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USS Mustin (DDG 89)

USS MUSTIN is the eleventh Flight IIA ARLEIGH BURKE - class guided missile destroyer and the second ship in the Navy to honor the Mustin family who have recorded a rich and honorable tradition of naval service.

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Crew List:

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

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• Click here to see which USS MUSTIN memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS MUSTIN Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 2013
• WestPac Cruise Book 2014-15

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally used by the Navy and represent the sea and excellence. The enflamed delta symbolizes the diverse missile capabilities of the destroyer and the advent of the Tomahawk weapons system aboard surface combatants spearheaded by VADM Henry C. Mustin. The five points of flame represent the five wars where Mustin family members fought. The triple-barreled battleship gun turret highlights VADM Lloyd M. Mustin's (1911-1999) renowned gunnery expertise throughout his career; his remarkable experiences during the naval battle of Guadalcanal aboard the cruiser ATLANTA; and, after her sinking, service with the First Marine Division on Guadalcanal. The barrels of the gun turret also reflect the three generations of the Mustin Family who faced combat under fire. The red annulet denotes unity, courage and valor. The polestar honors VADM Henry C. Mustin, a decorated Vietnam veteran, who became the commander of NATO's largest fleet and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations during the 1980's. The combination of the annulet and polestar symbolizes the early gunsight developed by CAPT Henry C. Mustin (1874-1923) and the prototype lead computing antiaircraft gunsight developed by VADM Lloyd M. Mustin, a key to the United States' success in antiaircraft action in the Pacific during World War II. The four stars commemorate Bronze Stars awarded to the Mustin Family for service in Vietnam - three for VADM Henry C. Mustin, and one for LCDR Thomas M. Mustin, Officer in Charge of Patrol Boat River Section 511, Mekong Delta; combined with the polestar in a "V-shape" they symbolize the Combat "V" accompanying each of these awards.

The Crest:

The palm fronds represent achievement and victory in the Pacific Theater; principal service area of the Mustin Family, of USS MUSTIN (DD 413), and homeport to USS MUSTIN (DDG 89). The thirteen stars commemorate the thirteen Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Ribbon earned by USS MUSTIN (DD 413) for her contributions to major operations in the Pacific throughout World War II. The dolphins denote search and rescue, and symbolize the USS MUSTIN's valiant rescue efforts during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, where she recovered 337 survivors from USS HORNET (CV 8) as they abandoned ship. They further represent CAPT Henry C. Mustin's receipt of a Gold Lifesaving Medal in 1918, for his swimming rescue of a Sailor washed overboard during a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The Surface Warfare Officer device reflects the sea service of the Mustin Family and the Surface Warfare excellence of the two destroyers.

Supporters:

The Naval Aviator "Wings of Gold" device honors Captain Henry C. Mustin, designated Naval Aviator Number Eleven, instrumental in the design of these wings. Captain Mustin was the principal architect of the catapult launch concept; made the first catapult launch of an aircraft from a ship underway; and at Veracruz in 1914, commanded the first United States military aviation unit ever to fly against hostile fire. The four crossed Naval Officer's swords symbolize the commissioned service of each of the Mustins honored in the naming and commissioning of USS MUSTIN (DDG 89).

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USS MUSTIN's Commanding Officers:

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About the Ship's Name:

USS MUSTIN honors the Mustin family who have recorded a rich and honorable tradition of naval service. This tradition is marked by officers who were extraordinarily creative innovators. The Mustins' legacy to the Navy service lasted from 1896 until 1989; nearly one century of naval history.

Capt. Henry C. Mustin, U.S. Navy, (1874-1923), a 1896 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earned a commendation for distinguished service in the capture of Vigan, Philippines, in 1899; flew the first aircraft ever catapulted from a ship; flew the first operational missions of naval aircraft during the Veracruz operation in 1914; and was the first commander of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet.

His son, Vice Adm. Lloyd Mustin, (1911-1999), a 1932 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, took part in developing the Navy's first lead-computing anti-aircraft gun sight, which proved of major importance in the air-sea actions of World War II, and served on the cruiser USS ATLANTA (CL 51) during the naval battle of Guadalcanal. His ship was lost during that action; and with other survivors he landed on Guadalcanal and served ashore with a naval unit attached to the First Marine Division. His post war service included commands at sea and development and evaluation of weapon systems. He later served as director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Vice Admiral Mustin's two sons, retired Navy Vice Adm. Henry C. Mustin, and Lieutenant Commander Thomas M. Mustin have continued their family's legacy of service. Vice Admiral Mustin, a 1955 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is a decorated Vietnam veteran who served in the 1980's as the Naval Inspector General; Commander, Second Fleet and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans and Policy. Lieutenant Commander Mustin, also a Naval Academy Graduate (1962) earned a Bronze Star during the Vietnam conflict for river patrol combat action.

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History:

USS MUSTIN, an ARLEIGH BURKE - class Flight IIA destroyer built at Ingalls Shipbuilding, began construction on January 15, 2001, was launched on December 12, 2001, christened on December 15, 2001, and commissioned at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, on July 26, 2003. After post-delivery trials and combat-systems qualifications from San Diego, she entered the Fleet Response Plan rhythm for her maiden deployment.

On February 1, 2005, MUSTIN deployed with CARL VINSON (CVN 70) and DESRON 31 across the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, conducting maritime interception and presence operations. Notable events included assisting the burning merchant M/V OLYMPIAS on May 11, 2005, and providing medical aid to an Iranian dhow, HENIF, on June 11, 2005 - typical of strike-group ships enforcing sea-lane safety while executing coalition tasking. She returned to San Diego on August 1, 2005, and, amid rising missile tensions in Northeast Asia, shifted permanently to Yokosuka, Japan, in July 2006 to join DESRON 15 as a forward-deployed Seventh Fleet destroyer.

