Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

Cruise Books

USS Mahan's COs

About the Ship's Coat of Arms

USS Mahan History

Homeports of USS Mahan

About the name "MAHAN"

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Mahan (DDG 72)

USS MAHAN is the 22^nd guided missile destroyer in the ARLEIGH BURKE class and the twelfth ship in that class built by Bath Iron Works in Maine.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

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

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS MAHAN Cruise Books:

• Commissioning Book
• Mediterranean Cruise Book 2000
• Mediterranean Cruise Book 2002

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS MAHAN's Commanding Officers:

back to top

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

(Click on the Coat of Arms for a larger version)

The Shield:

Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally used by the Navy and represent the sea and excellence. The trident, symbolizing sea power, denotes DDG 72’s warfare capabilities and underscores the importance of a strong Navy. The gauntlet and torch are adapted from the previous USS MAHAN’s emblem and highlight the ship’s namesake, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, as the father of all modern navies. The tines of the trident represent the three previous ships named MAHAN, as well as the Officer, Chief Petty Officer and Enlisted Corps of personnel which man the ship.

The Crest:

The central star commemorates the second USS MAHAN’s World War II battle honors (five battle stars), earned before she was sunk by Kamikazes. The twelve small stars on the gauntlet denote the battle stars of the third USS MAHAN for service in the Vietnam War. The unfurled scroll underscores Mahan as the author of "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1660-1783)". The compass rose and gauntlet represent Mahan’s influence of sea power, its strategy and geopolitical importance worldwide. The wreath combines laurel and palm to symbolize honor and victory.

The Motto:

The motto was chosen in remembrance of Admiral Arleigh Burke in memory of his many contributions to the U.S. Navy. During the commissioning of the USS ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG 51), Admiral Burke issued the following challenge to those who man this class of ship: "This ship is built to fight; you’d better know how."

back to top

go to the end of the page

History of USS MAHAN:

USS MAHAN, built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, entered service on "Valentine's Day", February 14, 1998, commissioned at Tampa, Florida, and homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Following post-delivery trials and qualification events through 1998-1999, she completed workups for her first cruise. On February 19, 2000, MAHAN departed Norfolk with the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) battle group for her maiden Mediterranean deployment, operating with CARRIER AIR WING SEVEN and allied units before returning August 18, 2000. The early deployments reflected the U.S. Navy's post-Cold War Mediterranean presence and the introduction of the FLIGHT II destroyers to high-tempo carrier screening and air-defense missions.

On June 20, 2002, MAHAN sailed again for the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, a six-month cruise marked by port calls in France, Scotland, Spain, Gibraltar, Slovenia, Crete, Malta and the United Kingdom. The itinerary mirrored NATO's increased maritime integration after 9/11 and the Navy's emphasis on maritime security operations at key chokepoints. She returned to Norfolk on December 20, 2002.

In autumn 2004, MAHAN surged with the HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) Carrier Strike Group to support NATO's Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOR, the post-9/11 maritime security and counter-terrorism patrols in the Mediterranean. While attached to Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean, MAHAN drilled with Greek flagship HS BOUBOULINA (F 463) and the Russian Federation warships SMETLIVY and PYTLIVY in a one-day PASSEX at Taranto Bay on November 26, a confidence-building event between NATO and the Russian Navy. She returned to Norfolk December 18, 2004.

After NEPTUNE WARRIOR in late 2006, MAHAN joined Standing NATO Maritime Group One from January to July 2007, operating extensively in the Baltic and North Atlantic during BALTOPS and related evolutions, a period focused on alliance interoperability and maritime interdiction procedures.

From September 2008 to April 2009, MAHAN deployed to the 5th Fleet region as the international community stood up dedicated counter-piracy tasking off the Horn of Africa. Assigned to Combined Task Force 151, she conducted maritime security patrols, queries and visit, board, search and seizure operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, returning to Norfolk April 9, 2009. This cruise coincided with the rapid expansion of multinational counter-piracy frameworks - CTF-151 under the Combined Maritime Forces and NATO's OCEAN SHIELD - established to deter Somali piracy threatening global commerce.

