Carrier Strike Group 11
Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11 or CARSTRKGRU 11) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the strike group's current flagship. Other units currently assigned to the group include the cruisers and , and Destroyer Squadron 9. Between 2006 and 2013, the group made four deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet operating in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea, as well as a surge deployment with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific Ocean. The group  participated in bilateral exercises Malabar 2005 and Malabar 2005, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008, as well as joint exercise Valiant Shield 2007. Historical background. On 1 September 1961, Rear Admiral Joseph C. Wylie became Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9, aboard . Admiral Wylie had arrived on board the "Oklahoma City" as Commander Cruiser Division 3 on 22 August 1961, and merely changed titles in September without shifting flagship. As of 1 July 1969, the "Oklahoma City" was part of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 at San Diego. The primary mission of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 during the Vietnam War era had been  to ensure the effective employment of approximately 60 cruisers and destroyers in the United States Seventh Fleet. By January 1973, with the end of hostilities in Vietnam, the flotilla had expended nearly 80,000 rounds in naval gunfire support missions. This offshore firepower, and the equally important role of search and rescue coordination, were vital parts of the extensive naval presence in the South China Sea. In 1973, a major reorganization of the U.S. Navy's cruiser-destroyer force resulted in Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9's re-designation as Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 (CDG-5). Rear Admiral Gerald E. Thomas served as  Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 in 1974-76. Then Captain Leon A. Edney served as Chief of Staff to the Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 after 1976. In 1978 Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 consisted of Destroyer Squadron 9, Destroyer Squadron 21, Destroyer Squadron 31, and Destroyer Squadron 37 (Naval Reserve Force). The headquarters and the three active squadrons were at San Diego while Destroyer Squadron 37 was at Seattle, WA. In the middle of 1992, the U.S. Navy instituted a concept which aimed to group its escorts into a more permanent carrier battle group structure. Instead of routinely changing the  cruisers, destroyers, and frigates assigned to each carrier battle group, there was an attempt made to affiliate certain escorts more permanently with the carriers they escorted. Each of the Navy's 12 existing carrier battle groups was planned to consist of an aircraft carrier; an embarked carrier air wing; cruiser, destroyer, and frigate units; and two nuclear-powered attack submarines. Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five's units following the reorganization were as listed below. On 1 August 1992, "Kitty Hawk" was appointed as Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific's "ready carrier." The ship embarked Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5; Commander, Destroyer  Squadron 17 and Carrier Air Wing 15 for three months of work-ups before deploying to the Western Pacific on 3 November 1992. While on deployment, Kitty Hawk spent nine days off the coast of Somalia supporting U.S. Marines and coalition forces involved in Operation Restore Hope. In response to increasing Iraqi violations of United Nations sanctions, the ship rushed to the Persian Gulf on 27 December 1992. Seventeen days later, "Kitty Hawk" led a joint, coalition offensive strike against targets in southern Iraq. On 15 July 1998, Rear Admiral Daniel R. Bowler (and his relief RADM Peter W. Marzluff ), Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5, assumed operational control of "Nimitz". "Kitty Hawk" had left the group by shifting her homeport to Yokosuka, Japan, arriving there on 11 August 1998. In July 2000, was transferred to Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 (up to June 2000 it had been part of Carrier Group 5). From 21 September 2001 to 13 December 2001, following an overhaul, "Nimitz" sailed round Cape Horn to her new home port of NAS North Island. Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 and CVWR-20, the latter comprising VFA-204, VAW-78, VS-22, VRC-30, HC-11 and HS-75, were aboard. Carrier Air Wing Eleven was  reassigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five and the "Nimitz" in January 2002. Then Rear Admiral Samuel J. Locklear took command of CCDG-5/Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in 2002, deploying to the Middle East in 2003. On 1 October 2004, Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 was re-designated Carrier Strike Group 11. Command structure. The Carrier Strike Group commander exercises oversight of unit-level training, integrated training, and readiness for assigned ships and units, as well as maintains administrative functions and material readiness tracking for ships and squadrons assigned to the strike group. The group's pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise  comes under the operational control of the U.S. Third Fleet. When deployed, the group comes under command of the numbered fleet in whose area it is operating (Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh). When deployed in this fashion, the group utilizes a task group designator, for example, Task Group 50.1 in the Fifth Fleet area. Guided-missile cruisers such as "Princeton" provide air defence during deployments. Group commanders since October 2002 have included: Operational history. 