USS Gravely

Construction

Gravely is the 57th destroyer in her class. She was authorized on 13 September 2002 and her keel was laid down on 26 November 2007 at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Gravely was launched on 30 March 2009. The ship is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.{{cite news|accessdate=February 5, 2021

Service history

In late August 2013 along with her sister ships , , and , Gravely was sent to patrol the eastern Mediterranean Sea in response to rising rumors of an imminent U.S. military intervention in the Syrian civil war. On 28 October 2013, the destroyers Gravely and *Ramage * answered a distress call from a vessel carrying immigrants located 160 nmi off the coast of Kalamata, Greece. On 18 November 2013, Gravely returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, completing her first overseas deployment.

On 28 March 2016, Gravely provided assistance to , which had seized a stateless dhow transporting weapons. Once the weapons were offloaded, the dhow and its crew were released. In June 2016 while escorting the aircraft carrier the destroyer had a close encounter with a Russian Navy frigate, causing Russian and U.S. Navy officials to accuse each other of dangerous and unprofessional conduct. On 11 March 2019, as part of Carrier Strike Group Eight (CSG-8), Gravely received the Meritorious Unit Commendation award in support of Operation Inherent Resolve during the 2015–2016 deployment.

On 13 May 2022, Gravely took part in a PASSEX training with the Finnish and Swedish navies in the northern Baltic Sea. In May 2022, Gravely was homeported out of Naval Station Norfolk and a part of Destroyer Squadron 28, along with Carrier Strike Group 8 led by Harry S. Truman.

On 24 June 2022, Gravely returned to Norfolk.

On 28 October 2025, USS Gravely docked in Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) from Venezuelan waters, amid rising tensions with Venezuela related to the ongoing drug war. The ship departed three days later, on 31 October.

United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)

Main article: United States-Houthi conflict (2023–present)

On 14 October 2023, Lloyd Austin directed and her carrier strike group, which included the cruiser , along with Gravely and sister-destroyers and , to the eastern Mediterranean in response to the Gaza war. This was the second carrier strike group to be sent to the region in response to the conflict, following and her group, which was dispatched six days earlier.

On 30 December 2023, the Danish container ship issued a distress call after coming under fire from four small ships commanded by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen. Attempts were also made to board Maersk Hangzhou by force, while a contracted security team defended the ship. Gravely and Dwight D. Eisenhower responded to a distress call from the container ship. Verbal commands were radioed to the Houthi ships, while helicopters from Dwight D. Eisenhower were dispatched. After taking small-arms fire, U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire, sinking three of the four Houthi ships. There was no damage to U.S. equipment or personnel. In the process of responding to the distress call, Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen.

On 12 January 2024, Gravely along with Mason and Philippine Sea fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at Houthi rebels in Yemen. Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Three embarked on Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the strikes.

On 30 January 2024, Gravely used her Phalanx CIWS to shoot down an incoming anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis. U.S. officials said that the missile came within a mile of the destroyer. No damage or injuries were reported.

On 15 March 2025, U.S. Northern Command deployed Gravely to the Gulf of Mexico to help assist with border security operations.

Awards

• Combat Action Ribbon – (October 2023 – April 2024)
• Navy Unit Commendation – (Oct 2023 – May 2024)
• Meritorious Unit Commendation – (2015–2016)
• Arizona Memorial Trophy – (2021–2022)

References

References

1. Trettor, Eric. (13 November 2010). "PCU Gravely Arrives in Wilmington for Commissioning". Navy News Service.
2. (30 June 2010). "Pascagoula-built destroyer Gravely returns from sea trial". gulflive.com.
3. (26 August 2013). "U.S. and U.K. Move Ships Closer to Syria". [[United States Naval Institute]].
4. (28 October 2013). "U.S. ships head towards migrant vessel in distress off Greece". [[Reuters]].
5. (18 November 2013). "Destroyer Gravely returns to Norfolk Naval Station". [[The Virginian-Pilot]].
6. LeGrone, Sam. (4 April 2016). "U.S. Navy Seizes Suspected Iranian Arms Shipment Bound for Yemen". [[United States Naval Institute]].
7. (29 June 2016). "US Officials Say Russian Warship Intentionally Interfered With Navy Operations". [[ABC News (United States).
8. "CSG 8 Receives MUC for 2015–2016 Deployment".
9. (16 May 2022). "Finnish Navy Holds Drills In Northern Baltic Sea". Naval News.
10. (23 May 2022). "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022". usni.org.
11. (26 June 2022). "Welcome Home! ⚓ 🎉 🇺🇸 The USS Gravely (DDG 109) returns home to Naval Station Norfolk, June 24, 2022, after a mont…".
12. https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/u-s-navy-destroyer-uss-gravely-docks-in-trinidad-near-venezuela-amid-drug-war-push
13. https://au.news.yahoo.com/destroyer-uss-gravely-leaves-trinidad-191338851.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL-XlrMsH_Hd0XcTvH_kIIDbkglzimlizMtBiucacN_Q92tf7wOWHz2cVCnCNFWPKw0-NCayQTyfPbQvFvItiW5pUKKFbxIe0lUDVycPpyoaU_xYnCfGJx1hjm0pZ8omPJxJ7aKwj0DhkVuoY4N1QtjAjJq6DYVy4Nq3xyXXEGYE
14. (14 October 2023). "Exclusive: U.S. to send 2nd aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean". [[ABC News (United States).
15. "Statement From Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on U.S. Force Posture Changes in the Middle E". [[U.S. Department of Defense]].
16. US Central Command. (31 December 2023). "Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant vessel and U.S. Navy helicopters in Southern Red Sea".
17. Tanyos, Faris. (30 December 2023). "Missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen strikes merchant vessel in Red Sea, Pentagon says".
18. (12 January 2024). "Ike's Carrier Air Wing 3, USS Gravely, USS Philippine Sea and USS Mason Struck Houthi Targets". USNI News.
19. (31 January 2024). "US warship had close call with Houthi missile in Red Sea".
20. (31 January 2024). "A Houthi missile got so close to a US destroyer the warship turned to a last resort gun system to shoot it down: report".
21. "DOD Deploys Destroyer to Join Border Security Mission".
22. [https://www.cusnc.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Article/3849306/navcent-units-awarded-navy-unit-commendation/ navy.mil]
23. "Navadmin 179/23".