USS James E. Williams (DDG-95)

USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Petty Officer 1st Class James Eliott Williams (1930–1999), a Medal of Honor recipient.

History
The USS James E. Williams was laid down on 15 July 2002 by the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi and launched on 25 June 2003. On 11 December 2004, The USS James E. Williams was commissioned in Charleston, South Carolina, sponsored by Elaine Weaver Williams, Petty Officer Williams' widow.

Commander Philip Warren Vance, a 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy took command. She joined the Atlantic Fleet, Destroyer Squadron 22 and is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.

On 17 February 2006, CDR Vance was relieved by CDR Ian Michael Hall as Commanding Officer of USS James E. Williams. CDR Hall is a graduate of William & Mary and the former commander of USS Raven (MHC-61).

On 2 May 2006, The USS James E. Williams deployed on its maiden deployment as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06-2. The USS James E. Williams joined the Naval Station Norfolk, Va.,-based amphibious transport dock USS Trenton (LPD 14) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., which surged 18 April as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06-2. On 17 October 2006, The USS James E. Williams completed its first deployment conducting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia as part of the maritime security operations.

On 28 June 2007, CDR Hall was relieved by CDR Timothy R. Trampenau.

The USS James E. Williams deployed again on 9 July 2007 as a part of the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group. The strike group consisted of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and USS Stout (DDG 55); the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and the fast-attack submarine USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) all based in Norfolk, and also the fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) based out of Earle, NJ. On the morning of 30 October 2007, Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, based in Bahrain, received a call from the International Maritime Bureau, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, providing the status of the North Korean cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan, which had been taken over 29 Oct by Somali pirates. The ship was approximately 60 nmi northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia. At that time, The USS James E. Williams was about 50 nmi from the vessel and sent a helicopter to investigate the situation. The USS James E. Williams arrived in the vicinity of the Korean ship midday local time and contacted the pirates via bridge-to-bridge radio, ordering them to give up their weapons. At that point, the Korean crew had confronted the Somali pirates, regained control of the ship and began communicating with the USS James E. Williams, requesting medical assistance. The crew said the pirates had been in control of the bridge, but the crew had retained control of the steering and engineering spaces. The USS James E. Williams crew provided care and assistance for approximately 12 hours to crew members and Somali pirates aboard Dai Hong Dan. Six pirates were captured and one was killed. The pirates remained aboard Dai Hong Dan. In November 2007, The USS James E. Williams aided the crew of the Taiwanese ship, M/V Ching Fong Hwa 168. After the Somali pirates returned to shore, the destroyer escorted the Taiwanese ship out of Somali waters and provided needed supplies and medical assistance.

On 19 December 2007, she returned from her second deployment to the Fifth Fleet AOR in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

In December 2008, CDR Trampenau was relieved by CDR Paul Marquis. After being relieved, CDR Trampenau reported to Deputy, Combat Systems Integration and OA Requirements Officer (N866B).

On 20 April 2009, James E. Williams left on her 3rd deployment in 3 years, deploying to the sixth and fifth Fleet areas of operations from Naval Station Norfolk as the lead element of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. The James E. Williams conducted maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf regions, and work with international maritime forces to ensure security and awareness in the maritime domain. She returned to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on 19 October 2009.

In December 2009, 1½ months after the ship returned to Norfolk from a six-month cruise to the Mediterranean and Arabian seas, nine crewmembers were given non-judicial punishment for fraternization. Five of the nine were male chief petty officers while the other four were female junior enlisted sailors. The chiefs involved are being processed for separation from the Navy. In addition, the ship's skipper, Commander Paul Marquis, and top enlisted sailor, Command Master Chief Timothy Youell, were relieved of their positions and reassigned to shore-based administrative duties. Neither Marquis nor Youell are implicated in the fraternization cases or alleged sexual assault. Their failures are ones of leadership. Furthermore, one other crew member faced criminal charges for sexual assault. Marquis' Executive Officer Cmdr. Daniel Sunvold, who was serving as executive officer on the James E. Williams, has been reassigned to the same position on the destroyer Bainbridge. He has not been implicated in any of the allegations.

In December 2009 CMDR T.J. Linardi took command as Commanding Officer.