2005 deployment. From 11 to 24 March 2005, the group conducted a pre-deployment Joint Task Force exercise off California. The group departed San Diego, California , on 7 May 2005 under the command of Rear Admiral Peter Daly. On 21 July 2005 in the Persian Gulf, USS "Princeton" ("pictured") responded to a radio call from the Iranian dhow "Hamid" which needed engineering assistance. A team was dispatched to the "Hamid" where it was determined that the engine problem was due to corroded batteries that were low on power. The batteries were removed and brought back to "Princeton" for maintenance, cleaning, and recharging. "Princeton" was able to restore the power on board "Hamid", restart the engines, and then provided medical assistance and fresh water. On 22 September  2005, the group departed the Persian Gulf, after completing nine weeks of operations with the U.S. Fifth Fleet. During this period, 4,500 sorties totaling over 11,000 flight hours were flown by Carrier Air Wing Eleven, including over 1,100 sorties and 6,000 flight hours bombing Iraq War targets. The group returned home on 8 November 2005. 2007 deployment. The group left San Diego on 2 April 2007 under the command of Rear Admiral John Blake. The group entered the U.S. Fifth Fleet area on 8 May 2007 and began conducting missions over Afghanistan three days later. The group joined Carrier Strike  Group Three, led by the , and relieved Carrier Strike Group Eight, led by the , that was currently operating in the Persian Gulf. The arrival of the strike group ensured the maintenance of the then two-U.S. carrier presence in the region. "Nimitz"'s escorts conducted maritime security operations. "Higgins" boarded ships of interest in the Persian Gulf, as well as informing three Iraqi dhows on coalition aims and objectives. The VBSS teams boarded three Iraqi tugs and four super-tankers, thereby safeguarding the merchants in the region by deterring piracy and smuggling. "Higgins" was the only ship in the strike  group to conduct a boarding of a tanker suspected of oil smuggling. After a thorough six-hour boarding, the VBSS team was able to clear the tanker. The guided-missile destroyer "Pinckney" participated in a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy and three other U.S. Navy ships. The ships conducted air defense, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and VBSS operations in the compressed waters of the South China Sea, validating current tactics, techniques and procedures and identifying areas for further development. Carrier Strike Group 11 joined Carrier Strike Group 5 and Carrier Strike  Group 3 to participate in Exercise "Valiant Shield 2007", a joint U.S. exercise held off Guam. Carrier Strike Group 11 subsequently joined the Carrier Strike Group Five and India's aircraft carrier in the Bay of Bengal for the multilateral Exercise "Malabar 07-2" ("pictured"), an annual naval exercise involving India, Australia, Japan, and Singapore. The group arrived back at San Diego on 30 September 2007. 2008 deployment. Carrier Strike Group 11 departed from San Diego on 24 January 2008. It was announced that the group would operate in the Western Pacific while the forward-based of Carrier Strike Group  Eight underwent scheduled maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. The strike group entered the U.S. Seventh Fleet area of responsibility on 8 February 2008. On 9 February 2008, two Russian Tu-95 'Bear' bombers were detected by the strike group in the Western Pacific. Four F/A-18C Hornets intercepted the bombers south of "Nimitz". Two F/A-18s trailed one of the bombers, which buzzed the deck of the carrier twice, while the other two F/A-18s trailed another Tu-95 circling about away from the carrier. Reportedly, there was no radio communication between the American and Russian aircraft. According to the Department of Defense , one of the two aircraft was said to have flown above "Nimitz" at an altitude of . The strike group returned to San Diego on 2 June 2008. 