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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books About the Ship's Name About the Ship's Coat of Arms History Homeports of USS Truxtun Image Gallery to end of page |  |
USS TRUXTUN is one of the Flight IIA ARLEIGH BURKE - class of Aegis guided missile destroyers and the sixth ship in the Navy named after Commodore Thomas Truxtun.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: September 13, 2002 |
| Keel laid: April 11, 2005 | |
| Launched: April 17, 2007 | |
| Commissioned: April 25, 2009 | |
| Builder: Northrop Grumman Ship Systems' Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, Miss. | |
| Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines | |
| Propellers: two | |
| Length: 508,5 feet (155 meters) | |
| Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters) | |
| Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters) | |
| Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load | |
| Speed: 32 knots | |
| Aircraft: two | |
| Armament: one | |
| Homeport: Norfolk, Va. | |
| Crew: approx. 320 |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS TRUXTUN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS TRUXTUN Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Coat of Arms:
The Shield:
The Shield in colors of dark blue, white, and gold are traditionally used by the US Navy and recal the sea and excellence. Red is emblematic of courage and sacrifice. The vertical white bar alludes to the Vertical Launch System strike warfare capability of the ship. The trident, symbol of the sea power, represents DDG 103's multi mission offensive and defensive capabilities with its three times signifying AAW, ASW, & ASUW. The three modern missiles in chief (ASROC, Tomahawk, and Standard) also give credit to the precision fire, modern weaponry of DDG 103 in the air, sea, and strike arenas.
The Crest:
The Crest containing the silhouette of the USS CONSTELLATION recalls Commodore Thomas Truxtun being assigned to that ship in the early naval history. He was one of the nation's premier sea fighters of that time. The stars commemorate the heritage of the five previous ships named TRUXTUN. The Aegis shield and anchor combined with the USS CONSTELLATION highlight the old and new US Navy warships and their long and proud history.
The Motto:
The Motto is derived from the golden medal presented to Captain Thomas Truxtun in March of 1800 by the President. The medal is emblematical of the action between the US frigate CONSTELLATION, of thirty-eight guns, and the French ship of war LA VENGEANCE, of fifty-four guns; in testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress of his gallantry and good conduct in the above engagement "wherein an example was exhibited by the captain, officers, sailors, and marines, honorable to the American name, and instructive to its rising navy". The medal is struck with the passage "U.S. Frigate CONSTELLATION of 38 guns Pursues, Attacks, & Vanquishes the French ship LA VENGEANCE of 54 guns, Feb 1800."
The Supporters:
The Supporters, the crossed sword and cutlass, highlight teamwork and cooperation.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS TRUXTUN History:
USS TRUXTUN was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, with her keel laid on April 11, 2005. During construction an electrical fire on May 20, 2006, damaged two levels and led to repairs before launch on April 17, 2007, and christening on June 2, 2007. She commissioned at Charleston, South Carolina, on April 25, 2009, and shifted to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk to begin post-delivery trials and certifications.
In 2009, she conducted shakedown, navigation and engineering assessments, and the standard basic and advanced phase training in the western Atlantic, integrating with East Coast training commands to certify combat systems ahead of first deployment. In 2010, she continued workups at sea to complete strike group integration prerequisites - air-defense, anti-submarine and visit-board-search-and-seizure drills - setting the stage for sustained forward operations.
In 2011, TRUXTUN deployed with CARRIER STRIKE GROUP TWO centered on USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH (CVN 77). The group operated through the Mediterranean and then in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf under U.S. Sixth and Fifth Fleets while the carrier's air wing supported coalition missions tied to operations in Afghanistan. TRUXTUN's roles included air-defense escort, maritime security, and theater engagement events. She returned to Norfolk on December 10, 2011, closing a seven-month cruise that spanned both theaters.
In 2012, the Navy selected TRUXTUN as the Flight IIA testbed for a hybrid-electric drive (HED) propulsion assist system designed to cut fuel consumption at low speeds. Over the ensuing years the ship carried the only complete HED installation in the destroyer force, a status that later shaped maintenance and program decisions.
In 2013, she executed pre-deployment workups with the GEORGE H. W. BUSH team, including final evaluation drills that stressed boarding procedures and integrated air-and-missile defense.
