Force , as part of the organization mandated in General Order No . 211 of 10 December 1930 . It also marks the appearance of four - ship , vice the six - ship , divisions that had existed through 1930 . Squadron Two , the flag in , at that point consisted of three divisions of flush - deckers : Division Four , consisting of Dent ( DD - 116 ) , Rathburne ( DD - 113 ) , Talbot ( DD - 114 ) and Waters ( DD - 115 ) ; Five : , Elliot ( DD - 146 ) , Lea ( DD - 118 ) , and Roper ( DD - 147 ) ; and Six : Aaron Ward ( DD - 132 ) , Buchanan ( DD - 131 ) , Crowninshield ( DD - 134 ) , and Hale ( DD - 133 ) . On 1 August 1932 , Division Six ' s four ships were placed in Rotating Reserve Squadron 20 , the Battle Force ' s first rotating reserve commission pool at Mare Island , Vallejo , California , replaced by Evans ( DD - 78 ) , Philip ( DD - 76 ) , Tracy ( DD - 214 ) and Wickes ( DD - 75 ) . By the following spring , the old Division Six that had been in rotating reserve became the new Division Four , while the rest of the squadron composition remained unchanged . Borie ( DD - 215 ) became the new squadron flagship by 1 July 1933 , relieved by the beginning of 1934 by Decatur ( DD - 341 ) while Squadron Two ' s three divisions went through Rotating Reserve Squadron 20 into the spring of 1935 , with essentially sixteen ships rotating through the squadron during that time . Between 1933 and 1935 , each of DesRon 2 ' s divisions took a turn spending six months pierside with a caretaker crew . With fiscal constraints , the rotating reserve system permitted the Fleet to conserve scarce manpower while keeping its destroyers as prepared as possible . By October 1935 , DesRon 2 gained another four - ship division , Division 19 . Ships of DesRon 2 participated in training exercises in 1936 , with Decatur and Roper joining the Battle Fleet on the west coast to participate in Fleet Landing Exercise ( FLEX ) No . 3 – part of a series of such evolutions carried out to develop amphibious warfare tactics . Destroyer Squadron Two was decommissioned at San Diego at the start of 1937 ( with Roper and Decatur going to Squadron Ten ) , to be re - equipped with new Mahan class destroyer s . By that point , DesRon 2 ' s new ships represented the pinnacle of American destroyer design . Unlike previous destroyer organization , where the squadron flagship was a sistership to those that made up the squadron , the new squadron flagship would be a different class of ship from those that made up the divisions . Under the reorganization of the fleet announced by Secretary of the Navy Claude A . Swanson on 26 May 1937 , effective 14 June 1937 , Squadron Two , under Destroyer Flotilla One , Destroyers , Scouting Force , U . S . Fleet , would consist of Division Three and Division Four , each consisting of four Mahan - class destroyers — DesDiv 3 : Drayton ( DD - 366 ) , Mahan ( DD - 364 ) , Flusser ( DD - 368 ) , and Lamson ( DD - 367 ) ; and DesDiv 4 : Cushing ( DD - 376 ) , Preston ( DD - 379 ) , Smith ( DD - 378 ) , and Perkins ( DD - 377 ) , with Porter ( DD - 356 ) , leader of the new class of " destroyer leaders , " serving as squadron flagship . Soon thereafter , ships of the newly reconstituted Squadron Two participated in the intensive search for the famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart [ Putnam ] , her navigator Frederick J . Noonan , and their twin - engine Lockheed 10 - E Electra that had disappeared en route to Howland Island . On 4 July 1937 , Lamson and Drayton from DesDiv 3 and Cushing from DesDiv 4 ( severe vibrations in her port high pressure turbine compelled Perkins to return to San Diego for a tender availability ) joined the carrier Lexington ( CV - 2 ) , with Capt . Jonathan S . Dowell , ComDesRon 2 , assuming command of the search group . Despite six days of efforts , however , often hindered by heavy squalls , 143 , 242 miles flown by the carrier ' s scout planes , and 151 , 556 square miles searched , the group turned up nothing . As Captain Dowell summarized the search : " No sign nor any evidence of the Earhart plane was discovered . " As the Fleet expanded as the world drifted toward war , inevitable changes occurred in fleet organization and employment while training proceeded during 1938 and 1939 . At the start of 1940 , Squadron Two still consisted of the flagship Porter and two divisions of four Mahan - class ships that had equipped the squadron since it had been reconstituted in early 1937 . When President Franklin D . Roosevelt retained the U . S . Fleet at Pearl Harbor , Territory of Hawaii , in the spring of 1940 , following the conclusion of Fleet Problem XXI , Squadron Two ' s destroyers began operations from that base . Troubled world conditions led to a cancellation of the Fleet Problem ( XXII ) scheduled for 1941 . Squadron composition again became homogenous during 1941 with nine Sims ( DD - 409 ) - class destroyers : Morris ( DD - 417 ) ( flagship ) , Sims , Hughes ( DD - 410 ) , Anderson ( DD - 411 ) , and Hammann ( DD - 412 ) formed DesDiv 3 , while Mustin ( DD - 413 ) , Russell ( DD - 414 ) , O ' Brien ( DD - 415 ) and Walke ( DD - 416 ) formed DesDiv 4 . Originally operating in the Pacific , the Sims - class ships that comprised Squadron Two were transferred to the Atlantic ( the movements highly secret , with the ships ' prominent black - shadowed white hull numbers , as well as the names in black letters at their sterns being painted out ) beginning in the spring of 1941 , basing upon Argentia , Newfoundland ; Iceland ; Narragansett Bay ; Casco Bay , Maine ; and Boston , Massachusetts . Initially , Squadron Two was assigned to Task Force 4 ( 1 April 1941 ) , then to Task Force 1 ( 1 July 1941 ) . That autumn , Squadron Two ' s ships escorted convoys in the North Atlantic , depth - charging suspected U - boat contacts . Second World War . Soon after war engulfed the U . S . Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor , however , Squadron Two ' s ships returned to the Pacific in December 1941 with the first carrier deployed to the Pacific , Yorktown ( CV - 5 ) , and operated with " The Mighty Y " in the Early Pacific Raids ( February – March 1942 ) , the Battle of the Coral Sea ( 4 – 8 May 1942 ) ( where Sims was lost ) , and the Battle of Midway ( 4 – 6 June 1942 ) ( where Hammann was lost while screening salvage operations of Yorktown ) . O ' Brien succumbed to torpedo damage in the wake of the torpedoing of Wasp ( CV - 7 ) in September , while Walke was lost in November off Guadalcanal . The first year of combat in the Pacific had thinned Squadron Two down to five ships – Morris , Anderson , Hughes , Mustin and Russell . Since before World War II , the first two ships of the ten - ship Benham ( DD - 397 ) class had operated in the Pacific , attached to DesRon 6 . Of those , Benham was lost in the same action as Walke . Ellet ( DD - 398 ) after a west coast overhaul in late 1943 , joined DesRon 2 on her return to the war zone , bringing its strength back to six ships . Meanwhile , DesDiv 15 — Benham - class destroyers Lang ( DD - 399 ) , Stack ( DD - 406 ) , Sterett ( DD - 407 ) and Wilson ( DD - 408 ) — had operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean with Wasp and , in June 1942 , escorted her to the Pacific . Wilson fought at the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942 and Sterett participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal in November , where she earned a Presidential Unit Citation . In the summer of 1943 , while DesRon 2 was dispersed with Hughes , Mustin and Morris operating in the Aleutian Islands , DesDiv 15 — less Wilson — under Commo . Rodger W . Simpson , formed Support Division A - 2 in Comdr . Frederick Moosbrugger ' s victory at the Battle of Vella Gulf . Ellet , Lang , Stack , Sterett and Wilson joined DesRon 2 later in the war . In 1944 , the five Sims - class veterans were combined into DesDiv 3 of DesRon 2 while the veteran DesDiv 15 was reassigned as DesDiv 4 . In 1943 and 1944 respectively , Roe ( DD - 418 ) and Wainwright ( DD - 419 ) were also transferred to the squadron from the Mediterranean where they , like Buck ( DD - 420 ) ( the 12th and last ship of the Sims class , lost in the Mediterranean ) , had served as squadron flagships . Although assigned to DesRon 2 in 1945 , those two ships never operated with it as a unit . Beginning in late 1943 , DesRon 2 participated in the Gilberts and Marshalls operations , where Anderson was hit by shore battery fire . Invasions of the Marianas , western New Guinea , Palau and the Philippines followed . In 1945 , the Okinawa campaign saw Anderson , Hughes , Morris , Sterett and Wilson suffering kamikaze damage , with the squadron ' s historical files being lost in flagship Morris when she was hit by a kamikaze . The combined record of the ships of DesRon 2 included 145 battle stars ( some earned while attached to other units ) including ten or more stars for all ships that survived the war . More than 450 of the squadron ' s men had died , however , and 175 had been wounded . Scrapping disposed of Lang , Sterett , Russell , Morris and Roe while Stack , Wilson , Hughes , Anderson , Mustin and Wainwright served as targets during Operation Crossroads , the Bikini atomic tests . There , while Anderson was sunk in Test Able on 1 July 1946 , Stack , Wilson , Mustin , Hughes and Wainwright survived both Tests Able and Baker . Scientists monitored the contaminated ships until 1948 , when they were scuttled by gunfire — Stack , Wilson , Mustin and Wainwright off Kwajalein in April and July , and Hughes , the last surviving member of the squadron , near California ' s Farallon Islands in October . Immediate postwar period . The post - World War II period was analogous to the post - World War I time , when the U . S . Navy ' s destroyer forces consisted of large numbers of wartime construction - program ships , at a time of demobilization . The Wickes and Clemson classes were to the 1917 - 1920 destroyer force what the Allen M . Sumner ( DD - 692 ) and Gearing ( DD - 714 ) classes were to the destroyer force of 1944 - 1946 . In January 1946 , DesRon 66 included Putnam ( DD - 757 ) ( flagship ) , Strong ( DD - 758 ) , Hugh W . Hadley ( DD - 774 ) , Willard Keith ( DD - 775 ) , James C . Owens ( DD - 776 ) , in Division 131 ; and the Zellars ( DD - 777 ) , Massey ( DD - 778 ) , Douglas H . Fox ( DD - 779 ) and Stormes ( DD - 780 ) , in Division 132 . DesRon 66 was then redesignated as DesRon 2 , composed of DesDivs 21 and 22 , and ordered to the Atlantic , where it came under Destroyers , Second Fleet . DesRon 2 ' s complement of 2 , 200 - tonners remained constant through the summer of 1946 , when Henley ( DD - 762 ) was reassigned from the Pacific Fleet , replacing Strong in DesDiv 21 . DesRon 2 conducted a cold weather cruise toward the end of that year ( 29 October - 9 November 1946 ) , departing Argentia and steaming up the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador , and then returning by way of the Strait of Belle Isle , the Gulf of St . Lawrence , and Cabot Strait . The operation , as Capt . Walter C . Ford , ComDesRon 2 ( additionally ComDesDiv 21 ) , noted later , " enabled the officers and men to become acquainted with a waterway which will be of great importance in any future war , both defensively and for convoy routing … " The ships encountered two severe storms , however , one with winds gusting up to 50 knots for 36 hours , the second with wind velocities of 56 knots that caused 60 degree rolls . Flagship Putnam incurred damage to the gunshield of Mt . 