USS Winston S. Churchill

## USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)

USS Winston S. Churchill at sea

**USS *Winston S. Churchill* (DDG-81)** is an *Arleigh Burke*-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named after Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This ship is the 31st destroyer of her class. *Winston S. Churchill* was the 18th ship of this class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and construction began on 7 May 1998. She was launched and christened on 17 April 1999. On 10 March 2001, she was commissioned during a ceremony at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia.

### Naming

On 29 November 1995, on a visit to the United Kingdom, President Bill Clinton announced to their Parliament that the new ship would be named after Sir Winston Churchill, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was the first destroyer and only the fourth U.S. Navy warship named after a British citizen, and the first since 1976 named after a non-U.S. citizen (that being USS *Comte de Grasse*), though Churchill was an honorary U.S. citizen and his mother was American.

Other U.S. warships named after Britons were *Alfred*, an armed merchantman named after King Alfred the Great; *Raleigh*, a continental frigate, named after Sir Walter Raleigh (though three later USS *Raleigh*s—and two Confederate warships—would be named after the North Carolina city, which did not exist at the time); and *Effingham*, named after The 3rd Earl of Effingham who resigned his commission rather than fight the colonists during the American Revolutionary War. The former frigate *Harold E. Holt* was also named after a person from a country in the Commonwealth of Nations, Harold Holt, the Australian Prime Minister, who disappeared, (presumed drowned), while still in office just a year before *Harold E. Holt* was laid down. *Winston S. Churchill* is the first ship to be named after a British citizen or British Prime Minister of the modern era.

*Winston S. Churchill* is the only U.S. Navy vessel to have a Royal Navy exchange officer permanently assigned to the ship's company (usually a Navigation Officer). The U.S. Navy had a permanent U.S. Navy Officer on the Royal Navy ship, HMS *Marlborough*, until her decommissioning on 8 July 2005. *Winston S. Churchill* is also the only U.S. Naval vessel to fly a foreign ensign. Being named after a Briton, the Royal Navy's White Ensign is honorarily flown on special occasions from the ship's mast, on the port side, whereas the U.S. flag is flown from the starboard side. However, during normal operations, only the U.S. flag is flown on the center of the main mast.

### Service History

The contract to build *Winston S. Churchill* was awarded to the Bath Iron Works Corporation on 6 January 1995, and the keel was laid down on 7 May 1998. *Winston S. Churchill* was launched on 17 April 1999, delivered 13 October 2000, and commissioned 10 March 2001. The launch and christening of the ship was co-sponsored by Lady Soames, the daughter of Winston Churchill, and Mrs. Janet Cohen, wife of the Secretary of Defense. Her first commanding officer was Commander (and future Vice Admiral) Michael T. Franken.

On 14 May 2001, *Winston S. Churchill* underwent shock trials off the coast of Florida. These trials subjected the ship to several close-range underwater detonations, each consisting of 7 tons of high explosives, and were performed to collect data concerning ship survivability and damage resistance in a modern threat environment. *Winston S. Churchill* sustained minor damage during these three tests.

On 14 September 2001, (three days after the 11 September 2001 attacks), the German Navy destroyer *Lütjens* passed close abeam *Winston S. Churchill* and rendered honors by manning the rails, flying the Stars and Stripes at half-mast, and the display of a banner reading "We Stand By You". An e-mail sent by an ensign on board *Winston S. Churchill* described the occasion.

In January 2003, *Winston S. Churchill* deployed with the USS *Theodore Roosevelt* battle group in support of the Iraq War's Operation Iraqi Freedom, firing several Tomahawk missiles. *Winston S. Churchill* returned to Norfolk at the end of May 2003.

On 22 August 2005, *Winston S. Churchill* was involved in a minor collision with the destroyer USS *McFaul* off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. Both ships suffered minor damage, and no injuries were reported. Both ships returned to their homeport at Naval Station Norfolk under their own power.

On 22 January 2006 *Winston S. Churchill* captured a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean as part of an ongoing effort to help maintain law and order in the region.

On 26 September 2010, *Winston S. Churchill* came across a disabled skiff in the Gulf of Aden. After attempts to repair the skiff's engines failed *Winston S. Churchill* took the vessel under tow towards Somalia. On 27 September the skiff sank when the 85 passengers rushed to one side of the skiff during a food delivery causing the vessel to capsize. *Winston S. Churchill* was able to rescue 61 of the passengers and continued towards Somalia on 28 September.

Her homeport was formerly Naval Station Norfolk became Naval Station Mayport, Florida on 19 July 2021. She is currently a part of Carrier Strike Group 12.