USS William P. Lawrence

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. 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.

For similarly named ships, see USS Lawrence.

USS William P. Lawrence
USS William P. Lawrence in 2015
History
United States
NameWilliam P. Lawrence
NamesakeWilliam P. Lawrence
Ordered13 September 2002
BuilderNorthrop Grumman Shipbuilding
Laid down16 September 2008
Launched15 December 2009
Christened17 April 2010
Commissioned4 June 2011
HomeportPearl Harbor
Identification
MottoNever Give In!
Nickname(s)
  • The William P.
  • WPL
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeArleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement9,200 tons
Length509 ft 6 in (155.30 m)
Beam66 ft (20 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion
Speedexceeds 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement380 officers and enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

Construction

William P. Lawrence's keel was laid down on 16 September 2008,[1] at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Shipyard, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. William P. Lawrence was launched on 15 December 2009,[2] and she 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 Space Shuttle astronaut).[3] The ship was commissioned at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, on 4 June 2011.[4]

Ship history

William P. Lawrence departed Naval Station San Diego, California, on 14 January 2013, for her first overseas deployment as part of a four-ship surface action group from Carrier Strike Group 11.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] Starting 2 September 2013, William P. Lawrence began operating in the Red Sea, as part of Carrier Strike Group 11.[8]

On 22 September 2013, a large wave hit a helicopter and pushed it into the Red Sea shortly after landing on William P. Lawrence, resulting in the death of two pilots. The vessel was moving at flank speeds to relieve another escort ship in a defensive screen around Carrier Strike Group 3 in U.S. Central Command. The wave came over the starboard side of the flight deck and struck the helicopter less than ten minutes after landing and being chocked and chained (red deck), with rotors still spinning. The other three aircrew members were rescued.[9]

On 10 May 2016, the US Navy reported that the ship sailed close to the Fiery Cross Reef, as part of a planned series of Freedom of navigation operations, (also referred to as FONOPs) in the area.[10] The operation prompted the PRC to express "dissatisfaction and opposition"; a Pentagon spokesperson said that the operation was undertaken to challenge the "excessive maritime claims by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam which were seeking to restrict navigation rights in the South China Sea."[11][12]

In 2016, the ship was part of Destroyer Squadron 21.[13]

As of October 2020, the ship was assigned to the United States Fourth Fleet supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South.[14][15] In November 2020, she served as an off-shore base for MH-60R Seahawk helicopters of HSM-37 conducting disaster relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta.[16]

William P. Lawrence participated in RIMPAC 2022.[17]

Notes
  1. "WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE (DDG 110)". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (NAVSHIPSO). 3 December 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  2. "William P. Lawrence (6135315)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  3. "Photo Release – Northrop Grumman-Built William P. Lawrence Christened; Legacy of Former POW Honored". GlobeNewswire. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  4. Griggs, Travis, "Destroyer Lawrence commissioned in Mobile", Military Times, 5 June 2011.
  5. 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 23 January 2013.
  6. Ocampo, USN, Carla (3 March 2013). "Lawrence Conducts First Strait of Hormuz Transit". NNS130304-05. USS William P. Lawrence Public Affairs. Retrieved 14 March 2013. and Ocampo, Carla (14 March 2013). "USS William P. Lawrence encounters burning vessel". Navy Media Content Center #886966. DVIDS. Retrieved 14 May 2013. Photo taken on 11 March 2013.
  7. "Warships from CTF-150 Come to Mariners Rescue in Sea of Oman". BBC News. Muscat Daily. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  8. "USS Nimitz carrier moves into Red Sea". Reuters. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  9. "Fatal Knighthawk Crash Partially Blamed on Destroyer Skipper, Crew". news.usni.org. 20 May 2014.
  10. Diplomat, Ankit Panda, The. "After Months of Waiting, US Finally Begins Freedom of Navigation Patrols Near China's Man-Made Islands". Retrieved 16 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. "US warship sails by South China Sea reef, irking Beijing". Hong Kong Free Press. Agence France-Presse. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  12. "China scrambles fighters as U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef". Reuters. Reuters. 10 May 2016.
  13. "COMDESRON Twenty One". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
  14. Shelbourne, Mallory (1 October 2020). "Navy Destroyer Performs Freedom of Navigation Operation Off Venezuelan Coast". USNI News. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  15. U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs (28 October 2020). "USS William P. Lawrence, Brazil Unite for Training Exercise in Caribbean" (Press release). U.S. Southern Command. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  16. U.S. Fourth Fleet Public Affairs Office (13 November 2020). "USS William P. Lawrence Joins Hurricane Eta Relief in Honduras" (Press release). U.S. Southern Command. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  17. "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker". news.usni.org. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.

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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