51 . The ships assigned to DesRon 2 remained constant through the autumn of 1949 , after which DesDiv 21 does not appear in the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Force , while DesDiv 22 remained intact at the start of 1950 . Soon thereafter , however , DesRon 2 received a new group of ships , 2 , 425 tonners : six of the nine being classified as " destroyer escorts " ( DDE ) . The new DesDiv 21 consisted of Fred T . Berry ( DDE - 858 ) , Keppler ( DDE - 765 ) , Norris ( DDE - 859 ) , McCaffery ( DDE - 860 ) and Harwood ( DDE - 861 ) ; DesDiv 22 consisted of Warrington ( DD - 862 ) , William M . Wood ( DD - 715 ) , William C . Lawe ( DD - 763 ) and Leland Thomas ( DDE - 764 ) . By 1 October 1950 , Harwood was reassigned to DesDiv 22 . Early in 1951 , however , the composition of DesRon 2 changed again ( to 2 , 200 tonners ) with DesDiv 21 becoming a six - ship division that included four destroyers and two radar picket destroyers ( DDR ) by 1 February : Barton ( DD - 722 ) , Soley ( DD - 707 ) , John R . Pierce ( DD - 753 ) , Strong ( back for a second tour in DesRon 2 ) Charles P . Cecil ( DDR - 835 ) , and Furse ( DDR - 882 ) . DesDiv 22 was composed of Allen M . Sumner , Moale ( DD - 693 ) , Ingraham ( DD - 694 ) and Robert K . Huntington ( DD - 781 ) . Further changes , however , occurred in the summer of 1951 . While DesDiv 21 remained largely unchanged , with Charles P . Cecil shifted to that unit but temporarily assigned to DesDiv 221 effective " about 20 August … " , DesDiv 22 was reconstituted with English ( DD - 696 ) , Hank ( DD - 702 ) , Wallace L . Lind ( DD - 703 ) and Borie ( DD - 704 ) ( the last - named ship carrying on the distinguished tradition of a former DesRon 2 flagship from the 1930s ) Korean War . With the onset of hostilities in Korea in 1950 , Atlantic Fleet destroyers were deployed to the Far East to augment the Pacific Fleet ' s destroyer forces . DesRon 2 ' s DesDiv 22 served between October 1950 and May 1951 ; DesDiv 21 between June and September 1952 ; only USS Charles P . Cecil did not deploy to the war zone , being temporarily assigned to DesDiv 22 from 21 when it deployed to Korea . DesRon 2 ' s ships served with distinction both as a part of Task Forces ( TF ) 77 and 95 , supporting shore bombardment , search and rescue , anti - submarine screening ( Hunter / Killer Groups ) , picket duty , and air - control missions . Its ships also provided anti - submarine screening for the carriers of TF 77 conducting raids against North Korean hydroelectric power stations on the Yalu River . Aircraft from the carriers Boxer ( CV - 21 ) , Bon Homme Richard ( CV - 31 ) , Princeton ( CV - 37 ) , and Philippine Sea ( CV - 47 ) took part in these massive raids in concert with U . S . Air Force planes . At the end of August 1952 , Barton joined DesDiv 21 in a hunter - killer antisubmarine training exercise off the east coast of Japan before rejoining TF 77 on 15 September . The tour proved brief , however , for , on the evening of the 16th , the destroyer struck a floating mine , the explosion tearing a 15 - foot by 25 - foot hole in the starboard side , completely flooding the forward fireroom and killing five men and wounding seven of those on watch there . Fast and effective action by the repair parties kept Barton afloat and enabled her to reach Sasebo on 20 September where she made temporary repairs . Charles P . Cecil , meanwhile , was returned to DesDiv 21 in the spring of 1953 , but by the summer had been reassigned out of DesRon 2 entirely . DesRon 2 ' s composition remained unchanged during 1954 , with DesDiv 21 – Barton ( flag ) , Soley , and Strong , joined by the radar picket destroyer Stickell ( DDR - 888 ) , visiting Durban , Natal , Union of South Africa ( 3 – 8 July ) , then Cape Town ( 10 – 12 July ) before heading for South America , after a deployment with the 7th Fleet . The same four ships visited Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ( 22 – 25 July ) , then Recife ( 28 – 29 July ) after which they proceeded to Port of Spain , Trinidad . Training exercises and Atlantic Fleet maneuvers out of Norfolk , generally operating in the Virginia capes area and the West Indies , followed as the composition of DesRon 2 remained constant during 1955 and into 1956 . Hunter - killer antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) training prepared the ships to return to the Mediterranean . The ships participated in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) Exercise Whipsaw , after which Barton and Soley steamed to Port Said , Egypt , to transit the Suez Canal and proceed into the Persian Gulf for a routine six - week patrol with the Middle East Force . On 29 October 1956 , Barton and Soley started south from the vicinity of Abadan , Iran , to leave the gulf , circumnavigate the Arabian Peninsula , and retransit the Suez Canal . Hostilities broke out that same day between Israel and Egypt , however , over Egypt ' s nationalization of the canal . The war closed the waterway , and subsequent international military action prompted Egypt to block it with sunken ships . Meanwhile , Barton and Soley anchored in Sitrah Harbor , Bahrein , and stood by in case a need arose to evacuate Americans from the region . Operating from Bahrein , Barton spent the next two months anchored at night and conducting tactical and gunnery drills by day . Finally , on 12 December , the destroyer received orders directing her around the Cape of Good Hope to Norfolk , where she tied up on 5 February 1957 . DesRon 2 continued to operate with the same ships into 1958 . Following a period of upkeep , Barton prepared to put to sea on 14 March , and soon thereafter she , along with USS William M . Wood ( DD - 715 ) received orders to escort the guided missile heavy cruiser USS Canberra ( CAG - 2 ) as she carried President Dwight D . Eisenhower to Bermuda to confer with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan . Barton carried members of the press to the ceremony and stood guard with William M . Wood at the entrance to the harbor . The destroyer then conducted ASW patrol and spent time in Norfolk in upkeep before going into drydock in Newport News for hull repairs . Barton exited Chesapeake Bay on 1 July and set out for yet another Mediterranean cruise . After several weeks of training operations with NATO forces and other units of the 6th Fleet , Barton anchored in Port Said on the night of 20 September . The following day , she and Soley transited the Suez Canal together once again and then headed to the Persian Gulf for a month of operations with the Iranian Navy . In November 1958 , Barton ( DesRon 2 flagship ) , along with Soley and John R . Pierce , visited the Mediterranean , mooring briefly at Gibraltar as well as at Taranto , Italy , where , while entering port , the oiler