User:Marcd30319/Marcd30319 original Carrier Strike Group Three rev 2

Carrier Strike Group Three, abbreviated CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. U.S. Navy carrier strike groups are employed in a variety of roles, all of which involve gaining and maintaining sea control. The current flagship for Carrier Strike Group Three is the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). On 18 December 2011, aircraft from Carrier Strike Group Three flew the final carrier-based air mission over Iraq, effectively ending U.S. naval support for Operation New Dawn.

Carrier Division Three
The aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) was assigned to Carrier Division Three (CARDIV 3) from November 1940. In April 1941 a Central Atlantic Neutrality Patrol was established under Admiral A.B. Cook, based at Bermuda. It comprised Carrier Division Three, the cruisers USS Quincy (CA-39) and USS Vincennes (CA-44), and Destroyer Squadron 11. On 7 December 1941, in the Atlantic Fleet, Carrier Division Three comprises Wasp and USS Ranger (CV-4) under Rear Admiral A.B. Cook. Commander Carrier Division Three (ComCarDiv-3) served as Commander Task Force 77 during the Korean War. In 1966, Carrier Division Three was embarked aboard USS Enterprise flying missions in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam.

Carrier Group Three
U.S. Navy carrier battle groups have since the mid Cold War period maintained a pattern of deployments to trouble spots, beginning with an overhaul, individual ship training, battle group training, group preparation exercise, and then the deployment. On returning home, the cycle begins once more. As part of these deployments, the Carl Vinson carrier battle group participated in Exercise RIMPAC '84, RIMPAC '86, RIMPAC '98, PACEX '89, Exercise Rugged Nautilus, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Desert Strike, Operation Desert Fox, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the Summer of 1992, the U.S. Navy instituted a concept which mandated greater task group integration of naval air and surface warfare assets into a more permanent carrier battle group structure. Instead of routinely changing the cruisers, destroyers, and frigates assigned to each carrier battle group, there was an attempt made to affiliate certain escorts more permanently with the carriers they escorted. Each of the Navy's 12 existing carrier battle groups was planned to consist of an aircraft carrier; an embarked carrier air wing; cruisers, destroyers, and frigates; and two nuclear-powered attack submarines.

In the middle of 1992, the U.S. Navy instituted a concept which mandated greater task group integration of naval air and surface warfare assets into a more permanent carrier battle group structure. Instead of routinely changing the cruisers, destroyers, and frigates assigned to each carrier battle group, there was an attempt made to affiliate certain escorts more permanently with the carriers they escorted. Each of the Navy's 12 existing carrier battle groups was planned to consist of an aircraft carrier; an embarked carrier air wing; cruiser, destroyer, and frigate units; and two nuclear-powered attack submarines. For details regarding this re-alignments as it pertained to Carrier Group Three, see the chart below.


 * Carrier Group Three, late 1992

From June 1993, Commander Carrier Group Three had his flag aboard Abraham Lincoln. In 1993, the battle group provided support to the multinational military forces assigned to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and the group subsequently made three WESTPAC deployments to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch (OSW) as well as served as an asset for Operation Vigilant Sentinel.

On 13 May 1997 Carrier Air Wing Eleven was reassigned to Commander, Carrier Group Three and the USS Carl Vinson.

Carrier Group Three formed the core of the naval power during the initial phase of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in 2001. At that time, CARGRU 3 comprised the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Destroyer Squadron Nine (DESRON 9) and Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW 11). Vinson and CARGRU 3 arrived in the Arabian Sea on 12 September 2001 and was subsequently designated Commander, Carrier Task Force (CTF) 50, commanding multiple Carrier Strike Groups and coalition forces. The Task Force conducted strikes against Al Quida and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Commander, CARGRU-3, as the CTF-50 commander, commanded over 59 ships from six nations including six aircraft carriers, stretching over 800 nautical miles.

Rear Admiral Evan M. Chanik was the last commander of Carrier Group Three. During his tenure as ComCarGru 3, Admiral Chanik led the group through a reorganized Inter-Deployment Training Cycle (IDTC) which greatly compressed the training required for overseas deployment. On 1 October 2004, Carrier Group Three was redesignated as Carrier Strike Group Three.

Command structure
Commander Carrier Strike Group Three (CARSTRKGRU 3) serves as Immediate Superior-in-Command (ISIC) for the ships and units assigned to the group. Acting as an Operational Commander, he exercises oversight of unit-level training, integrated training, and readiness for assigned ships and units, as well as maintains administrative functions and material readiness tracking for ships and squadrons assigned to the group.