Forward basing set a new cadence from 2006 onward: patrols through the Philippine Sea, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan; ballistic-missile-defense alert windows during DPRK launch cycles; logistics calls at Sasebo and Singapore; and frequent transits of the First Island Chain. In the wake of Cyclone Nargis, MUSTIN sortied with the ESSEX (LHD 2) Amphibious Ready Group remaining offshore May 13-June 5, 2008, for Joint Task Force Caring Response when access to Myanmar never materialized. In June 2009, she assumed the shadow of DPRK freighter KANG NAM 1, an early test of UNSCR 1874 interdiction at sea after North Korea's nuclear test.

During March 2011, MUSTIN pivoted to humanitarian assistance after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, operating off northeastern Honshu with RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) during Operation Tomodachi. The ship later earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for sustained Task Force 70 operations from April 10, 2012 to December 31, 2013, reflecting an extended period of high-tempo patrols, carrier screening, and allied exercises as sanctions enforcement and maritime security matured across the Western Pacific.

In 2013, MUSTIN supported the NIMITZ (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group as it was surged from CENTCOM to the Red Sea in early September during the Syria chemical-weapons crisis, then to the Mediterranean in October, before the strike group's December homecoming - an arc that underscored how Yokosuka-based escorts buttressed carrier flexibility across theaters.

In late June 2014, south of Guam, MUSTIN participated in Pandarra Fog, a four-day Seventh Fleet obscurant and counter-sensor experiment with WAYNE E. MEYER (DDG 108) and submarine tender USS FRANK CABLE (AS 40), exploring how radar-absorbent aerosols might complicate an adversary's targeting in a layered missile-defense fight. The event sat alongside routine patrols and logistics calls as the ship cycled through Yokosuka upkeep and forward employment.

In 2015, MUSTIN's schedule combined patrols in the South China Sea with outreach. She arrived Hong Kong on April 30, 2015, for a port visit with community events, then continued maritime security operations; Seventh Fleet highlighted her presence on September 7, 2015, while the destroyer was on station in the South China Sea. The command's readiness in that period was recognized with the Battle Efficiency "E" for 2015.

In 2016, MUSTIN returned to Hong Kong on February 13 during a routine Seventh Fleet patrol and, later in the year, made a port call at Cam Ranh International Port, Vietnam, a symbolic step in deepening U.S.-Vietnam defense ties. The crew's performance remained strong, with leadership continuity bridging a busy operational year into the next.

On February 24, 2017, Cmdr. Warren D. Smith relieved Cmdr. Thane C. Clare in a change of command at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, as MUSTIN kept up regional patrols amid heightened activity around the Korean Peninsula and the East China Sea. The ship's 2017-2018 patrols included high-end air-maritime integration with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, sea-control training in the Philippine Sea, and logistics pauses around the First Island Chain.

The ship's profile drew renewed public attention in 2019 and 2020 as freedom-of-navigation and waterway-access operations intensified. MUSTIN conducted Taiwan Strait transits on August 18-19, 2020, and December 19, 2020, bookending combined events with JMSDF formations, and continued carrier-escort and surface action training across the Philippine and East China seas.

In April 2021, while assigned to Task Force 71, MUSTIN's bridge team was photographed monitoring Chinese carrier LIAONING at close quarters in the Philippine Sea - an emblematic snapshot of day-to-day U.S. presence near PLA Navy formations. After 15 years continuously forward-deployed, she departed Yokosuka on June 22, 2021, and returned to San Diego on July 22, 2021, relieved in theater by RALPH JOHNSON (DDG 114).

MUSTIN entered a Depot Modernization Period in San Diego beginning in May 2022, a deep availability that included dry-docking, underwater-hull preservation, machinery overhauls, combat-system refresh, and habitability upgrades. Through 2023 and into 2024, she progressed through dock trials, sea trials, and Basic Phase certifications from Southern California. Public imagery captured the destroyer returning to North Island on July 12, 2024 after a re-blue-water workup.

By mid-2025 MUSTIN had re-established herself as a SURFPAC destroyer: San Diego-based, Basic Phase nearly complete, and visible at West Coast fleet-week events while preparing for integrated training with carrier and amphibious groups.

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Homeports of USS MUSTIN:

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USS MUSTIN Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee during USS MUSTIN's port visit to Hong Kong November 8 - 12, 2013, while the ship was assigned to the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Strike Group. The port visit was cut short when the ships were ordered to proceed to the Philippines to provide disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the MUSTIN during a port visit to Hong Kong on April 30, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the MUSTIN during a port visit to Hong Kong on February 15, 2016. The last two photos show the MUSTIN on departure one day later.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning during an open ship event aboard USS MUSTIN as part of the 43rd annual friendship day at Yokosuka, Japan, on August 3, 2019.

			Click here for more Photos.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MUSTIN at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 28, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MUSTIN at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 29, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MUSTIN undergoing a Depot Modernization Period (DMP) at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, Calif., on October 10, 2022.

The photos below were taken by me and show USS MUSTIN getting underway from the Navy Fuel Farm, San Diego, Calif., on July 22, 2024.

The photos below were taken by me and show USS MUSTIN returning to San Diego, Calif., from a short midshipmen cruise on July 24, 2024.

The photos below were taken by me and show USS MUSTIN at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on July 26, 2024.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS MUSTIN at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on October 15, 2024.

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