Nantahala ( AO - 60 ) , accompanying DesRon 2 and the attack carrier Randolph ( CVA - 15 ) , rescued an Italian fisherman from his boat suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage . La Gazzetta Del Mezzogiorno , Bari ' s provincial newspaper , published a laudatory article concerning the rescue . As the new year 1959 began , DesRon 2 was still operating under the operational control of Commander , 6th Fleet , with John R . Pierce and Soley having worked round - the - clock through Christmas of 1958 and New Year ' s Day of 1959 , endeavoring to prevent the sinking of the Panamanian - flag tanker Mirador following an on board explosion and fire at Iskenderun Bay , Turkey ; DC2 John L . King , from Soley ' s damage control party , perished in the battle with the flames , but the destroyermen managed to quell the fires . A second outbreak of fire on board Mirador in mid - January , however , caused another explosion that eventually claimed the ship , and in the process set afire the Turkish salvage vessel Imroz , that Soley saved when her firefighters made quick work of the flames . In February 1959 , after a strong storm with 70 miles - per - hour winds suddenly arose off the Arabian coast , sinking several small fishing craft , Strong sped to the scene and searched those waters for over 24 hours , eventually rescuing 13 local fishermen . With all eight ships in the squadron in one place for the first time since the 1958 - 1959 Mediterranean deployment began , DesRon 2 gathered at Gibraltar on 28 March 1959 to begin the homeward voyage . Returning to the United States on 8 April 1959 , the squadron lost Strong to DesRon 32 , and received no replacement , making DesRon 2 a seven - ship squadron . From that point through June , DesRon 2 ' s ships underwent needed maintenance , with an interim yard availability assigned concurrently with a tender availability . The first squadron to " feel the full effect of the change in policy lengthening the overhaul cycle to three years , " with " budget slashes , antiquity , rapid turnover of key [ people ] and reduced manning levels " magnifying maintenance problems . " Keeping our ships in fighting trim and ready for all commitments , " one observer noted , " now , more than ever before , requires all - out effort and cooperation from all hands at all times . " Soon thereafter , ships from DesRon 2 were assigned to the operational control of Commander Antisubmarine Defense Force , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , which conducted Hunter - Killer ( HUK ) operations with the antisubmarine warfare support carrier . In those exercises , DesRon 2 destroyers acted as the coordinating unit of a team that included fixed - wing aircraft and helicopters , to test new attack and screening methods against conventional and nuclear - powered submarines . " Tomorrow , " one observer wrote , " in the event of an all - out war , we must fight with the weapons we have today , not those on the drafting boards . " While destroyermen admitted that " the nuclear - powered submarine has the edge in the contest , our assignment is to dull this edge and eventually gain the upper hand . " After spending 1960 operating with Task Group ALFA , DesRon 2 undertook training both at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and Norfolk , Virginia , where ships also underwent overhaul in 1961 , and operated in support of Project Mercury space shot operations . In addition , Soley proceeded to the waters off the Dominican Republic , in readiness to evacuate Americans if unrest should arise in the wake of the assassination of Rafael Trujillo , as did Borie and Wallace L . Lind , after which the latter two ships " chased [ Project ] Mercury shots … and a myriad of other assignments . " On 9 September 1961 , the Norfolk , Va . , based Barton , Soley , John R . Pierce , English , and Hank proceeded to the Mediterranean to operate with the Sixth Fleet , leaving Borie and Wallace L . Lind in Norfolk , where they began Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM ) II conversions on 21 November and 22 December , respectively . The Mediterranean deployment involved fleet exercises as well as visits to liberty ports including Suda Bay , Crete ; Piraeus , Greece ; Naples and Genoa , Italy , and Monte Carlo , Monaco . Following her refresher training at Guantanamo Bay , the Fletcher ( DD - 445 ) - class Wren ( DD - 568 ) , assigned to the squadron on 1 October 1961 , joined the squadron for its Mediterranean deployment in January 1962 , and returned to Norfolk with the squadron on 31 March 1962 ; she would remain assigned to DesRon 2 until 9 July , when she sailed to enter the Reserve Fleet at Galveston , Texas . Remaining briefly in port , the squadron – minus Borie and Wallace L . Lind – took part in an amphibious demonstration for President John F . Kennedy at Onslow Beach , North Carolina . Resuming Mercury shot recovery operations , John R . Pierce recovered the Aurora 7 capsule after a helicopter from USS Intrepid ( CVS - 11 ) had retrieved astronaut Lt . Comdr . M . Scott Carpenter , on 24 May 1962 off Puerto Rico . Cuban Missile Crisis to 1990s . With the onset of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the autumn of 1962 , DesRon 2 , commanded by Capt . George R . Reinhart , departed Norfolk for the Caribbean along with much of the Atlantic Fleet . There , the squadron performed myriad tasks that included support for carrier operations , ASW support for ServLant and PhibLant units , escort duty for ships evacuating Americans from Guantanamo Bay , and filling the quarantine line . John R . Pierce , along with sistership USS Joseph P . Kennedy , Jr . ( DD - 850 ) , boarded and inspected the Lebanese - flagged freighter Marucla , contracted by the Soviet Union to carry cargo to Cuba , the first vessel boarded after imposition of the quarantine , on 26 October 1962 . When the crisis abated , English and Hank returned to Norfolk on 27 November and the rest of DesRon 2 during the first week of December . From 1963 to 1966 , DesRon 2 carried out Operation Springboard training as part of Anti - Submarine