USS James E . Williams ( DDG - 95 ) USS " James E . Williams " ( DDG - 95 ) is an " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyer in the United States Navy . She was named for Petty Officer 1st Class James Eliott Williams ( 1930 – 1999 ) , a Medal of Honor recipient . Overview . History . The USS " James E . Williams " was laid down on 15 July 2002 by the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula , Mississippi and launched on 25 June 2003 . On 11 December 2004 , " The USS James E . Williams " was commissioned in Charleston , South Carolina , sponsored by Elaine Weaver Williams , Petty Officer Williams ' widow . Commander Philip Warren Vance , a 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy took command . She joined the Atlantic Fleet , Destroyer Squadron 22 and is homeported in Norfolk , Virginia . 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 and the former commander of USS " Raven " ( 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 18 April 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 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 29 Oct by Somali pirates . The ship was approximately northeast of Mogadishu , Somalia . At that time , The " USS James E . Williams " was about 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 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 for fraternization . 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 .