USS Michael Murphy

USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112)

USS Michael Murphy at Pearl Harbor in March 2013
History
United States
Name	Michael Murphy
Namesake	Michael P. Murphy[1]
Awarded	13 September 2002[2]
Builder	Bath Iron Works[2]
Laid down	18 June 2010[1]
Launched	8 May 2011[2]
Sponsored by	Maureen Murphy[4]
Christened	7 May 2011[3]
Commissioned	6 October 2012[5]
Homeport	Pearl Harbor
Identification	MMSI number: 303966000 Callsign: NMPH Hull number: DDG-112
Motto	Lead the Fight
Honors and awards	See Awards
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement	9,200 tons[2]
Length	510 ft (160 m)[2]
Beam	66 ft (20 m)[2]
Draft	33 ft (10 m)[2]
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75 MW)
Speed	35+ knots[4]
Complement	323 Sailors (23 officers and 300 enlisted)[6]
Armament	Guns: 1 × 5-inch (127 mm)/62 Mk 45 Mod 4 (lightweight gun) 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Phalanx CIWS 2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 machine gun system 4 × 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) caliber guns Missiles: 1 × 32-cell, 1 × 64-cell (96 total cells) Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS): RIM-66M surface-to-air missile RIM-156 surface-to-air missile RIM-174A standard ERAM RIM-161 anti-ballistic missile RIM-162 ESSM (quad-packed) BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile RUM-139 vertical launch ASROC Torpedoes: 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes: Mark 46 lightweight torpedo Mark 50 lightweight torpedo Mark 54 lightweight torpedo
Aircraft carried	2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) is the 62nd ship of the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers in the United States Navy. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (1976–2005). Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in June 2005. He was the first sailor awarded the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. The ship's name was announced by Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter on 7 May 2008. The ship was christened on 7 May 2011, Murphy's birthday,^[3] by her sponsor Maureen Murphy, Michael Murphy's mother.^[1][4][7][8] The ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 31 of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.^[9]

Michael Murphy was intended to be the last ship of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers but, following the cancellation of the Zumwalt-class destroyer program after the completion of the first three vessels, the Navy continued construction on the Arleigh Burke class.^[10]

Her contract was awarded on 13 September 2002 to the Bath Iron Works and the first cut of steel was made by Vice Admiral John Morgan, the first commanding officer of lead ship of the class, Arleigh Burke.^[11] The ship's keel was laid down on 18 June 2010, and during the event, Maureen Murphy and Edwin Bard inscribed the signatures of Murphy's family on an iron plate during a dedication cerrmony for Michael Murphy. The plate was affixed to the ship's hull during construction. After her christening, the destroyer was moved to dry dock for several months in order to finalize construction.^[3] On 1 October 2012 the destroyer arrived in New York for her commissioning, which occurred on 6 October.^[12]

On 16 October 2012 Michael Murphy arrived in Barbados for her first international port of call. Led by Ambassador Larry L. Palmer, dozens of sailors ventured out into the community to help the children of Barbados at the Boscobelle Primary School and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The sailors presented stuffed animals to the children at the hospital. At the primary school, the crew members helped to beautify the school grounds by planting trees, as well as clearing away brush and debris. The students of the primary school also had stuffed animals donated to them by the sailors.^[13][14] On 21 November, Michael Murphy arrived at her home port of Naval Station Pearl Harbor, part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.^[15][16]

On 15 February 2013 Michael Murphy held her first family day cruise.^[17] On 23 May 2013 Michael Murphy held her first change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.^[18]

On 4 February 2014 Michael Murphy participated with aviation forces from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps in joint training exercise Koa Kai. Participating units conducted integrated flight operations, anti-surface and anti-submarine training.^[19] On 28 February, the Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Protecteur suffered a fire and breakdown approximately 340 nautical miles (630 km) northeast of Pearl Harbor that left the ship stranded without power, lighting or water. Michael Murphy, already underway, was immediately dispatched to assist in towing and recovery efforts. Michael Murphy received 17 family members of the crew and two civilian contractors from Protecteur; however, due to adverse weather conditions, Michael Murphy's attempts to take her under tow were unsuccessful. USS Chosin, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, arrived two days later, connected to and towed the stricken ship until the towing cable broke.^[20] Finally, USNS Sioux, a Powhatan-class fleet ocean tug, arrived on 2 March to assume the towing duties and brought Protecteur into Naval Station Pearl Harbor on 6 March.^{[21][22][23][24]}

On 7 July 2014 Michael Murphy departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam to participate in the at-sea phase of the multinational exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). On 26 June, RIMPAC 2014 commenced and Michael Murphy participated in all 36 days, including the closing reception on 1 August.^[25] On 20 October 2014, Michael Murphy departed on her first deployment to the Western Pacific with the United States Seventh Fleet.^[26]

On 26 May 2015, Michael Murphy was awarded with a Canadian Forces' Unit Commendation in recognition of the service she provided to the stranded Canadian naval vessel HMCS Protecteur after she had caught fire at sea.^[27]

In January 2017, Michael Murphy, along with sister Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer and Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Lake Champlain, accompanied Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in a deployment to the western Pacific. In April of that year, the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (CSG) cancelled a scheduled port call in Australia in response to increasing tensions between North Korea (DPRK) and the United States over the DPRK's nuclear weapons program.^{[citation needed]}

Michael Murphy participated in KAKADU 2018, a multinational exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy. During the sea phase of the exercise, forces from twenty-seven countries will train together in several complex warfighting scenarios, including an air defense exercise, gunnery exercise, search and rescue training, underway replenishment approaches, anti-submarine warfare vulnerability training, and divisional tactics.^[28]

Michael Murphy deployed to the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations, following her participation in exercises UNITAS LX and Teamwork South 2019 in Valparaiso, Chile, from 24 June to 3 July.^{[citation needed]}

Michael Murphy arrived at the Port of Colombo, situated in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 23 July 2024 on a formal visit. The vessel is scheduled to depart the island on 26 July 2024.^[29]

• Battle "E" – (2021)
• Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation - (2020) ^[30]
• Canadian Forces' Unit Commendation - (2014)^[31]
• Retention Excellence Award - (2019)^{[citation needed]}

• 
  Photo of LT Michael Murphy in a commemoration poster released by the Navy
• 
  Michael Murphy returning to Pearl Harbor, 29 March 2013
• 
  Michael Murphy seen at night in Pearl Harbor, 18 December 2012
• 
  Michael Murphy and USS Gridley (DDG-101) on 28 January 2013

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).

• Official page Archived 18 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• Willshaw, Fred (2010). "PCU Michael Murphy (DDG-112)". Destroyer Photo Archive. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 26 June 2010.