Official U.S. Navy website - Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

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.