The group was one of fourteen U.S. Navycarrier strike groups established on 1 October 2004.[2] Carrier strike groups are employed in a variety of roles, all of which involve gaining and maintaining sea control.[3]
The group was established as Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 circa 1973. It was redesignated Carrier Strike Group 15 in 2004 but then soon afterwards disbanded. Carrier Strike Group 15 was briefly based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in 2004, prior to changing its homeport to Naval Air Station North Island, California, in 2005, with the Nimitz class aircraft carrierUSSRonald Reagan(CVN-76) assigned as its flagship. It was then disbanded, but reestablished as a training formation in 2014.
USS Higgins fires a Standard missile during workups prior to the 2002 deployment
Rear Admiral J. Paul Reason commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 from 1988 to November 1990, also commanding Battle Group Romeo during that period. Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 was led by Constellation for its November 1994–1995 'Westpac '95' cruise.[6] Effective 1 October 1995, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1/USS Constellation Battle Group was to include: USS Lake Erie and USS Chosin.[7] (Globalsecurity.org). Then Rear Admiral Barry M. Costello became Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 in June 2002. For Constellation's final cruise in 2002, Destroyer Squadron 7 provided the screen, being made up of Bunker Hill,Benfold, Valley Forge, Howard, Kinkaid, Milius, USSJohn Paul Jones(DDG-53), USS Higgins, and USS Thach.
Constellation's 20th deployment began on 16 March 2001. She entered the Persian Gulf on 30 April and immediately commenced operations in support of OSW. On 13 May, CAPT John W. Miller[8] assumed command as Connie's 30th skipper, and her last. She ceased OSW operations on 4 August, having conducted multiple air strikes in response to Iraqi violations of the no-fly zone. "Connie" departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 9 September with dependents on board for the traditional Tiger Cruise on the final leg to San Diego. On 11 SeptemberConstellation was nearly halfway between Pearl Harbor and San Diego when word was received of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Despite discussions about turning the battle group around, the carrier was allowed to complete her regularly scheduled deployment. Connie arrived in San Diego on Friday 14 September and celebrated her 40th birthday the next month.
Following an abbreviated turnaround cycle, Constellation prepared for her final deployment. She departed on 2 November 2002, leading Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 under the command of Rear Admiral Barry M. Costello. She was soon supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; on 17 December she entered the Persian Gulf to begin OSW missions. On 19 March 2003, with two carriers in the eastern Mediterranean and three in the Persian Gulf, Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced. Connie was designated a night carrier and remained on station throughout the major ground combat phase. She launched more than 1,500 sorties and CVW-2 aircraft delivered over 1.7 million pounds (770,000kg) of ordnance. While one aircraft was lost in an operational mishap, there were no fatalities.[9]
Rio de JaneiroReagan transits the Strait of Magellan
On 27 May 2004, the carrier Ronald Reagan departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, to move to her new homeport of Naval Air Station North Island, California.[10][11] While the homeport change cruise was underway, many U.S. Navy aircraft carriers were active simultaneously, an occurrence grouped by the Navy as 'Exercise Summer Pulse'. Rear AdmiralRobert T. Moeller, Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group One (CCDG-1), and his group staff, led the deployment. Admiral Moeller oversaw all the training exercises and the transit of Reagan to San Diego.[11] The following squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) were temporarily embarked on board the Ronald Reagan:
Carrier Air Wing Eleven was normally embarked on board the carrier USSNimitz(CVN-68), and the main purpose for embarking these CVW-11 squadrons on board Reagan was to complete their training evolutions prior to their next Western Pacific deployment.[11] While underway, on 15 June 2004, the crew of the Reagan held a memorial service for its namesake following its first foreign port visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3 June (pictured).[12][13]Reagan subsequently paid port visits to Valparaíso, Chile, and Callao, Peru, prior to arriving at its new homeport of Naval Air Station North Island, California, on 23 July 2004.[14][15][16]
Exercises & port visits
Gringo-Gaucho
During its inter-fleet transfer, the carrier Reagan and its embarked CVW-11 aircraft participated on several bilateral and multilateral naval exercises. On 17 June 2004, two Super Étendard jet fighters and three S-2T Turbo Trackers antisubmarine aircraft from the Argentine Navy carried out touch-and-go landings on the Reagan's flight deck during Gringo-Gaucho exercises (pictured).[17] The Reagan Carrier Strike Group also participated in a SIFOREX (Silent Forces) exercise with the Peruvian Navy prior to its port visit to Callao, Peru, on 9 July 2004.[15][18]