2009-2010 deployment. Carrier Strike Group 11 departed San Diego on 31 July 2009 on a regularly scheduled deployment commanded by Rear Admiral John W. Miller. In September 2009, it was announced that the carrier strike group deployment schedule would be changed to accommodate the delay in the return of from overhaul. This resulted in extending the deployment to eight months. On 4 December 2009, the group began five months in the northern  Arabian Sea, providing air support to coalition forces in Afghanistan. Carrier-based aircraft provided 30 percent of the combat air support for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) during the time that the group was in the northern Arabian Sea. VAW-117's E-2C Hawkeye aircraft used their radar and communication systems to synchronize and direct air crews over Afghanistan. Also, EA-6B Prowlers assigned to squadron VAQ-135 jammed electronic signals in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Effective 2 July 2009, ISAF air-ground combat support operations were ordered to take steps to minimize Afghan civilian casualties. In total, Carrier Air Wing  11 air crews flew more than 2,600 combat sorties supporting ISAF. The other strike group ships contributed to counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, the protection of critical Iraqi infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, and other maritime security operations. On 26 March 2010, the strike group returned to their homeport after an eight-month deployment. 2011-2013 operations. On 11 May 2011, the U.S. Navy announced a duty station change for Carrier Strike Group 11 from Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, to Naval Station Everett, Washington, in December 2011. On 11 June 2012, "Nimitz  departed Everett and once Carrier Air Wing Eleven was embarked, departed Naval Air Station North Island, California, on 15 June 2012 for carrier qualifications. The Air Wing consisted of U.S. Navy strike fighter squadrons VFA-154, VFA-147, and VFA-146; U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadron VMFA-323; airborne early warning squadron VAW-117; electronic warfare squadron VAQ-142; helicopter squadrons HSC-6 and HSM-75; and Detachment 3 from squadron VRC-30. On 2 July 2012, Nimitz" pulled into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for a four-day port call prior to participating in Exercise RIMPAC 2012 that was scheduled from 29 June to 3 August 2012 . "Nimitz" and Carrier Air Wing Eleven were the only aircraft carrier and carrier air wing to participate in RIMPAC 2012 ("pictured"). Following RIMPAC 2012, "Nimitz" departed Pearl Harbor on 3 August 2012, arriving at North Island on 9 August 2012. The aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Eleven flew off "Nimitz" on 8 August 2012 to return to their home air stations. "Nimitz" returned to Naval Station Everett, Washington, on 20 August 2012, completing a 70-day underway period. On 29 September 2012 "Nimitz" departed Naval Station Everett to begin its pre-deployment training cycle and certification exercises under the supervision  of the Commander, Strike Force Training Pacific. Joining "Nimitz" were Carrier Air Wing Eleven, the guided-missile cruiser , and the guided-missile destroyers , , , and . On 17 October 2012, the group began its 18-day pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise. On 13 November 2012, Nimitz pulled into Naval Air Station North Island, California, to disembark part of the air wing. On 21 November 2012, it was announced that the strike group's deployment would be delayed because a cooling pump aboard the "Nimitz" needed to be repaired. It was also announced that "Nimitz" would now deploy in summer 2013. Following  repairs, on 5 April 2013, the "Nimitz" and Carrier Air Wing Eleven departed Naval Air Station North Island, California, to begin their scheduled Sustainment Exercise ("pictured") to re-certify the group's readiness to deploy. They joined the guided-missile cruiser "Princeton" which had departed on 3 April 2013. 2013 deployment. With the "Nimitz" undergoing repairs, Carrier Strike Group 11 deployed in two waves. The first wave consisted of four destroyers operating initially as a surface action group until the "Nimitz" and the rest of the strike group deployed three months later. Surface action group. On 14 January 2013, the  destroyers , , , and departed Naval Base San Diego, California, for a deployment to the Middle East. These ships operated with the U.S. Fifth Fleet as a surface action group until the "Nimitz", Carrier Air Wing Eleven, and the guided-missile cruiser "Princeton" deployed. On 1 March 2013, the "William P. Lawrence" entered the Persian Gulf for operations with Carrier Strike Group Three. On 11 March 2013, the "Lawrence" rendered assistance to a burning vessel while operating in the Strait of Hormuz ("pictured"). In April 2012, on two separate occasions, the "Lawrence" joined the French frigate "Montcalm" in rendering assistance to civilian  mariners in distress while operating in the Gulf of Oman as part of Combined Task Force 150. Starting 2 September 2013, "William P. Lawrence" began operating in the Red Sea as part of Carrier Strike Group 11. Following bilateral mine countermeasure exercises in the Persian Gulf, the USS "Higgins" left the Fifth Fleet area. After paying port visits to Thailand, Japan, and Guam, the "Higgins" arrived at Naval Base San Diego, California, on 7 October 2013, completing a nine-month-long deployment. Section::::"Nimitz" strike group. On 19 April 2013, the "Nimitz" and Carrier Air Wing Eleven departed Naval Air Station  North Island, California, joining the cruiser "Princeton" to begin their deployment. On 3 May 2013, the two ships joined the U.S. Seventh Fleet. "Nimitz" and "Princeton" exercised with the Republic of Korea Navy amid the ongoing 2013 Korean crisis over