After a Selected Restricted Availability in early 2010 and basic-phase workups, MAHAN departed November 7, 2010 for maritime security operations spanning the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. During this deployment she conducted presence and escort tasks, made port visits including Haifa, Djibouti, Souda Bay and Istanbul, and was dispatched to the Mediterranean during the 2011 Libya crisis. In spring 2011, she supported the coalition's Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance provided from an embarked SCAN EAGLE detachment, then returned to Norfolk June 8, 2011. The deployment underscored the destroyer's flexible role in layered maritime security and ad hoc crisis response.

Modernization accelerated in 2011-2012: MAHAN received the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense upgrade during an SRA at a Norfolk yard, followed by light-off, sea trials, and inspections. In 2012, the ship achieved a high INSURV score and became the first destroyer to demonstrate BMD during that inspection cycle. These upgrades aligned Atlantic Fleet destroyers with emerging regional BMD demands.

On December 28, 2012, MAHAN departed again for the U.S. 6th Fleet, a Mediterranean cruise with port visits at Augusta Bay and Naples (Italy), Haifa (Israel), Limassol (Cyprus), Souda Bay and Rhodes (Greece), and Larnaca (Cyprus), plus logistics stops at Funchal and Rota. After the Ghouta chemical attack in Syria in August 2013, MAHAN remained on station in the Eastern Mediterranean amid heightened regional tension before returning to Norfolk September 13, 2013. The deployment illustrated destroyer-screen readiness for potential maritime strike and theater security tasks in a crisis.

In March 2014, MAHAN made a public-outreach port visit to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, then later that month was the scene of a fatal shooting while pierside at Naval Station Norfolk on March 24, 2014, in which Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Mark Mayo was killed. The civilian assailant was shot by base security. Subsequent investigations led to procedural changes and administrative actions.

On November 19, 2016, MAHAN deployed to the 5th and 6th Fleet theaters for maritime security operations and escort duties. On January 9, 2017, while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and escorting two U.S. ships, MAHAN fired three warning shots as four Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast-attack craft closed at high speed and ignored warnings. A Navy helicopter also dropped a smoke float during the incident. A similar unsafe approach by an Iranian unit occurred April 24, 2017. Such interactions reflected periodic tensions in the waterway and reaffirmed standard U.S. procedures to de-escalate and enforce navigational safety.

From early 2018 through mid-September 2019, MAHAN underwent an Extended Selected Restricted Availability (ESRA) in Norfolk under Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center oversight, receiving hull, mechanical, electrical and combat-system repairs and modernization before officially returning to the Fleet on September 13, 2019. The lengthy yard period fit a broader Navy push to reset destroyer readiness and service life.

On June 4, 2020, MAHAN provided naval surface fire support from offshore Camp Lejeune during a 2-day ANGLICO live-fire control exercise, reinforcing Navy-Marine Corps integration at the height of pandemic-era training adaptations. A change of command followed on August 19, 2020, at Naval Station Norfolk.

In 2021, MAHAN deployed with the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER Carrier Strike Group, operating across 5th and 6th Fleet waters with port calls including Rota (Spain), Souda Bay (Crete), Safaga (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan) and Manama (Bahrain), many under COVID-19 restrictions. She returned to Norfolk on August 6, 2021, as IKE CSG wrapped a demanding "double-pump" cycle, a reflection of sustained carrier presence in support of maritime security and counter-terrorism missions.

After returning from the 2021 deployment, USS MAHAN entered a deep maintenance and modernization phase in Norfolk that defined much of the next two years. In May 2022, the crew remained active ashore, winning Surface Line Week on the U.S. East Coast on May 20, 2022, a command-wide skills and seamanship competition that reflected ongoing readiness work while the ship was in availability. By early autumn, MAHAN was photographed pier-side at Marine Hydraulics International’s Norfolk yard, and contract records and Navy histories indicate the destroyer proceeded through an extended Selected Restricted Availability during 2022-2023 for hull, mechanical, electrical and combat-system repairs and alterations. As part of the ship's reactivation and technical upskilling, MAHAN sailors took part in a Steering & Propulsion Control System physical-throttle training summit at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division on November 9, 2022, a course tailored to DDG 51 engineering plant controls. These milestones fit the Atlantic Fleet's post-deployment reset model, keeping crews current while major depot work brought ships to modern standards.