The largest exercise involving Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 during the transit was UNITAS 45-04, the biggest multinational naval exercise held in Latin America. Joining the carrier Reagan and Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) were the guided-missile cruiser Thomas S. Gates, the dock landing ship Tortuga, and the guided-missile destroyers Mustin and Benfold.[19][20]
UNITAS 45-04 included naval forces from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, United States, and Uruguay, with observers from Colombia and Mexico, and it was hosted by Peru and sponsored by Rear Admiral Vinson Smith, commander, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (Task Force 138). While it featured jungle warfare, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations, the highlight of UNITAS 45-04 was the first multi-national amphibious assault exercise held in Latin America on 24 June 2004, with close air support provided by Carrier Air Wing Eleven and the Peruvian Air Force.[19][20]
On 6 August 2004, Rear Admiral Robert J. Cox relieved Rear Admiral Robert T. Moeller as Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group One (CCDG-1) during a change-of-command ceremony held on the flight deck of USSRonald Reagan(CVN-76). Admiral Moeller's next assignment was as Director, Plans and Policy (J-5) at U.S. Central Command.[21]
On 1 October 2004, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group One was re-designated as Carrier Strike Group 15.[2]
On 11 January 2005, Ronald Reagan departed San Diego, transporting two VRC-30 C-2A Greyhound aircraft for use in Operation Unified Assistance. After a 12-day underway period, Reagan paid a three-day port visit to Hawaii beginning 22 January.[22][23]
On 21 March 2005, Carrier Strike Group 15 was disestablished, and Reagan was reassigned as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 7.[24]
In January 2016, Rear Admiral Rick Williams, Commander Carrier Strike Group 15, was relieved of his duties.[25]Stars and Stripes reported that it was revealed during a routine inspection that Williams had violated Navy rules by looking at pornographic images on his government computer.
1 2 Curtis A. Utz and Mark L. Evans (July–August 2005). "The Year in Review 2004". Naval Aviation News. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Navy. Retrieved 9 November 2010. Aviation Command Changes, 2004
1 2 3 Journalist 2nd Class Paul Simonds, USN (10 June 2004). "Strike Group Sails with Reagan". NNS040609-22. USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship to have been named after the former President Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is NAS North Island, San Diego, California; she is a member of the United States Pacific Fleet. She is administratively responsible to Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, and operationally serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 and host to Carrier Air Wing Nine. She was returned to the fleet on 12 May 2017, marking the successful completion of her Refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) carried out at Newport News Shipyard. On 1 April 2019, USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Middle East as the flagship for Carrier Strike Group 12 and Carrier Air Wing Seven assigned to her.
Carrier Strike Group 9 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the ships and aviation squadrons assigned to the group. The group reports to Commander, U.S. Third Fleet, which also supervises its pre-deployment training and certification that includes Composite Unit Training Exercises.
A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers or frigates, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft. A carrier strike group also, on occasion, includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. The carrier strike group commander operationally reports to the commander of the numbered fleet, who is operationally responsible for the area of waters in which the carrier strike group is operating.
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14), was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Seven Seven (HSM-77) "Saberhawks" is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan. HSM-77 is attached to Carrier Air Wing Five and deploys aboard USS Ronald Reagan and air capable ships attached to Carrier Strike Group Five (CSG-5). The squadron was established as Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (Light) Forty Seven (HSL-47) on 25 September 1987 and was redesignated HSM-77 on 2 Apr 2009.
Carrier Strike Group 10, abbreviated as CSG-10 or CARSTRKGRU 10, is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.
Carrier Strike Group 11 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.
Carrier Strike Group One is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. USS Carl Vinson(CVN-70) is the strike group's current flagship, and other units currently assigned are the ship's Carrier Air Wing 2 and embarked Destroyer Squadron 1, deployed with Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, as well as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E. Meyer.
