On 2 May 2006, James E. Williams deployed on her maiden deployment as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06–2. James E. Williams joined with the amphibious transport dock Trenton and guided-missile cruiser Hue City as part of a surge deployment.[2] On 17 October 2006, James E. Williams completed her first deployment conducting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia as part of the maritime security operations.
James E. Williams deployed again on 9 July 2007 as a part of the EnterpriseCarrier Strike Group. The strike group consisted of the aircraft carrierEnterprise, the destroyers Forrest Sherman, Arleigh Burke and Stout; the guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg; and the fast-attack submarine Philadelphia, along with the fast combat support ship USNS Supply.[3] On the morning of 30 October 2007, Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, in Bahrain, received a call from the International Maritime Bureau, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, providing the status of the North Korean cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan, which had been taken over 29 October by Somali pirates. The ship was approximately 60 nautical miles (110 km) northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia. At that time, James E. Williams was about 50 nautical miles (93 km) from the vessel and sent a helicopter to investigate the situation. The destroyer arrived in the vicinity of the Korean ship midday local time and contacted the pirates via bridge-to-bridge radio, ordering them to give up their weapons. At that point, the Korean crew had confronted the Somali pirates, regained control of the ship and began communicating with James E. Williams, requesting medical assistance. The crew said the pirates had been in control of the bridge, but the crew had retained control of the steering and engineering spaces. The crew of James E. Williams provided care and assistance for approximately 12 hours to crew members and Somali pirates aboard Dai Hong Dan. Five pirates were captured and two were killed. The pirates remained aboard Dai Hong Dan.[4]
In November 2007, James E. Williams aided the crew of the Taiwanese ship, M/V Ching Fong Hwa 168, which had also been hijacked by Somali pirates. After the pirates returned to shore, the destroyer escorted the Taiwanese ship out of Somali waters and provided needed supplies and medical assistance.[5] On 19 December 2007, she returned from her second deployment to the Fifth FleetAOR in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
On 20 April 2009, James E. Williams left on her third deployment in three years, deploying to the sixth and fifth Fleet areas of operations from Naval Station Norfolk as the lead element of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. James E. Williams conducted maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf regions, including working with other nations' maritime forces.[6] She returned to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on 19 October 2009.[7]
Dhow on fire in the Gulf of Oman on 8 August 2012.
On the evening of 8 August 2012, James E. Williams rescued ten mariners from a burning Iranian-flagged dhow (pictured) while operating in the Gulf of Oman. Of the ten mariners, eight were identified as Iranians and two were Pakistanis. The rescued mariners received medical treatment and transport to the carrier Enterprise before being repatriated back to Iran on 10 August.[8][9][10][11]James E. Williams reentered the Mediterranean Sea on 25 August.
Controversies
In December 2009, about six weeks after the ship returned to Norfolk from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian seas, nine crewmembers were given non-judicial punishments for fraternization. Five of the nine were male chief petty officers while the other four were female junior enlisted sailors. Furthermore, one other crew member faced criminal charges for sexual assault. The chiefs involved were being processed for separation from the Navy. In addition, the ship's skipper, a commander, and the top enlisted sailor, a command master chief, were relieved of their positions and reassigned to shore-based administrative duties. Neither were implicated in the fraternization cases or alleged sexual assault but were removed due to a loss of confidence in their leadership. The ship's executive officer (XO), also a commander, was reassigned as the XO on the destroyer Bainbridge. He was not implicated in any of the allegations.[12][13]
In September 2014, it was announced the ship's commanding officer and command master chief were replaced pending an investigation into the command climate. At the time, James E. Williams was about midway through an eight-month deployment.[14] At that time, a captain from the staff of Destroyer Squadron 2, assumed command of the ship.[15]
Ports visited
James E. Williams docked in the Port of Mobile in Alabama.
^Green, MC3 James H. (8 July 2007). ""Big E" Deploys". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
.jpg)
_participates_in_maneuvering_exercises_during_FRUKUS_2011.jpg)
_fires_the_Mk-45_5-inch-62_caliber_lightweight_gun_during_a_l.jpg)
