USS William P. Lawrence

USS William P. Lawrence
USS William P. Lawrence in 2015
USS William P. Lawrence in 2015
History
United States
Name: USS William P. Lawrence
Namesake: Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence
Ordered: 13 September 2002
Builder: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
Laid down: 16 September 2008
Launched: 15 December 2009
Christened: 17 April 2010
Commissioned: 4 June 2011
Homeport: San Diego, California[1]
Motto: "Never Give In!"
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement: 9,200 tons
Length: 509 ft 6 in (155.30 m)
Beam: 66 ft (20 m)
Draft: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: exceeds 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement: 380 officers and enlisted
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 2 × SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters

USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. She is the 60th ship in her class and is currently in service. In 2016 the ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 21.[2]

Etymology

The ship is named for Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence (1930–2005), a naval aviator, fighter pilot, test pilot, Mercury astronaut finalist, Vietnam War prisoner of war, a U.S. Third Fleet commander, a Chief of Naval Personnel, and a Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Construction and career

William P. Lawrence's keel was laid down on 16 September 2008,[3] at the Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. William P. Lawrence was launched on 15 December 2009,[4] and was christened on 17 April 2010, sponsored by Vice Admiral Lawrence's widow, Diane Lawrence, and his daughters, Dr. Laurie Lawrence and Captain Wendy Lawrence (USN Ret, and former shuttle astronaut).[5] Lawrence's plankowning captain is CDR Thomas R. Williams, II.[6] The ship was commissioned at the Port of Mobile, Alabama on 4 June 2011.[7] William P. Lawrence departed Naval Station San Diego, California, on 14 January 2013 for its first overseas deployment as part of a four-ship surface action group from Carrier Strike Group 11.[8]

On 1 March 2013, William P. Lawrence entered the Persian Gulf for operations with Carrier Strike Group 3. On 11 March 2013, the ship rendered assistance to a burning vessel while operating in the Strait of Hormuz.[9] In April 2013, on two separate occasions, William P. Lawrence joined the French frigate Montcalm in rendering assistance to civilian mariners in distress while operating in the Gulf of Oman as part of Combined Task Force 150.[10] Starting 2 September 2013, William P. Lawrence began operating in the Red Sea as part of Carrier Strike Group 11.[11][12]

On 22 September 2013, a helicopter operating from William P. Lawrence crashed in the Red Sea after being swept overboard from the helo deck by waves.[13] Three of the five crewmembers of the MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter were recovered; two died.[14]

On 10 May 2016, it was reported that William P. Lawrence had tested the People's Republic of China's claim to Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea by navigating within 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) of it, provoking the PRC's official "dissatisfaction and opposition".[15] This was part of a planned series of Freedom of navigation operations (also referred to as FONOPs) in the area.[16]

Deployments

Commanding officers

The commanding officer (C.O.) of USS William P. Lawrence is a United States Navy commissioned officer who is the most senior officer on the ship. The C.O. is the ultimate authority over operations of William P. Lawrence and her crew.

List of commanding officers

# Portrait Name Start of tenure End of tenure
4 CDR Walter C. Mainor[17] 11 June 2015 Present
3 CDR Chanden S. Langhofer[17] 17 December 2013 11 June 2015
2 CDR Jana Alyn Vavasseur[17] 27 April 2012 17 December 2013
1 CDR Thomas R. Williams III[17] 4 June 2011 27 April 2012

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=61312
  2. ↑ http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cds21/Pages/default.aspx#.VuH0btBrMSE
  3. ↑ "WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE (DDG 110)". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (NAVSHIPSO). 3 December 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  4. ↑ "Photo Archive / Ship". lawrence.navy.mil (ship's official website). Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  5. ↑ "Photo Release – Northrop Grumman-Built William P. Lawrence Christened; Legacy of Former POW Honored". GlobeNewswire. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Navy to Christen Guided Missile Destroyer William P. Lawrence". defence.professionals GmbH. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  7. ↑ Griggs, Travis, "Destroyer Lawrence commissioned in Mobile", Military Times, 5 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Carla Ocampo, USN (18 January 2012). "USS Lawrence Sets Sail for Maiden Deployment". NNS130118-18. USS Lawrence Public Affairs. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  9. ↑ Ocampo, USN, Carla (3 March 2013). "Lawrence Conducts First Strait of Hormuz Transit". NNS130304-05. USS William P. Lawrence Public Affairs. Retrieved 2013-03-14. and Ocampo, Carla (14 March 2013). "USS William P. Lawrence encounters burning vessel". Navy Media Content Center #886966. DVIDS. Retrieved 2013-05-14. Photo taken on 11 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "Warships from CTF-150 Come to Mariners Rescue in Sea of Oman". BBC News. Muscat Daily. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  11. ↑ "2013 History". USS William P. Lawrence DDG 110. USCarrier.net. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  12. ↑ "USS Nimitz carrier moves into Red Sea". Reuters. 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  13. ↑ Larter, David; Myers, Meghann (28 June 2015). "Unheeded Warnings". Military Times. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  14. ↑ FoxNews.com (22 September 2013). "Navy helicopter crashes in Red Sea, 5 onboard". Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  15. ↑ AFP (10 May 2016). "US warship sails by South China Sea reef, irking Beijing". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Diplomat, Ankit Panda, The. "After Months of Waiting, US Finally Begins Freedom of Navigation Patrols Near China's Man-Made Islands". Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  17. 1 2 3 4 United States Navy (2016). "Past Leadership". USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110). United States of America: United States Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

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