USS Momsen (DDG-92)

The USS Momsen (DDG-92) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy.

The Momsen is the twenty-sixth destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class to be built by Bath Iron Works. She is named after Vice Admiral Charles B. "Swede" Momsen of Flushing, Queens, New York (1896–1967). Vice Admiral Momsen made many contributions to the navy such as the invention of the Momsen Lung when he was assigned to the Bureau of Construction and Repair. Momsen was also involved in the first successful rescue of a crew of a sunken submarine, USS Squalus (SS-192), and subsequently supervised the salvage of the boat.

The USS Momsen's keel was laid on 16 November 2001. She was launched on 19 July 2003, sponsored by the Admiral's daughter, Evelyn Momsen Hailey. The Momsen was commissioned on 28 August 2004, at Panama City, Florida, with Commander Edward Kenyon as her first captain.

As of 2008, the Momsen is serving in the Pacific Fleet, homeported in NAVSTA Everett, Washington, and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 9.

The construction of the Momsen and the USS Chafee (DDG-90), from initial steelcutting to sea trials, was documented in the Discovery Channel television special Destroyer: Forged in Steel. The destroyers were not referenced by name, but their numbers were visible on their prows.

2006 deployment
On 6 April 2006, Momsen departed Naval Station Everett for her maiden deployment. During the six-month cruise, the ship conducted training and operations throughout Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. Momsen returned home from its highly successful maiden deployment on 22 September 2006.

2008 deployment
Momsen departed for her second deployment on 14 March 2008 with Carrier Strike Group Nine. During her deployment, Momsen provided critical humanitarian assistance for two foreign vessels, a stranded cargo vessel with engine problems and a former hijacked merchant vessel requiring food, water and medical attention. She returned home on 13 October 2008 after a seven month underway period. In September 2009 Momsen was rumored to have run aground in Canadian Waters. However, no damage to the vessel was sustained and these rumors are unfounded.

2010 deployment
Momsen departed for her third deployment September 2010 with Carrier Strike Group Nine. On 2 February 2011, the destroyer Momsen, with the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52), responded to a distress call from the Panamanian-flag merchant vessel Duqm in the Gulf of Oman. Both ships disrupted a pirate attack on the Duqm, tracked the two pirate skiffs back to their mothership, and destroyed the two skiffs to prevent their use in future pirate attacks (pictured).

Commanding officer's relief
The ship's skipper, Commander Jay Wylie, was relieved of command on 27 April 2011 for "loss of confidence in his ability to command." On 28 October 2011, the former commander of Momsen, Jay Wylie, pleaded guilty to one count of rape, three counts of aggravated sexual assault and contact, and three counts of conduct unbecoming an officer, and was sentenced by court martial to 42 months imprisonment and loss of all navy benefits.

2013 deployment
During its 2013 deployment, Momsen initially joined Carrier Strike Group Eleven before undertaking independent operations with the U.S. Seventh Fleet. During this deployment, Momsen participated in such naval multilateral naval exercises as CARAT Indonesia 2013 in the Java Sea, Talisman Sabre 2013 in the Coral Sea, and SAREX in the Sea of Japan. Momsen operated with Carrier Strike Group Five during the Talisman Sabre and SAREX exercises. Momsen also paid port visits to Indonesia, Japan, Saipan, Australia. On 22 August 2013, USS Momsen returned to Naval Station Everett, Washington, after a four-month underway period as part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.