Destroyer Squadron 22

Destroyer Squadron 22
U.S. Navy · Public domain · source
Unit name	Destroyer Squadron 22
Native name	DESRON 22
Dates	Established 1940s–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Destroyer squadron
Role	Surface warfare, escort, maritime security
Garrison	Norfolk, Virginia (historically)

Destroyer Squadron 22 is a United States Navy surface warfare formation that has served as an administrative and tactical organization for destroyers and guided‑missile destroyers. Over decades, it has operated under numbered fleets and carrier strike groups, participating in convoy escort, antisubmarine warfare, power projection, and maritime security operations. The squadron has been involved in major Cold War, post‑Cold War, and 21st‑century operations, integrating with NATO, United States Sixth Fleet, and carrier strike group staffs.

History

Destroyer Squadron 22 traces roots to the World War II and early Cold War era when destroyer flotillas and squadrons were reorganized to meet Atlantic and Pacific requirements. During the Cold War, ships assigned to the squadron operated alongside Task Force elements such as carrier battle groups in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, supporting operations associated with events like the Berlin Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. In the post‑Vietnam period, the squadron adapted to technological shifts including the introduction of guided‑missile destroyers and new antisubmarine warfare techniques that intersected with developments from institutions such as the Naval War College and the Office of Naval Research. During the 1990s and 2000s, units serving in the squadron supported sanctions enforcement, maritime intercept operations related to UN resolutions, and multinational exercises with NATO partners including the Royal Navy, French Navy, Italian Navy, Spanish Navy, and Hellenic Navy. After 2001, deployments often intersected with carrier strike group operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, coordinating with USS Enterprise, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and allied vessels during littoral and blue‑water missions.

Organization and Composition

As an administrative squadron, the unit provided maintenance coordination, personnel administration, and tactical training oversight for assigned destroyers and guided‑missile destroyers. Its chain of command has typically reported to a destroyer squadron commodore who liaised with carrier strike group commanders, numbered fleet staffs such as United States Fleet Forces Command and United States Sixth Fleet, and shore establishments including Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Support Activity Naples. Ships in the squadron have included Fletcher‑class, Gearing‑class, Forrest Sherman‑class, Charles F. Adams‑class, Spruance‑class, Arleigh Burke‑class, and Zumwalt‑class vessels that integrated sensors and weapons suites from contractors and programs like AEGIS, Tomahawk, and Standard Missile families. Training and readiness cycles often involved Fleet Synthetic Training, composite training exercises run by Commander, Naval Surface Forces, and interoperability certification with NATO formations, NATO Standing Naval Forces Atlantic and Mediterranean, and bilateral partners such as the Royal Australian Navy and JMSDF.

Operational Deployments and Exercises

Destroyers assigned to the squadron have performed a spectrum of missions: escorting aircraft carriers, conducting antisubmarine warfare escort for convoys, performing maritime interdiction operations, and executing Tomahawk strike missions under carrier or expeditionary strike group direction. Deployments frequently took place in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean, participating in multinational exercises such as RIMPAC, BALTOPS, UNITAS, and Operation Active Endeavour. In NATO contexts, squadron ships have contributed to standing combined task groups, taken part in Cold Response and Trident Juncture exercises, and operated with allied carrier, amphibious, and submarine units. Crisis response operations have included noncombatant evacuation operations in concert with USS Kearsarge and USS Ponce, counter‑piracy patrols coordinated with Combined Task Force 151, and presence missions supporting freedom of navigation operations alongside USCG cutters and allied frigates.

Notable Ships and Commanders

Over its history, the squadron has included notable hulls whose individual histories intersect with broader naval developments. Ships assigned to the squadron have included early Cold War Gearing‑class destroyers that later underwent FRAM modernization, Charles F. Adams‑class guided‑missile escorts that fielded Tartar systems, and Arleigh Burke‑class destroyers that implemented the AEGIS Combat System and AN/SPY‑1 radars. Commanding officers and commodores associated with the squadron have often advanced to higher flag billets within fleet staffs, carrier strike groups, or joint commands after service. Many of these leaders participated in professional education institutions such as the National War College and Top Gun‑style surface warfare leadership programs, and worked alongside figures from allied navies and defense ministries during coalition operations and planners at the Joint Staff.

Awards and Commendations

Units within the squadron have earned campaign ribbons, unit commendations, and operational awards reflecting participation in major operations and exemplary performance at sea. Decorations associated with individual ships assigned to the squadron have included Navy Unit Commendation awards for action during conflict deployments, Meritorious Unit Commendations for superior performance during sustained operations, and campaign medals recognizing service in theaters corresponding to operations such as Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Collective readiness recognitions have also acknowledged excellence in inspection cycles and NATO interoperability evaluations administered by Allied Maritime Command and fleet readiness oversight bodies.

United States Navy Naval history of the United States Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Guided-missile destroyer Carrier strike group United States Sixth Fleet United States Fleet Forces Command Naval Station Norfolk Naval War College Office of Naval Research USS Enterprise (CVN-65) USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) Royal Navy French Navy Italian Navy Spanish Navy Hellenic Navy RIMPAC BALTOPS UNITAS Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Combined Task Force 151 Tomahawk (missile) AEGIS Combat System Standard Missile Tartar (surface-to-air missile) AN/SPY-1 radar Fletcher-class destroyer Gearing-class destroyer Forrest Sherman-class destroyer Charles F. Adams-class destroyer Spruance-class destroyer Zumwalt-class destroyer Fleet Synthetic Training Commander, Naval Surface Forces NATO Standing Naval Forces Atlantic NATO Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) USS Ponce (LPD-15) National War College Top Gun (United States Navy) Joint Staff Allied Maritime Command Naval Station Rota Naval Support Activity Naples United States Navy Reserve Frederick C. Sherman Frank E. Evans (DD-754) USS Longshaw (DD-559) Littoral combat ship RIMPAC 2018 Trident Juncture Cold Response Cuban Missile Crisis Berlin Crisis Persian Gulf Indian Ocean Mediterranean Sea North Atlantic Sanctions enforcement Maritime interdiction operations Noncombatant evacuation operation Counter-piracy Freedom of navigation operation

Category:Destroyer squadrons of the United States Navy