USS Mahan

The name Mahan was assigned to the following four United States Navy ships, in honor of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, naval historian and theorist on sea power.

USS Mahan (DD-364)

USS Mahan (DD-364) was the lead ship of the United States Navy's Mahan-class destroyers. The ship was named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, a 19th-century naval historian and strategic theorist. Her design ushered in major advances over traditional destroyers. Among them were a third set of quadruple torpedo tubes, protective gun shelters, and emergency diesel generators. Along with a steam propulsion system that was simpler and more efficient to operate.

Mahan began her service in 1936. She was first assigned to the US Atlantic Fleet and then transferred to Pearl Harbor in 1937. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Mahan was at sea with Task Force 12. Their mission to Midway Island was aborted to participate in the post-attack search for the enemy strike force. Unable to locate them, the task force returned to Pearl Harbor.

Early in World War II, Mahan took part in raids on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Admirals Chester Nimitz and William Halsey commended the destroyer group (of which Mahan was a member) for a stellar effort in screening the aircraft carriers Hornet and Enterprise against heavy odds. During the New Guinea campaign to take the northeast coast from the Japanese, Mahan was engaged in the amphibious landings at Salamaua, Lae, and Finschhafen. She participated in landings at Arawe and Borgen Bay (near Cape Gloucester), New Britain, and provided support for the troop landing at Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands.

USS Mahan (DDG-72)

USS Mahan (DDG-72) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in service with the United States Navy. She is the 22nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the first Flight II variant. Like her predecessors, Mahan is named for Alfred Thayer Mahan, a naval theorist on seapower. She is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.

Overview

Mahan is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, and as of 2012 is attached to Destroyer Squadron 2.

Service history

1990s

The keel of Mahan was laid on 17 August 1995. Her mast was stepped on 6 February 1996, and she was launched and christened later that year on 29 June. The ship's sponsor is Mrs. Jennie Lou Arthur, wife of Admiral Stan Arthur. Her Aegis Combat System was lit off on 19 December.

1997 was a busy year for Mahan. Alpha/Bravo trials occurred on 21 July, Charlie trials on 5 August, and Delta trials on 12 August. The ship was officially transferred to the Navy on 22 August, and her Crew moved aboard on 17 October.

The ship’s first underway was 16–17 January 1998 from Bath, Maine, to Portland, Maine, for a three-day port visit. The weather was particularly heavy, and many of the crew members who had not put to sea before felt the effects of seasickness. Underway from Portland on 21 January, the ship pulled into her new homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on 24 January. Mahan stayed in Norfolk until departing for her commissioning ceremony.