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USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116)

USS THOMAS HUDNER is one of the ARLEIGH BURKE Flight IIA guided missile destroyers and the first ship in the Navy named after Captain Thomas Hudner.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS THOMAS HUDNER. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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About the Ship's Namesake:

Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his wingman, the first African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, anti-aircraft fire hit Brown's aircraft, damaging a fuel line and causing him to crash.

After it became clear Brown was seriously injured and unable to free himself Hudner proceeded to purposefully crash his own aircraft to join Brown and provide aid. Hudner injured his own back during his crash landing, but he stayed with Brown until a rescue helicopter arrived. Hudner and the rescue pilot worked in the sub-zero, snow-laden area in an unsuccessful attempt to free Brown from the smoking wreckage.

After receiving recognition for his heroism, Hudner remained on active duty, completing an additional 22 years of naval service during which his accomplishments include flying 27 combat missions in the Korean War and serving as the executive officer aboard the USS KITTY HAWK (CVA 63) during the Vietnam War.

Hudner died at Concord, Mass., on November 13, 2017. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 4, 2018.

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

Description:

Celeste, two cannons in saltire muzzles upward, surmounted by a missile in pale erect, all between three mullets in chief and as many in base, that in base point reversed, Argent detailed Gris. All within a diminished bordure of the second. Issuant from a wreath of the colors Argent and Celeste, a representation of the Naval Aviator Badge surmounted by a F4U Corsair all Proper, at the apex, between the folded wings, a starburst Or. Two lions rampant Or, each gorged with a collar Azure, on the dexter side the collar inscribed "211," and on the sinister side, a collar inscribed "205," both numerals of the first. On a tri-folded scroll Azure, doubled Gules, the inscription: "ABOVE ALL OTHERS" in Gold letters.

Symbolism:

The colors light blue and white are representative of the Medal of Honor ribbon and also allude to the sky and clouds, the field of action of a fighter pilot. The six mullets (stars) are representative of the six-aircraft flight squadron of which Thomas Hudner was a member. The inverted star in base symbolizes his element leader and friend, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the Navy's first African-American carrier pilot, who then-LTJG Hudner valiantly attempted to save in 1950. The cannons and missile represent the ammunition of the advanced weapons systems and the naval surface combatant technology aboard USS THOMAS HUDNER, a restart Insertion ship with elements of the next generation of ARLEIGH BURKE-class destroyers, called "Flight IIA." The ship's mission includes anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. The torse or wreath takes the first metal and color from the shield and here, also, symbolizes the sky and the snowy, frozen terrain on which Thomas Hudner landed his plane during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir (the "Frozen Chosin"). Captain Hudner was the only Naval aviator in the Korean War awarded the Medal of Honor, also represented by the twisted wreath colors. The wings and shield are from the Naval Aviator Badge and reflect Hudner's service in Naval Aviation. The star-burst is modeled after the symbol of the "Chosin Few." The wings of the Corsair are raised in salute. Lions traditionally represent strength, courage and fortitude. They are also known for protecting their own and thrive as group hunters. Here, they also allude to Captain Hudner's valiant actions that earned him the Medal of Honor, as he risked his life attempting to rescue and protect a fellow squadron mate whose plane was forced down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. The lion on the left wears a dark blue collar with the tail number of Jesse Brown's plane, "211." The lion on the right has a dark blue collar with Thomas Hudner's tail number, "205," in gold, also symbolizing his distinguished Navy career. The coat of arms as blazoned in full color on a white oblong disc within a dark blue designation band, edged with a gold roped border and bearing the name "USS THOMAS HUDNER" at the top and "DDG 116" at the base.

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USS THOMAS HUDNER History:

USS THOMAS HUDNER emerged from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works as a Flight IIA "technology insertion" destroyer named for Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. The Navy awarded the construction contract on February 28, 2012, announced the name on May 7, 2012, laid the keel on November 16, 2015, christened the ship on April 1, 2017, and launched her on April 23, 2017. She completed acceptance trials off Maine on May 3, 2018. The Navy took delivery on June 15, 2018. Commissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, on December 1, 2018, she was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 40 and homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Following post-delivery trials and training in early 2019, the destroyer operated from Mayport on Atlantic work-ups and weapons qualifications. When Hurricane Dorian threatened Florida at the end of August and into September 2019, the Navy sorted several ships to sea while others - including THOMAS HUDNER, then in maintenance - secured in port and rode out the storm with extra moorings and precautions, a small but telling episode in her early operating life.