Warfare Forces , Atlantic Fleet . DesRon 2 also deployed to the Mediterranean during these years . Organizationally , Richard E . Kraus ( DD - 849 ) joined DesDiv 21 , Borie was reassigned to DesDiv 21 , while USS John R . Pierce was reassigned to DesDiv 22 on 1 January 1963 . Soon thereafter , in March 1963 , Barton , John R . Pierce , Soley , English , and Hank operated under the Commander Mid East Force while serving in the Red and Arabian Seas as well and the Indian Ocean . In April , Wallace L . Lind participated in the unsuccessful search for the submarine Thresher ( SSN - 593 ) , then on 13 June broke the flag of Admiral Harold Page Smith , Commander in Chief , Atlantic Fleet , as he observed the firing of a Polaris missile from the fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Lafayette ( SSBN - 616 ) . At the end of a Mediterranean deployment in August 1963 , Barton and Borie made a goodwill tour of the Baltic Sea to support Vice President Lyndon B . Johnson ' s Scandinavian tour . The destroyers held " open ship " for general visiting at Copenhagen , Denmark , and Helsinki , Finland , before heading home on 10 September , proceeding via the Kiel Canal , Portsmouth , England , and the Azores . Meanwhile , Furse joined the squadron upon completion of her FRAM I conversion ( 15 September ) ; Hank and English were transferred to the Reserve Fleet on 1 October ; and Richard E . Kraus , upon completion of her FRAM I conversion that had begun on 30 June at Boston , rejoined on 15 October . During 1964 , Blandy ( DD - 943 ) , Steinaker ( DD - 863 ) , Murray ( DD - 576 ) and Robert A . Owens ( DD - 827 ) were assigned to DesRon 2 , enlarging its complement to ten ships , each division composed of five ships : DesDiv 21 with Blandy , Borie , Barton , Rich ( DD - 820 ) and Steinaker ( DD - 863 ) ; DesDiv 22 with Furse , Murray , Wallace L . Lind , John R . Pierce and Robert A . Owens . On 26 May 1965 , the squadron sailed to participate in the Project Gemini GT - 4 Recovery Mission , after which it stopped in Lisbon , Portugal . Aside from cruises , the squadron continued training operations , including exercise Straight Laced , a NATO ASW / Strike exercise . Most of DesRon 2 ' s resources were devoted to training ships in anti - submarine warfare in 1967 . During the January Mediterranean transit , Steinaker surfaced a Soviet Foxtrot - class submarine . With six of nine squadron ships deployed to the Mediterranean , ComDesRon 2 functioned as a part of the Gold Group of TF 60 , the fast carrier attack force of the Sixth Fleet . The squadron engaged in training with four other navies , but led the second annual Spanish - American bilateral exercise , dubbed SpanEx 1 - 67 . Returning home afforded opportunities to conduct low flyer recognition and satellite reconnaissance training . The next year , 1968 , saw DesRon 2 ' s temporary transfer to the Western Pacific ( WestPac ) , when the squadron – Blandy ( DD - 943 ) , Rich ( DD - 820 ) , Borie and Steinaker — was ordered to Vietnam to operate with the Seventh Fleet . Its first division arrived at Subic Bay , Republic of the Philippines , on 6 May and the second division on 20 May . On 11 May , Blandy with Capt . Frank C . Dunham embarked , cleared Subic Bay , and arrived off the I Corps area , Vietnam . There Capt . Dunham assumed command of all naval gunfire support operations by allied forces for the entire coast of South Vietnam . In addition , ships of DesRon 2 took part in Operation Sea Dragon , providing suppression fire against North Vietnamese coastal defense gun sites . DesRon 2 concluded combat responsibilities associated with its WestPac deployment on October 1 . After leaving Subic Bay , the integrity of each of DesRon 2 ' s divisions was disrupted , and the squadron failed to reunite until its return to Norfolk in November . While in Vietnam , DesRon 2 tallied over 350 killed of the enemy , over 2 , 300 military structures damaged or destroyed , and over sixty major caliber enemy weapons silenced . Rich exemplified the other aspect of the work of the ships of DesRon 2 , when she steamed to Yankee Station , where , from 13 May to 20 July 1968 she provided escort and plane guard services for four successive attack aircraft carriers : Bon Homme Richard ( CVA - 31 ) , Enterprise ( CVAN - 65 ) , Constellation ( CVA - 64 ) , and Ticonderoga ( CVA - 14 ) in Tonkin Gulf . The squadron was restructured in July 1969 as part of a reordering within the Cruiser - Destroyer Force . All ships , except Robert A . Owens ( DD - 827 ) were transferred from DesRon 2 to other squadrons , and the new squadron ' s DesDiv 21 comprised guided missile frigate Dahlgren ( DLG - 12 ) , John W . Weeks ( DD - 701 ) , Mullinnix ( DD - 944 ) and Richard P . Leary ( DD - 879 ) that spend the rest of the year in Norfolk for leave , upkeep , and availabilities . The following year , 1970 , DesRon 2 participated in extensive training , first , in the Caribbean for RIMEX IV - 70 , and later in the Mediterranean where , as part of TF 60 , it conducted Exercise National Week in the Ionian Sea . While in the Mediterranean , the squadron distinguished itself in responding to the Fedayeen hijacking of four airliners to Jordan that endangered American citizens in Jordan , and received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its action on that contingency mission . After ComDesRon 2 planned with the ComPhibLant and Hellenic Destroyer Squadron staffs for the NATO Exercise Deep Express / Deep South , the squadron returned to Norfolk on 17 November . It passed most of 1971 training either in Norfolk or in the Caribbean , the latter engaged in Springboard operations , before embarking on another Mediterranean deployment on 1 December . Under the flagship , guided missile cruiser Harry E . Yarnell ( DLG - 17 ) , DesRon 2 began 1972 by sailing from Valencia , Spain , to intercept , follow , and gather intelligence on Soviet warships in the Western Mediterranean as part of Bystander Operations . The squadron participated in National Week Operations in February , and when a special operation was cancelled , moored at Athens for