Carrier Strike Group 2 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group, tracing its history originally to 1931. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is the strike group's current flagship. As of Aug 2020, other units assigned to Carrier Strike Group 2 included the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Three; the Ticonderoga-class cruiserUSS Philippine Sea(CG-58); USS Monterey (CG-61),; USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Mitscher (DDG-57), USS Laboon, USS Mahan (DDG-72), and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) from Destroyer Squadron 22.
Carrier Strike Group 3 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 USS Abraham Lincoln(CVN-72) is the group's current flagship. Other units assigned include Carrier Air Wing Nine; the Ticonderoga-class cruisersUSS Mobile Bay(CG-53); and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 21.
Carrier Strike Group 14 was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. The group was for some time the only U.S. carrier strike group that did not have an assigned aircraft carrier or carrier air wing. As of December 2010, it directed the cruisers USS Gettysburg(CG-64) and USS Philippine Sea(CG-58). Carrier Strike Group 14 was seemingly last based at Naval Station Mayport. Without a carrier flagship, it did not conduct the typical deployments of other carrier strike groups; instead, its two cruisers made independent voyages.
Carrier Strike Group Seven was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group active from October 2004 until 30 December 2011. The strike group's antecendants included two previous aircraft carrier formations, Carrier Division Seven and Carrier Group Seven. Its heritage thus includes the Second World War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War, as well as the first and the second Persian Gulf wars, encompassing a total of 34 deployments to the Western Pacific Ocean and Persian Gulf.
Carrier Strike Group Nine is a U.S. Navy formation. The group is one of six U.S. Navy carrier strike groups assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In 2004–09, it was based at Naval Base San Diego and its flagship was the Nimitz-class aircraft carrierUSS Abraham Lincoln(CVN-72).
Carrier Strike Group Eleven 2004–2009 operations included three overseas deployments to provide combat air support for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, as well as a special surge deployment during 2007. The surge deployment occurred when the Yokohama-based aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk(CV-63) underwent a yard overhaul. CSG 11 has also participated in several mult-lateral naval exercises, including Valiant Shield 2007, Malabar 07-2 with India, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008 off Korea, and a major 2009 undersea warfare exercise, as well as participation in Theater Security Cooperation activities with various regional naval forces.
Carrier Strike Group Three 2004–2009 operations included a world cruise, three western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployments and a change-over of its flagship. During this period, CARSTRGRU-3 provided combat operational support for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A) as well as participated such major exercises as Valiant Shield 2007, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2009, and Northern Edge 2009. The strike group's 2005 WESTPAC deployment marked the final overseas mission for Sea Control Squadron 33 (VS-33), the Screwbirds. Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71), a new component to Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9), became the first squadron of its kind to embark on board a carrier as part of a carrier air wing when it operated with Carrier Strike Group Three during its 2009 WESTPAC deployment
Carrier Strike Group Seven 2004–2006 operations included one deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and its embarked carrier air wing flew approximately 2940 air sorties in support of ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan while CARSTRKGRU-7 surface warships supported theater security and maritime interdiction operation within that fleet's area of responsibility. It also participated in Valiant Shield 2006, a major joint military exercise of the U.S. Pacific Command. Finally, Carrier Strike Group Seven provided humanitarian assistance after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Prior to being re-designated as Carrier Strike Group Seven on 1 October 2004, Carrier Group Seven (CarGru-7) and its John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group participated in three different exercises during Summer Pulse 2004, a multi-carrier surge deployment to test the U.S. Navy's then-new Fleet Response Plan.
Carrier Strike Group Seven 2007–09 operations included two deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and its embarked Carrier Air Wing Fourteen flew 2750 air sorties in support of ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan while CARSTRKGRU-7 surface warships supported theater security and maritime interdiction operation within that fleet's area of responsibility. CARSTRKGRU-7 also made a Western Pacific surge deployment in place of Carrier Strike Group Five.
Summer Pulse 2004 (SP04) was the codename for a worldwide surge deployment that served as the first full-scale test of the United States Navy's then-new Fleet Response Plan (FRP). During Summer Pulse 2004, a total of seven carrier strike groups were underway at the same time in five different theaters of operations. This number of underway carrier strike groups had not been matched since the six carrier battle groups deployed during Operation Desert Storm. In addition to the carriers, the Navy also deployed 17 submarines and one submarine tender.
Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Carrier Strike Group Twelve is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.
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