USS Mustin

not to be confused with the Sims-class destroyer

## USS Mustin (DDG-89)

USS Mustin

**USS *Mustin* (DDG-89)** is an *Arleigh Burke*-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Mustin family who have devoted over a century to US Naval service. This ship is the 39th destroyer of her class. *Mustin* was the 18th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and construction began on 15 January 2001. She was launched on 12 December 2001 and was christened on 15 December 2001. On 26 July 2003, a twilight commissioning ceremony was held at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California.

### Service History

On 1 February 2005, *Mustin* began her maiden deployment and returned on 1 August.

In July 2006, *Mustin* and her crew of 300 were deployed to Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, home of the Navy's Seventh Fleet, for permanent assignment. Though this was during the same month as the North Korea missile tests, the deployment was unrelated.

During the 2008 Cyclone Nargis crisis in Myanmar and the subsequent Joint Task Force Caring Response aid mission, *Mustin*, then as part of the USS *Essex* Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which including USS *Juneau* and USS *Harpers Ferry*, stood by off Burma from 13 May to 5 June, waiting for the Myanmar junta government to permit US aid to its citizens. However, in early June, with permission still not forthcoming, it was decided to return the ARG to its scheduled operations.

In March 2011, in company with aircraft carrier *Ronald Reagan*, *Mustin* was deployed off northeastern Honshu, Japan. The mission was to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

During the 2011 Thailand floods, *Mustin* was docked at Port Laem Chabang on a routine visit when the Thai government requested the warship to prolong her stay for up to six days to provide aerial surveillance of the flooding. In response, The Pentagon gave permission for the two Seahawk helicopters, from HSL-51 detachment Six, to provide the imaging.

On 28 May 2020, *Mustin* conducted a freedom of navigation operation past the Paracel Islands, which the Navy said it "upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and also by challenging China’s claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands".

On 19 December 2020, *Mustin* transited the contested Taiwan Strait, which the US Navy said was "in accordance with international law" to "demonstrate the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

In Spring 2021, *Mustin* monitored Chinese aircraft carrier *Liaoning* after the latter sailed through the Miyako Strait, along with alleged Chinese militia boats amassed near Whitsun Reef in the Philippines. *Liaoning* entered the Philippine Sea immediately after the Whitsun Reef incident. On 4 April, *Mustin* approached *Liaoning*, maneuvered between her and her escorts, and photographed the commanding officer relaxing with his feet up, next to the executive officer with his arms crossed. *Mustin* was accused of "cognitive warfare" and was called "very vile." A quote from one media outlet described the incident as such;

> "There are some photos that come to define the beginning of an era, and the *Mustin* photo has that feel. It perfectly encapsulates this moment in time as the US Navy, and the rest of the western world, looks on as China’s military continues its meteoric rise. *Liaoning*, China’s first carrier, is an excellent example of that."
>
>

Later, Vice Admiral Roy Kitchener claimed the photo was evidence that the carrier had "operating restrictions" with her escorts which allowed the US warship to get so close.

After completing a homeport shift from Yokosuka in July 2021, she is now part of Destroyer Squadron 1, based at San Diego, California.

### Awards

*Mustin* has been awarded the Navy E Ribbon for 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018. *Mustin* also received the Humanitarian Service Medal for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami as well as Typhoon Haiyan. As part of Task Force 70, *Mustin* received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for 10 April 2012 to 31 December 2013.

* Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Ship-Helicopter Safety Award - (2014)