In the COVID-shaped operating year of 2020, the ship shifted to higher-latitude operations. From early to late August she joined Royal Canadian Navy-led Operation NANOOK in the North Atlantic and Arctic approaches, conducting multinational search-and-rescue drills and cold-weather seamanship with HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC and HMCS GLACE BAY, replenishment at sea with the Canadian supply ship MV ASTERIX, and a notable fjord transit alongside the Royal Danish Navy's HDMS TRITON. The deployment carried her across the Arctic Circle - crew earning "Blue Nose" honors - while building allied familiarity in a region of rising strategic attention.

THOMAS HUDNER's first extended deployment began when she departed the U.S. East Coast with the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group on February 18, 2021. After entering the Mediterranean on March 8 with USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER and USS MITSCHER (DDG 57), she turned north to operate in the Black Sea from March 20-24 with USS MONTEREY (CG 61), participating in the Romanian-led exercise Sea Shield 21 alongside a broad NATO contingent. Throughout March she also executed trilateral events with the Hellenic and Italian navies, reflecting 6th Fleet's deterrence and interoperability aims as great-power tensions rose around the Black Sea.

Re-entering the Mediterranean in late spring 2021, the destroyer visited Souda Bay, Crete, on May 24, and then integrated with the French CHARLES DE GAULLE carrier strike group from May 25 to June 3, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve tasking in the Eastern Mediterranean. Immediately afterward she surged north for BALTOPS 50 (June 6-18), the Baltic's marquee annual NATO exercise, and made a port call at Kiel, Germany, on June 22 during Kiel Week. She continued presence operations into the Norwegian Sea in early July before returning to Mayport on July 17, 2021, completing a six-month deployment through both 5th and 6th Fleet theaters.

Back home in late summer 2021, HUDNER was selected as one of the first two ships for the newly formed Task Group Greyhound, a high-readiness Atlantic destroyer group focused on countering undersea threats near the U.S. and transatlantic sea lanes. She also headed to the northwest Atlantic and Canadian littorals for CUTLASS FURY 21 (September 7-17), exercising anti-submarine, air defense, and replenishment skills with USS FORREST SHERMAN (DDG 98) and Canadian and French units around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland - training designed to tighten NATO tactics in a multi-threat environment.

In 2022, the destroyer supported the introduction of the Navy's first-in-class carrier GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78). During the Silent Wolverine serials and broader Carrier Strike Group FOUR activities in October-November, HUDNER operated in the North Atlantic with NATO allies to hone integrated air and missile defense and strike group cohesion ahead of GERALD R. FORD's inaugural deployment. Along the way she made a mid-November visit to Portsmouth, United Kingdom, emblematic of intensified allied at-sea integration in the North Atlantic and High North.

When the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7, 2023, HUDNER deployed with GERALD R. FORD's carrier group to the Eastern Mediterranean as an air-defense and escort unit - a visible signal of crisis-management posture during regional escalation. In mid-November, while operating under U.S. 5th Fleet tasking in the southern Red Sea, she defended herself against drones assessed as launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, downing one on November 15 and engaging additional one-way attack drones on November 23 amid growing threats to shipping and coalition forces. After more than 60,000 nautical miles across the deployment, she returned to Mayport on January 4, 2024.

Following post-deployment maintenance and training, THOMAS HUDNER got underway again on February 19, 2025, as an independent deployer to the U.S. 4th Fleet area, supporting maritime security and partner engagement around the Caribbean and South America, then crossed back to Europe for combined events under U.S. 6th Fleet. She made a hometown return to Boston on March 13-18, 2025, mooring at Flynn Cruiseport for public tours and community outreach that tied the ship back to her commissioning city and namesake's New England roots. In May she shifted to the Northeast Atlantic for the multinational exercise Formidable Shield 2025, where HUDNER conducted complex live-fire events - including integrated air and missile-defense workups - alongside allied ships such as USS BULKELEY (DDG 84). Concluding the deployment across both 4th and 6th Fleet theaters, she returned to Mayport on July 23, 2025.

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Homeports of USS THOMAS HUDNER:

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USS THOMAS HUDNER Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the THOMAS HUDNER arriving at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 18, 2021, after participating in BALTOPS 50. The ship is presently on its maiden deployment as part of the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) Strike Group. USS THOMAS HUDNER deployed from Mayport, Fla., on January 2, 2021, and has since operated in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Arabian Sea and the Baltic Sea. It's the ship's first visit to Germany.

The photos below were taken by me and show the THOMAS HUDNER at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 20, 2021, after participating in BALTOPS 50.

The photos below were taken by me and show the THOMAS HUDNER departing Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 21, 2021.

The photos below were taken by me and show the THOMAS HUDNER at Naval Base Portsmouth, UK., on November 16 and 17, 2022. The THOMAS HUDNER is deployed as part of the USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78) Strike Group. The ship alongside DDG 116 is the Spanish frigate ALVARO DE BAZAN which is also operating as part of the strike group.

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