USS Mahan (DDG-72)

USS Mahan (DDG-72) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in service with the United States Navy.

Overview
The USS Mahan is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, and is one of the ships of the United States Fleet Forces Command.

Namesake
Like her predecessors, the USS Mahan is named for Alfred Thayer Mahan, a naval theorist on seapower. She is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.

1990s
The USS Mahan was commissioned on 14 February 1998 at Tampa, Florida.

2000s
On 16 February 2007, Mahan was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.

2010s
During a 2011 maritime security operation deployment, USS Mahan was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to conduct operations in Libya. Insitu Inc. announced that its ScanEagle been assisting U.S. and NATO Forces in their mission to protect civilians and reduce the flow of arms to Libya. During a 72-hour counter-terrorism surge supporting Operation Unified Protector, the ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle was operated organically aboard Mahan to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. In strong winds, ScanEagle performed cooperatively with a host of US and NATO participating forces. On this deployment ScanEagles (the second aboard Mahan) the team achieved a 100 percent mission readiness rate, accruing 1,154 flight hours and 167 sorties.

USS Mahan received the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System during the ship's 2011 maintenance availability.

USS Mahan left Naval Station Norfolk on December 28, 2012 for a maritime security operation deployment to the United States Sixth Fleet Area of Responsibility. She returned on September 13, 2013 and had a pinning ceremony for 10 chief petty officer selects as soon as the ship was moored.

Executive officer relieved of duty
On Friday, 17 September 2010, Commander Charles Mansfield was relieved of his duty for misconduct by Captain Jeffrey Wolstenholme, commander of Destroyer Squadron 22. Relief of Mansfield came after investigation into allegations that Mansfield struck a subordinate officer while the ship was underway, participating in a composite training unit exercise on 9 July. Mansfield appeared at Commodore's Mast for non-judicial punishment proceedings (an administrative not criminal hearing) on charges of assault and conduct unbecoming an officer. He was found to have committed the offenses as charged and was subsequently awarded a career-ending Punitive Letter of Reprimand according to Lieutenant Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman with Naval Surface Force Atlantic. The incident took place in Mahan's combat information center.