North Korean actions. The strike group's deployment to the Seventh Fleet coincided with the joint exercises of the China's three operational fleets in the South China Sea amid the ongoing Spratly Islands dispute between China and the Philippines. Carrier Strike Group 11 entered the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area on 9 June 2013, relieving Carrier Strike Group Eight . On 13 June 2013, Carrier Air Wing Eleven aircraft launched their first combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan ("pictured"). The British Type 45 destroyer also joined the group in the Gulf of Oman. The Royal Navy warship maintained anti-aircraft defenses, directed aircraft sorties, and provided assistance to returning planes landing on the "Nimitz". On 22 August 2013, USS "Momsen" returned to Naval Station Everett, Washington, after a four-month underway period of independent operations with the U.S. Seventh Fleet. During part of this period, "Momsen" operated with Carrier Strike Group Five led by the carrier  . Carrier Strike Group 11 was relieved by Carrier Strike Group Ten on 26 August 2013. At the time of this relief, Carrier Air Wing 11 had completed over 1,200 sorties in support of combat operations in Afghanistan for a total of 6,500 flight hours. Both U.S. Navy carrier strike groups initially remained in the north Arabian Sea pending potential military action against Syria amid allegations that the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons during the ongoing Syrian civil war, including the gas attacks that occurred on 21 August 2013. On 2 September 2013, Carrier Strike Group  11 transited the Bab-el-Mandeb and moved northward into the Red Sea for potential combat operations against Syria. At this point, the strike group consisted of the carrier "Nimitz" with Carrier Air Wing 11 embarked, the cruiser "Princeton", and the destroyers "William P. Lawrence", "Stockdale", and "Shoup". On 12 September 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that U.S. naval forces would remain in the region as Russian and American diplomats negotiated the turn-over of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons to the United Nations, with spokesman George E. Little noting: "We’re prepared for any potential military  contingencies that might involve Syria." On 20 October 2013, Carrier Strike Group 11 transited the Suez Canal to join the U.S. Sixth Fleet. This was the first time that the carrier "Nimitz" had operated in the Mediterranean Sea since 1998 ("pictured"). On 8 November 2013, Carrier Strike Group 11 transited the Suez Canal, leaving the U.S. Sixth Fleet's area of operations again. "Nimitz" was initially intended to join Operation Damayan, the U.S. military's humanitarian mission to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, but plans were changed and the carrier was released to return home. On 29 October 2013, USS  Princeton returned to Naval Station San Diego, California, following an extended seven-month deployment. Following operations with the U.S. Fifth and Seventh fleets, "Princeton" paid port-calls to the United Arab Emirates, Guam, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On 28 November 2013, USS "Preble" returned to Naval Station San Diego. On 11 December 2013, squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) began departing the carrier "Nimitz" to return to their home naval air stations. During this 252-day deployment, CVW-11 aircraft made 9,344 launches and flew 1,374 sorties in support of combat operations in Afghanistan for a total of over 29,440  flight hours. On 12 December 2013, the carrier "Nimitz" arrived at Naval Station San Diego, California, completing the -month-long 2013 overseas deployment for Carrier Strike Group Eleven. "Nimitz" returned to Naval Station Everett, Washington, on 16 December 2013. 2014–2016 operations & maintenance cycle. On 23 June 2014, the Commander, Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet announced that the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Eleven, the "Nimitz", is scheduled to change its home-port to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for its 2015 planned incremental maintenance period. Between 20 and 31 October 2014, Carrier Strike Group Eleven participated in multi-lateral task  group exercises with Canadian, Japanese and U.S. naval units. On 13 January 2015, the "Nimitz" arrived at Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, completing its home-port change-over. On 13 January 2015, "Nimitz" began its 16-month Extended Planned Incremental Availability (EPIA) major maintenance cycle at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) at Bremerton, Washington. 2017. In late May 2017, the US Navy announced that CSG-11 would be deployed to the western Pacific Ocean, joining Carrier Strike Group 1 (USS "Carl Vinson" (CVN-70)) and Carrier Strike Group 5 (USS "Ronald Reagan" (CVN-76)), amidst Trump administration concerns  over North Korea. Following the collision that damaged the destroyer USS "Fitzgerald", its place within the strike group was taken up by the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha which was on deployment in the western Pacific after a request by US authorities.