_underway_in_South_Pacific_010326-N-1644C-001.jpg) Port bow view of USSBenfold (DDG-65) underway in the South Pacific Ocean. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Benfold |
| Namesake | Edward Clyde Benfold |
| Ordered | 16 January 1991 |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 27 September 1993 |
| Launched | 9 November 1994 |
| Commissioned | 30 March 1996 |
| Homeport | Yokosuka |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Onward with valor! |
| Honors & awards | SeeAwards |
| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Arleigh Burke-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 505 ft (154 m) |
| Beam | 59 ft (18 m) |
| Draft | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 3 × Rolls-Royce AG9130F (Allison 501-K34) (2.5 MW Each) |
| Propulsion | 2 ×shafts |
| Speed | In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range | 4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 ×Sikorsky MH-60R |
USSBenfold (DDG-65) is aFlight IArleigh Burke-classdestroyer in theUnited States Navy. She is a multi-mission platform capable ofanti-aircraft warfare (AAW) with the powerfulAegis Combat System suite andanti-aircraft missiles,anti-submarine warfare (ASW), withtowed sonar array, anti-submarine rockets,anti-surface warfare (ASUW) withHarpoon missiles, and strategic land strike usingTomahawk missiles.Benfold was one of the first ships fitted with theAegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and during the 2010 Stellar Daggers exercise was the first ship to simultaneously engage a ballistic missile and a cruise missile.[4]
FormerBenfold commanding officers include AdmiralMark Ferguson, AdmiralMichael Gilday, Vice AdmiralThomas H. Copeman III, and author D. Michael Abrashoff.[5]
Built by theIngalls Shipbuilding Corporation inPascagoula, Mississippi,Benfold is the 15th of a planned 90Arleigh Burke-classguided missile destroyers. Named for posthumousKorean War United States Marine CorpsMedal of Honor recipientHospital Corpsman Third ClassEdward Clyde Benfold, she joined theU.S. Pacific Fleet for service on 30 March 1996.[6]
Equipped with the Aegis air-defense system and the Mark-41 Vertical Launch System for multiple types of guided missiles,Benfold is capable of defensive and offensive operations against warplanes, anti-ship missiles, surface ships, submarines, and shore targets. In addition to her missiles, she carries one 5-inch rapid-fire naval gun for action against surface ships and for shore bombardment. She also carries anti-submarine torpedoes, and twoPhalanx CIWS anti-missile guns. She has a flight deck for MH-60R/S Seahawk Helicopters and is capable of refueling and re-arming these helicopters, but she does not have a hangar for storing and maintaining helicopters.
In 2011,Benfold entered drydock atBAE Systems, San Diego to receive an extensive $32 million mid-life upgrade. The hull mechanical and electrical (HM&E) upgrades included a fully integrated bridge, improved machinery and damage control, quality of life improvements, an advanced galley, and commercial-off-the-shelf computing equipment.[7]
In 2013,Benfold underwent extensive combat systems upgrades to include the installation of Aegis Baseline 9C, Ballistic Missile Defense version 5.0, A(V) 15 SONAR Suite, and also became Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) capable.
In 2012,Benfold was the firstSan Diego–based naval ship invited to participate in the Koa Kai naval exercises.Benfold conducted integrated flight operations, anti-surface and anti-submarine training, dynamic ship maneuvers, ballistic missile defense, small boat attacks and Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) utilizing the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team.[8]
On 19 November 2017Benfold was involved in a minor collision with a Japanese commercial tug offSagami Bay. The tug lost power and drifted intoBenfold, causing damage described as minimal, with some scraping to the ship's side. There were no injuries reported on either vessel;Benfold continued at sea, while the tug was towed toYokosuka.[9]
Benfold has conducted the followingFreedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) in the South China Sea:
In 2022,Benfold was praised by Seventh Fleet leadership as an exemplar of good ship preservation.[15] On 6 August 2023,Benfold and three other destroyers responded to a joint Chinese-Russian patrol in international waters near Alaska. The Chinese–Russian flotilla left without incident.[16]
On 9 August 2023, the Navy announced plans to extend the ship's service life beyond the initial 35 years, intending to keepBenfold in service until at least 2036.[17] The Navy has announced plans to rotateBenfold to Everett, Washington, replacing her in Japan withUSS Preble.
Benfold has been awarded the NavyBattle "E" for the following years: 1997,[21][20] 1999,[21][20] 2001,[20] 2003 (listed as "BENFOLD DDG 76" on awards site, year ofBenfold DDG-65 /Higgins DDG-76 "Sea Swap"),[20] 2004,[20] 2005,[20] 2007,[20][22] 2009,[20] 2018,[23] 2021, and 2022.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBenfold (DDG-65) at theNaval Vessel Register.