In early 2014, TRUXTUN departed Norfolk for deployment and, amid Russia's seizure of Crimea, detached to the Black Sea. She put into Souda Bay, Crete, on March 3, 2014, then entered the Black Sea for planned training with the Romanian and Bulgarian navies and a port visit to Varna, Bulgaria, on March 13-16 before exiting to rejoin the strike group. She subsequently transited the Suez Canal on March 19 and moved into the Middle East for Fifth Fleet tasking that included Exercise Eager Lion in Jordan (late May-early June) and the multilateral Gulf of Oman exercise Khunjar Haad. Port calls and logistics stops during the cruise included Aqaba, Jordan; Muscat, Oman (departing May 13); and other regional hubs before the group handed off and returned west. The deployment's latter months coincided with the coalition's expansion of strikes against ISIS, for which the carrier conducted sustained combat flight operations while TRUXTUN performed escort and maritime security duties.
Through 2015, the destroyer reset in Norfolk - post-deployment maintenance, inspections, and certifications - returning to Atlantic readiness while the surface force's demand signal remained high. In 2016, as the Navy reconsidered the broader HED rollout, TRUXTUN continued training and sustainment. By March 2018, the service canceled plans to retrofit 34 destroyers, leaving her the only ship fitted with the system.
In 2017, she again deployed with the GEORGE H. W. BUSH strike group, getting underway in January, operating across the Mediterranean and Middle East in air-defense and escort roles with strike group units such as USS PHILIPPINE SEA (CG 58) and USS HUE CITY (CG 66), and returning to Norfolk on August 21 after 212 days deployed. In 2018, she remained the Navy's sole HED-equipped BURKE; program reporting emphasized that singular status while the ship executed sustainment, training, and intermediate maintenance to prepare for the next cycle.
In 2019, the Navy and industry implemented reliability improvements to TRUXTUN's HED installation as part of the testbed's sustainment while she conducted Atlantic workups. In early 2020, she deployed with the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group for nearly seven months across Fifth and Sixth Fleets - an at-sea stretch notable for the lack of foreign port calls due to pandemic restrictions - returning to Norfolk on August 10, 2020.
In 2021, she executed post-deployment sustainment and local operations in the western Atlantic, aligning certifications to support follow-on tasking. In 2022, TRUXTUN departed with the GEORGE H. W. BUSH Carrier Strike Group on August 10, entered Sixth Fleet, and later shifted to Fifth Fleet. Port visits recorded on the cruise included Souda Bay, Greece; the deployment emphasized allied integration and high-end training.
In early 2023, while deployed, she took part in the large U.S.-Israeli exercise Juniper Oak 23-2 and the theater-wide International Maritime Exercise 2023 alongside dozens of partner navies. Regional events also included Pakistan-hosted AMAN-23. In April, she operated off Port Sudan in support of U.S. government evacuation contingencies amid Sudan's internal conflict. She returned to Norfolk on May 25, 2023, closing an eight-month deployment with the GEORGE H. W. BUSH team.
In 2024, TRUXTUN was among U.S. assets tasked to monitor a Russian flotilla - including the frigate ADMIRAL GORSHKOV and the submarine KAZAN - sailing within roughly 30 miles of South Florida en route to Cuba. On June 11-12 she operated with USS DONALD COOK (DDG 75), USS DELBERT D. BLACK (DDG 119), and U.S. maritime patrol aircraft, with Coast Guard units also in the picture. The activity reflected heightened Western Hemisphere presence and routine shadowing of foreign naval movements.
In 2025, she completed an intensive pre-deployment training period and on March 15 departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled overseas mission under Second Fleet.
back to top go to the end of the pageHomeports of USS TRUXTUN:
| Period | Homeport |
|---|---|
| commissioned at Charleston, SC. | |
| 2009 - present | Norfolk, Va. |
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS TRUXTUN Image Gallery:
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The photos below were taken by me and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on May 6, 2012.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 28, 2013.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Marine Hydraulics International, Inc. Norfolk, Va., undergoing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) on April 29, 2015.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 6, 2015.
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The photos below were taken by Steven Collingwood and show the TRUXTUN returning to Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on November 24, 2015, after training in the Virginia Capes area.
The photos below were taken by Steven Collingwood and show the TRUXTUN returning to Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on February 24, 2016, after a 2-day underway in the Virginia Capes area.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 4, 2017.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on September 21, 2018.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRUXTUN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on December 26, 2021.
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