Administrative and Material Inspection . After visiting Italy and Monte Carlo , the squadron returned to Norfolk on 29 June 1972 , and commenced a standdown . In 1973 , Richard E . Byrd resumed Springboard operations in the Puerto Rico operating areas before sailing for extended operations with the Sixth Fleet to the Mediterranean , where she remained until 1 December due to the tensions incident to the Yom Kippur War . Other ships engaged in training exercises or remained at Norfolk . The squadron ' s actions through 1973 were of a similar variety , including Atlantic Fleet Readiness exercises in the Puerto Rico operating area as well as a deployment to the Mediterranean in November for duty with the Sixth Fleet . In November , ComDesRon 2 participated in Operation Quick Draw with Italian Navy units , and the next month , took part in National Week XVI , before spending the holidays in Barcelona , Spain and returning to Norfolk on 15 May 1975 . The squadron passed the summer of 1975 in Norfolk , before it conducted SXTEX 2 - 76 and COMPTUEX 2 - 76 exercises in September in Norfolk and off the Virginia capes , and following a successful MISSILEX operation , remained in Norfolk until the end of the year . As it entered 1976 , ComDesRon 2 embarked in McCandless , shifted his pennant to Mitscher , and assisted with the major NATO exercise , Safe Pass ' 76 ( 6 – 24 March ) . In May , DesRon 2 participated in the Joint U . S . exercise , Solid Shield , and in July , proceeded to Rota , Spain for duty with Commander Carrier Group 2 and Commander Sixth Fleet . While deployed , DesRon 2 took part in ASW Week exercises as well as National Week XXI ( 23 August - 24 September ) . Participating in further ASW exercises and visiting ports in Italy , France , and Spain , it remained in the Mediterranean for the remainder of the year , and , on 30 December , set out to conduct surveillance operations in the Gulf of Sollum off the United Arab Republic and Libyan littorals . After completion of that work and brief port visits in Spain , DesRon 2 returned to Norfolk for upkeep , but returned to Europe in June for a month long tour , labeled Exercise Silver Jubilee , the multinational exercise coinciding with celebrations for Queen Elizabeth ' s 25 - year reign . In April 1978 , DesRon 2 became one of six non - deploying readiness squadrons . At the start of the year , DesRon 2 consisted of six guided missile destroyers , three frigates , three Spruance ( DD - 963 ) - class destroyers and Dupont ( DD - 941 ) . A reorganization of the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer squadrons on 4 April gave DesRon 2 an administrative disparate complement of 16 ships , a number lessened by one with the decommissioning of Mitscher ( DDG - 35 ) on 1 June . By year ' s end , the squadron included : guided missile destroyers John King ( DDG - 3 ) , Lawrence ( DDG - 4 ) , Claude V . Ricketts ( DLG - 5 ) , Barney ( DDG - 6 ) , Conyngham ( DDG - 17 ) , Richard E . Byrd , Farragut ( DDG - 37 ) , Coontz ( DDG - 40 ) , King ( DDG - 41 ) , Dahlgren ( DDG - 43 ) , the frigates McCloy ( FF - 1038 ) and Glover ( AGFF - 1 ) , destroyers Dupont and Blandy ( DD - 943 ) and guided missile frigate Richard L . Page ( FFG - 5 ) . ComDesRon 2 provided support for the ships under his administrative control as immediate unit commander , and served as chief inspector for nuclear weapons acceptance inspections , Navy technical proficiency inspections , embarked in various ships to observe operational propulsion plant inspections , visited assigned ships undergoing overhauls in remote locations to monitor progress of the work , and carried out at - sea operational readiness inspections of various units . In June 1982 , ComDesRon 2 Anti - Air Warfare Tactics Board was established to serve as a forum for tactical dialogue . The following year the squadron introduced the Personnel Training Initiatives Program in order to provide its ships with additional means for training key people . Focusing on three areas , these training initiatives sent undesignated seamen and firemen to Class " A " schools on returnable quotas , transferred Second Class Petty Officers and those of higher rank for temporary additional duty with Fleet Training Group at Guantanamo Bay for four to six weeks , and cross - decked E - 5 ' s and above to ships undergoing refresher training . The training program met with encouraging results . Continuing its training efforts over the next three years , ComDesRon 2 served as Chief Inspector for Nuclear Weapons Acceptance Inspections , Navy Technical Proficiency Inspections , Type Commander 3M and Supply Management Inspections , and increased the number of Command Inspections it conducted overall . ComDesRon 2 retained its role as CINTEX Coordinator for the Norfolk waterfront . In order to enhance training , new initiatives were implemented , including the integration of MUTTS ( Multi - Units Tactical Training System ) , ULQ - 13 Countermeasures Signal Stimulator Vans , and U . S . Air Force AWACS assets into formal CINTEX Training scenarios . The next year , NTISA DET , FLETCCORGRU 2 , and NAVSECGRU were included . Furthermore , efforts to integrate inter - service participation within CINTEX were introduced . These included participation by the AWACS assets and Coast Guard ships , as well as foreign warship participation during Norfolk port visits . And for her work in 1984 , Preble earned the Arleigh Burke Award Trophy for displaying the greatest improvement in Battle Efficiency within the Atlantic Fleet . The CMS QuickLooks program , which provided for one - day notice CMS quicklooks on board squadron units was continued , and , on 10 December 1986 , CinCLantFlt Inspector General ' s office conducted a surprise command security inspection of CDS - 2 Staff and attached ships , of which ComDesRon 2 had the best seen security program to date . In 1989 , ComDesRon 2 was assigned as OTC for Type Commander ' s Core Training Exercise , and was home - ported in Charleston , South Carolina . In September , the squadron ' s training in the Puerto Rican Operating area ended abruptly as Hurricane Hugo