Throughout 2023, MAHAN remained largely in the Norfolk industrial base completing that extended availability, with multiple Naval Sea Systems Command contract actions documenting continuing ship-alteration engineering support and emergent-maintenance planning tied to the destroyer's yard period. The industrial activity and planning notices - issued to support specific ship configuration changes and to posture Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center for later at-sea testing - show the long-cycle repair effort bridging into late-year closeout. In practical terms, this meant systems light-offs, compartment turnovers and progressive dock work as prerequisites to trials.

In 2024, MAHAN transitioned from the yard back to sea and re-entered the work-up pipeline with CARRIER STRIKE GROUP TWELVE. By early autumn, she was executing advanced and integrated phase events in the Western Atlantic under Commander, Carrier Strike Group FOUR's training enterprise. On November 9, 2024, the destroyer conducted a replenishment at sea with the JOHN LEWIS-class oiler USNS HARVEY MILK (T-AO 206), a standard evolution during group training that validated station-keeping, connected replenishment procedures and endurance at sea. Late that month the GERALD R. FORD Carrier Strike Group completed Group Sail - its first at-sea integrated event of the cycle - during which MAHAN operated in formation with GERALD R. FORD, WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81), MITSCHER (DDG 57), BAINBRIDGE (DDG 96) and FORREST SHERMAN (DDG 98) during strait-transit drills and multi-warfare scenarios on November 12, 2024. In parallel, the strike group executed the Surface Warfare Advanced Tactics and Training (SWATT) syllabus in late October, the advanced-phase regimen that precedes integrated events. MAHAN's assignment to the DESRON TWO destroyer contingent placed her within that training framework as the group built to certification. These at-sea periods marked the ship's full return to fleet operations ahead of the 2025 deployment.

On June 24, 2025, MAHAN departed Norfolk on a scheduled deployment and crossed the Atlantic with CARRIER STRIKE GROUP TWELVE - centered on USS GERALD R. FORD with CARRIER AIR WING EIGHT, and escorted by DESRON TWO units including USS BAINBRIDGE and USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL - for advanced integration in the High North. After a brief logistics stop at Naval Station Rota, Spain, in early July, MAHAN conducted replenishment and maneuvering with Royal Norwegian Navy units, including HNoMS THOR HEYERDAHL (F 314) and the replenishment oiler HNoMS MAUD (A 531) off Norway, and moored in Bergen, Norway, on September 11, 2025, for a scheduled port visit. Imagery from late September shows MAHAN participating in NATO's NEPTUNE STRIKE enhanced-vigilance activity while operating above the Arctic Circle, emblematic of allied focus on the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap and Barents approaches. On September 27, MAHAN arrived at Naval Base Wilhelmshaven, Germany, for mid-voyage maintenance.

back to top

go to the end of the page

Homeports of USS MAHAN:

back to top

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Name, about Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan:

The ship is named in honor of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, USN (1840-1914) who served with the union's blockading squadrons during the Civil War, and for two terms as President of the Naval War College. Admiral Mahan is a renowned U.S. Naval theoretician and is best known as the author of the book "Influence of Sea Power on History", which with his other scholarly works, continues to influence strategic and geopolitical thinking throughout the world.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS MAHAN Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me on June 16 and 17, 2007, and show the MAHAN during a port visit to Kiel, Germany, after her participation in BALTOPS 2007 in the Baltic Sea.

The photos below were taken by me and show the MAHAN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 29, 2010.

The photos below were taken by me and show the MAHAN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on May 6, 2012.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MAHAN undergoing a Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair Norfolk, Va., on April 29, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MAHAN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 6, 2015.

The photo below was taken by Steven Collingwood and shows the MAHAN passing Fort Monroe, Hampton, Va., after departure from Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on December 4, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Steven Collingwood and show the MAHAN passing Fort Monroe, Hampton, Va., after departure from Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on January 11, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MAHAN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 4, 2017.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the MAHAN at Marine Hydraulics Industries (MHI) Ship Repair & Services shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) on September 21, 2018.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MAHAN at Marine Hydraulics Industries (MHI) Ship Repair & Services shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) on December 26, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MAHAN at Marine Hydraulics Industries (MHI) Ship Repair & Services shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) on September 6, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS MAHAN Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 9, 2023.

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show USS MAHAN at Naval Base Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on October 1, 2025. MAHAN arrived in Germany on September 27, and judging from the photos, she's in port for mid-voyage repairs and upkeep. Note the "blue nose" on the bow, indicating operations north of the Arctic Circle.

back to top

Back to Destroyers list.

Back to ships list.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.