Crest
KE KOA O KE KAI - The Warriors of the Sea
POLYNESIAN WAR MASK AND OCEAN
Represents the island homeport, Warrior Spirit and Pacific reach of Destroyer Squadron 31
OARED WAR CANOE
Represents the squadron ships working in unison
DESRON 31 History
DESTROYER SQUADRON 31 first appeared in the Organization List of the United States Navy in September 1939. During World War II, COMDESRON 31 ships saw duty as members of the Northeastern Escort Force in Atlantic Fleet convoy escort operations. One squadron ship, USS TRUXTIN (DD 229) was credited with the first sighting of an enemy submarine in the “Short-of-War” period just prior to World War II. On 31 October 1941, another squadron ship, USS REUBEN JAMES (DDG 245) became the first U.S. warship lost to enemy action during World War II when she was torpedoed by a German U-Boat while on convoy escort operations.
Disestablished in San Diego, California following World War II, COMDESRON 31 remained inactive until 01 February 1968, when the squadron was reactivated as a unit of the Seventh Fleet operating in waters off Southeast Asia. Deactivated again in early 1970, the squadron was reactivated for a second time on 15 June 1971 and has remained on continuous active duty since then.
On 01 September 1985, COMDESRON 31 was designated as the Pacific Fleet Ant-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Squadron and was tasked with enhancing inoperability between U.S. and allied forces. It served as the core for ASW training and has fostered ASW tactical development. While no longer acting as the Pacific Fleet ASW squadron, COMDESRON 31 remains the ASW Surface Component Commander for Commander, ASW Forces Pacific, and is the Fleet Project Team Leader for the Computer Aided Dead Reckoning Tracer (CADRT) Program. COMDESRON 31 shifted homeport to its current location in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1991.
Between April 1993 and April 1997, COMDESRON 31, as an operational element of Fifth and Seventh Fleets, completed four deployments to the Arabian Gulf in support of Maritime Interception Operations and Operations DESERT STORM, SOUTHERN WATCH and VIGILANT WARRIOR. While in the Gulf, COMDESRON 31 also coordinated and conducted fourteen multi-lateral exercises with naval units from ten different allied and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.
In August 2002, COMDESRON 31 embarked on USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) as Sea Combat Commander (SCC) for Carrier Strike Group actions in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. Playing an important role in combat operations against Iraq, COMDESRON 31, as Submarine Operations Coordinating Authority (SCOA), coordinated submarine operations to support SSN Tomahawk strikes and in conjunction with Commander, Task Force 50, was instrumental in developing and implementing Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) and Air Defense CONOPS.
In January 2005, COMDESRON 31 embarked in USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) as Sea Combat Commander (SCC) for Carrier Strike Group actions in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. COMDESRON 31 returned to Pearl Harbor on 01 August 2005 following a seven-month, around-the-world deployment.
In June 2006, COMDESRON 31 embarked in USS O’KANE (DDG 77) as Deputy Bi-Lateral Force (BIF) and Sea Combat Commander (SCC) in support of Rim of the Pacific 2006. COMDESRON 31 also deployed on a four-month cruise to Southeast Asia as Mission Commander for the 2007 PELELIU Pacific Partnership humanitarian assistance deployment.
In May 2010, COMDESRON 31 conducted a series of bi-lateral exercises with the countries of Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Republic of the Philippines and Singapore in support of Exercises Cooperative Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) and Southeast Asia Cooperation against Terrorism (SEACAT). In September 2010, COMDESRON 31 embarked USS ESSEX in support of VALIANT SHIELD.
COMDESRON 31 is the immediate superior in command (ISIC) for the USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG 53), USS HOPPER (DDG 70), USS MOMSEN (DDG 92), USS WAYNE E MEYER (DDG 108), USS WILLIAM P LAWRENCE (DDG 110), and USS JOHN FINN (DDG 113). As ISIC, COMDESRON 31 is responsible for the direct oversight of the training, maintenance and readiness of these six surface combatants.
CAPT W. W. Bradley 1939-1940 Medal of Honor (1917) |
ADM A. S. Carpenter 1940 |
VADM W. D. Baker 1940-1941 |
CAPT J. S. Roberts 1941-1942 |
CAPT W. K. Phillips 1942-1943 |
CDR S. R. Clark 1943-1944 |
CAPT G. W. Johnson 1944-1945 |
CAPT R. E. McCabe 01 FEB 1968 - 28 SEP 1968 |
RADM R. C. Robinson 28 FEB1968 - 30 JAN 1969 |
CAPT R. Kirk 30 JAN 1969 - 01 JAN 1970 |
CAPT R. Johnson, Jr 01 JAN 1970 - 15 SEP 1972 |
CAPT T. I. Kolstad 15 SEP 1972 - 15 APR 1974 |
ADM J. R. Hogg 15 APR 1974 - 14 JUN 1974 |
RADM P. A. Lautermilch 14 JUN 1974 - 09 AUG 1975 |
CAPT L. J. Brown 09 AUG 1975 - 11 APR 1977 |
ADM J. T. Howe 11 APR 1977 - 01 NOV 1978 |
RADM J. M. Poindexter 01 NOV 1978 - 08 AUG 1980 |
CAPT P. T. Maier 08 AUG 1980 - 23 JUN 1982 |
CAPT N. G. Mosher 23 JUN 1982 - 28 JUL 1984 |
RADM M. W. Ruck 28 JUL 1984 - 20 JUN 1986 |
VADM J. R. Fitzgerald 20 JUN 1986 - 24 JUN 1988 |
VADM L. F. Gunn 24 JUN 1988 - 30 MAY 1990 |
CAPT E. J. Halley, Jr 30 MAY 1990 - 14 MAR 1992 |
CAPT E. C. McDonough 14 MAR 1992 - 29 JAN 1994 |
CAPT J. A. Reid 29 JAN 1994 - 07 JUL 1995 |
CAPT D. W. Prather 07 JUL 1995 - 02 MAY 1997 |
CAPT F. B. Guest III 02 MAY 1977 - 16 APR 1999 |
VADM P. H. Daly 16 APR 1999 - 18 DEC 2000 |
RADM M. H. Buzby 18 DEC 2000 - 22 NOV 2002 |
RDML P. H. Greene 22 NOV 2002 - 20 MAY 2004 |
RADM P. A. Gumataotao 20 MAY 2004 - 25 AUG 2005 |
CAPT F. W. Pfirrmann 25 AUG 2005 - 05 APR 2007 |
CAPT R. B. Stewart 05 APR 2007 - 04 JAN 2008 |
CAPT W. A. Kearns III 05 JAN 2008 - 30 JUL 2009 |
CAPT R. L. Clemmons, Jr 30 JUL 2009 - 21 JAN 2011 |
CAPT D. A. Welch 21 JAN 2011 - AUG 2012 |
CAPT W. G. Lovely AUG 2012 - JAN 2014 |
CAPT . Bushnell JAN 2014 - AUG 2015 |
CAPT C. Johnson AUG 2015 - DEC 2016 |
CAPT D Bretz DEC 2016 - JUN 2018 |
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