thrashed St . Thomas , St . John , and Puerto Rico . ComDesRon 2 assumed on scene commander for relief efforts , for which the squadron was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal in February 1991 . The unit also assumed waterfront in - port training responsibilities for all Cruiser - Destroyer Group 8 units . CINTEX exercises also occurred with an emphasis on Basic Command and Control . Over the next two years , DesRon 2 provided material , administrative , and operational support to the ships under its direct administrative control including units temporarily assigned from Cruiser - Destroyer Group 8 . As a training agent for Commander , Cruiser - Destroyer Group 8 , ComDesRon 2 conducted weekly waterfront in - port training in Radio / Combat Information Center and Visual Communication . In addition , specific ASW , convoy , amphibious warfare , and Anti - Surface Warfare exercises occupied the unit ' s time . Besides participating in these and other training exercises , ComDesRon 2 acted as Regional Training Conference Board Chairman for team trainers managed by ComTraLant . Post Cold War . DesRon 2 experienced dramatic changes in 1992 . As a result of the Navy ' s reorganization and downsizing plans , Destroyer Squadron 10 was decommissioned on 1 September , and DesRon 2 absorbed its Spruance ( DD - 963 ) and Kidd ( DDG - 993 ) - class destroyers and Arleigh Burke ( DDG - 51 ) - class guided missile destroyers , raising the number of classes maintained and trained by DesRon 2 to five . As part of that realignment , ComDesRon 2 also assumed the title of Commander , Naval Surface Group Norfolk ( ComNavSurfGru ) . With that added responsibility , DesRon 2 provided the oversight for the manning , material , and readiness for all cruisers and destroyers home - ported in Norfolk . As training agent for ships based there , ComDesRon 2 led bi - weekly waterfront in - port training in both Radio / Combat Information Center and Visual Communications , coordinated mutual training exercises between surface and subsurface units with bi - weekly mutual training meetings , and served as Training Conference Board Chairman for team trainers managed by ComTraLant . Throughout 1993 and 1994 , with the arrival of three new Arleigh Burke - class destroyers , DesRon 2 expanded to include 18 ships . In the Commander Naval Surface Group capacity , the command swelled to a total of 32 ships as a result of the commissioning of new ships as well as homeport shifts in accordance with the Base Realignment and Closure decisions . In addition to its 1994 routine deployments to the Mediterranean , Caribbean , and North Atlantic , the squadron assisted in Haiti as a part of Operation Support Democracy and conducted Cuban migrant rescues during Operation Able Vigil . Other missions that year included a deployment to the Adriatic where the unit conducted both surface and air surveillance against the former republic of Yugoslavia in compliance with United Nations Sanctions , Maritime Interdiction Operations to enforce United Nations Sanctions against Iraq in the Northern Red Sea and Persian Gulf , and UNITAS XXXV with South American allies . In June 1995 , as part of the Navy ' s new " Forward … from the Sea " missions , the Atlantic Fleet ' s surface combatant ships were reorganized into six core battle groups , nine destroyer squadrons and a new Western Hemisphere Group . The squadrons were assigned to the battle groups on a rotational basis , depending on where they are in their maintenance and deployment cycles . DesRon 2 , formerly a non - deploying readiness squadron , was disestablished , and converted to a Sea Duty command with a new staff and four permanently assigned ships : USS Arleigh Burke , destroyers and Deyo ( DD - 989 ) , and the guided missile frigate . Those restructurings raised the squadron ' s ship tally to 29 and caused NavSurfGru Norfolk ' s ranks to number 43 ships . DesRon 2 began its 1996 training in May , when the squadron cruised to the Puerto Rican Operations area for INDEX 96 - 2 and Naval Gunfire Support qualification . After successful training exercises , deployed in July for a two - and - a - half month UNITAS 37 - 96 missions , in which an American task group circumnavigates South America while conducting joint exercises with host - nation navies along the route . Following its UNITAS deployment , DesRon 2 spent the rest of 1996 at Norfolk . While preparing to deploy to the Mediterranean , Commodore , Capt . Jimmie R . Jackson was relieved by Capt . Samuel J . Locklear III . At that time , the squadron ' s focus shifted from administrative oversight of four ships to tactical operations and preparations for the Mediterranean deployment . Assigned the role of Sea Combat Commander ( SCC ) for the Dwight D . Eisenhower Battle Group at the Warfare Commanders Conference , DesRon 2 ' s responsibilities included Undersea Warfare , Surface Warfare , Maritime Interception Operations , and Screen Commander . In December , " Mitscher " joined DesRon 2 , while the following year , 1998 saw the loss of Kauffman and the gain of McFaul and Carr . Capping a successful year of preparation for deployment , Kauffman won the Battle " E " award . In June 1998 , DesRon 2 departed Norfolk , ComDesRon 2 embarked in Dwight D . Eisenhower as the Sea Combat Commander as part of the Dwight D . Eisenhower Battle Group , and participated in seven bi - lateral and multi - lateral exercises , as well as supporting NATO in enforcing NATO Security Council Resolutions during the Kosovo crisis . DesRon 2 - - with guided missile destroyers Arleigh Burke , " Mitscher , " and Porter , destroyers Stump ( DD - 978 ) and Deyo ( DD - 989 ) , and guided missile frigate Carr ( FFG - 52 ) permanently assigned – began the year 2000 at Norfolk , then participated in a group sail with the Harry S . Truman ( CVN - 75 ) Battle Group , ComDesRon 2 in Porter ( 31 January - 10 February ) . DesRon 2 participated in a second group sail in the spring ( 3 – 17 May ) , with the squadron commander on board Stump , after which time the squadron carried out training off the Virginia capes ( 19 – 24 June ) , with ComDesRon 2 again in Stump . Further training followed , including exercise Unified Spirit with Harry S . Truman ( 11 – 26 October ) , as the squadron prepared to deploy to the Mediterranean . That scheduled movement as part of the Harry S . Truman Battle Group began on 28 November , ComDesRon 2 in Porter . DesRon 2 visited Malaga , Spain , beginning on 11 December , then conducted exercises at sea ( 18 December ) , and began a port visit to Barcelona three days before Christmas of 2000 . Following a port visit to Dubrovnik , Croatia ( 5 – 9 January 2001 ) , ComDesRon 2 in Porter , serving as Commander Task Force 60 with the departure of Harry S . Truman deploying to the Persian Gulf , got underway for the eastern Mediterranean to conduct Reliant Mermaid , after which the ships paused briefly at Souda Bay , Crete ( 2 – 5 February ) . Proceeding thence to Haifa , Israel , for exercise Juniper Cobra I , ComDesRon 2 logged a succession of Mediterranean locations : Souda Bay , Crete ; Capo Teulada , Sardinia ; and Split , Croatia ; Naples , Palma , and Gaeta , and La Maddalena , Italy ; Toulon , France ; Aksaz , Turkey ; before replenishing at Souda Bay ( 18 April ) . Punctuating the remainder of the deployment with exercises Babylon Express ( 19 April ) and SHAREM 137 ( 21 April ) , and visits to Antalya , Turkey and a return call to Gaeta , and Malaga , ComDesRon 2 embarked in Stump for the return crossing on 11 May , and reached Norfolk on the 24th , concluding the deployment of the Harry S . Truman Battle Group DesRon 2 began the year 2002 with five permanently assigned ships , Arleigh Burke , Porter , Stump , Winston S . Churchill ( DDG - 81 ) ( that had been assigned to DesRon 2 on 1 December 2001 ) , and Carr , with ComDesRon 2 inport at Norfolk . ComDesRon 2 embarked in Porter on 15 January in preparation for a joint tactical forces exercise with the John F . Kennedy ( CV - 67 ) Battle Group , and the latter sailed on 18 January to conduct those evolutions , returning to port on 26 January , with ComDesRon 2 serving as Opposition Force , Officer Controlling Exercise during that evolution . During the summer of 2002 , Porter and Stump , as well as guided missile frigate Boone ( FFG - 28 ) , destroyer Nicholson ( DD - 982 ) and guided missile destroyer Cole ( DDG - 67 ) , participated in Midshipmen Core Training ' 02 , providing instruction to 130 NROTC midshipmen ( 17 – 21 June ) . Two major antisubmarine warfare exercises followed during the summer . The first was Smart Search ' 02 ( 12 – 19 July ) during which a ready destroyer squadron deployed on short notice in the event of the proximity of a forward - deployed submarine , using Arleigh Burke , Carr , and Porter , in addition to organic LAMPS helicopters and other assets . The second was Keflavik Tactical Exercise ' 02 / SHAREM 143 that took place between 26 August and 23 September . A number of group sails brought the training cycle for the year to a close for several of the ships attached to DesRon 2 . On 14 December , ComDesRon 2 embarked in the carrier Theodore Roosevelt ( CVN - 71 ) . In January 2003 , ComDesRon 2 departed Norfolk in Theodore Roosevelt and surge - deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . During that period , ComDesRon 2 served as the SCC for the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group operating in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of Task Force 60 . As the SCC , ComDesRon 2 was responsible for numerous mission areas , including surface warfare , force defense , LAMPS element coordinator and Maritime Interception Operations ( MIO ) commander . The strike group ' s ships and aircraft conducted tactical air and TLAM strikes into Iraqi during combat operations from the Eastern Mediterranean . As MIO commander , ComDesRon 2 planned and executed a number of critical boardings of suspect vessels . Further , during Operation Iraqi Freedom the SCC managed the daily scheme of maneuver of all CTF 60 forces , including two aircraft carriers and up to 14 surface combatants . Despite deploying four months earlier than scheduled , the ships and staff of DesRon 2 successfully executed a number of critical missions in support of combat operations . In 2004 , DesRon 2 was assigned to Commander Carrier Strike Group 12 . Cole and McFaul ( DDG - 74 ) shifted squadrons and Stump ( DD - 978 ) was decommissioned . During October and November , DesRon 2 participated in a major multi - national exercise , United Kingdom Joint Conference ( JMC 04 - 3 ) . Working with Royal Navy Commander Amphibious Task Group Staff , commanded by Commodore C . J . Parry , RN , ComDesRon 2 embarked in HMS Albion , Arleigh Burke , Winston S . Churchill , and Porter participated in that exercise that stressed naval and marine coalition coordination in a littoral environment . ComDesRon 2 commenced 2005 with all ships in the Unit Level Training Phase and Intermediate Training Phase . In May , ComDesRon 2 embarked in Porter for Submarine Commander ' s Course ( SCC ) Operation 05 - 2 with Arleigh Burke , Carr , and HMCS Ville de Quebec . Effective August 25 , 2005 , ISIC / TACON functions of guided missile frigate USS Nicholas ( FFG - 47 ) were transferred to ComDesRon 2 and ComCarStrikeGru 12 . During the winter months of 2004 and into the New Year 2005 ComDesRon 2 focused on the upcoming deployment as Sea Combat Commander for the Strike Group . Multiple Groupsails , Maritime Group Inport Training ( MGIT ) , COMPTUEX , and JTFEX flexed the staff in a number of missions within the Surface , Strike , and Anti - Submarine / Undersea Warfare areas including Maritime Security , Show - of - Force , Mine Countermeasure , Anti - Piracy , MIO / VBSS , and TLAM Operations . The squadron deployed with Enterprise Strike Group in 2006 . DesRon 2 again accomplished a myriad of diverse missions across Second , Fifth , Sixth and Seventh Fleets . As of June 2010 , the squadron comprised USS Arleigh Burke , , Stout ( DDG - 55 ) , Laboon ( DDG - 58 ) , Gonzalez ( DDG - 66 ) , Bulkeley ( DDG - 84 ) , and Mason ( DDG - 87 ) . ComDesRon 2 will deploy with the Enterprise Strike Group .