Commander, U.S. Third Fleet commands the group when it is not deployed, and directed the initial pre-deployment workups, known as Composite Training Unit Exercises. When deployed overseas, Carrier Strike Group Seven came under the authority of the numbered fleet commander in whose area it is operating. Carrier Strike Group Three is currently based at Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, and it typically deploys to the U.S. Seventh Fleet operating in the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Each numbered fleet commander gave the group a task group designator, such as Task Group 50.1 when in the Fifth Fleet area.

Assigned units
U.S. Navy carrier strike groups typically consist of an aircraft carrier (flagship), an embarked carrier air wing, at least one Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and a destroyer squadron. As of 2011, Carrier Strike Group Three is composed of the following units:
 * USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), flagship (pictured)
 * Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9)
 * USS Antietam (CG-54)
 * Destroyer Squadron Twenty-one (DESRON-21):
 * USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108)
 * USS Dewey (DDG-105)
 * USS Kidd (DDG-100)
 * USS Milius (DDG-69)
 * USS Jarrett (FFG-33)

Operational summary
On 17 January 2005, Carl Vinson departed Bremerton, Washington, with Carrier Air Wing Nine embarked for a six-month deployment, which included several months in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three. On 30 January 2005, Carrier Strike Group Three departed San Diego for its around-the-world cruise following the completion of of its 22-day pre-deployment Joint Task Force Exercise. In total, Carrier Strike Group Three launched more than 6,500 sorties, totaling more than 20,000 flight hours, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and various maritime interdiction operations, including 2,600 flight hours logged by its four F-18 strike-fighter squadrons. This overseas deployment marked the final overseas mission for Sea Control Squadron 33 (VS-33), the Screwbirds. Overall, Destroyer 31 conducted more than 80 boarding evolutions while working in cooperation with British, Italian, Australian, Canadian and regional forces. On 11 June 2005, the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) rendered at-sea medical assistance in response to a radio distress call from the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Henif. A rigid-hull inflatable boat transported an ill Iranian crew member to Mustin, where he was subsequently transported to the carrier Carl Vinson via an SH-60 helicopter. Once aboard Vinson, the Iranian fisherman was taken to the ship’s medical facilities where he underwent a battery of tests. It was discovered that the fisherman was suffering from a severe allergic reaction. The Iranian national was treated, and after a short period of recovery, he was returned to the Henif via one of the carrier’s rigid-hull inflatable boats. Carrier Strike Group Three completed its 2005 deployment at Naval Station Norfolk on 31 July 2005, and the carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) began its scheduled 36-month Refueling and Complex Overhaul at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News shipyard at Newport News, Virginia. Following its overhaul, the Vinson became the flagship for Carrier Strike Group One.

The new Carrier Strike Group Three flagship, the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), changed its homeport to Bremerton in January 2005, and once there, underwent an 11-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability overhaul period. Reflecting the reduced responsibilities while the ships were undergoing overhauls, Rear Admiral Clingan was succeeded by Captain Scott A. Berg in September 2005 as Commander Carrier Strike Group Three (COMCARSTKGRU 3). Rear Admiral Kevin M. Quinn subsequently relieved Captain Berg in November 2005.

The carrier Stennis departed from its homeport in Bremerton, Washington, on 16 January 2007, spent one day in port on-loading the Carrier Air Wing Nine onto the carrier, and Carrier Strike Group Three departed San Diego on 20 January 2006 for its 2007 deployment. Carrier Air Wing Nine flew more than 7,900 sorties providing more than 22,000 flight hours and dropping nearly 90,000 pounds of ordnance in support of the International Security Assistance Force operating on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. The guided-missile destroyers USS O'Kane (DDG-77) and USS Preble (DDG-88) were primarily responsible for carrying out Maritime Security Operations, Maritime Interdiction Operations, and Visit, Board, Search and Seizure operations for the strike group during its 2007 deployment. On 23 May 2007, the carrier Stennis, along with eight other warships including the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf (pictured). US Navy officials said it was the largest such move of warships since 2003. Carrier Strike Three subsequently participated in Expeditionary Strike Force (ESF) training in the Fifth Fleet AOR while simultaneously providing close-air support to coalition ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ESF training brought together CARSTRKGRU 3, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, and Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group to test their ability to plan and conduct multi-task force operations across a broad spectrum of naval disciplines. Carrier Strike Group Three participated in Exercise Valiant Shield 2007 off the coast of Guam between 7–14 August 2007. The joint military exercise brought together more than 30 ships, including carrier strike groups led by the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and USS Nimitz (CVN-68); 280 aircraft; and more than 20,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Valiant Shield 2007 tested the military’s ability to rapidly bring together joint forces in response to any regional contingency while demonstrating the United States’ commitment to ensuring peace and stability throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Valiant Shield was the last operational portion of the group's 2007 deployment. The strike group sailed to the U.S. Third Fleet area of responsibility and into Pearl Harbor on 20 August 2007. Carrier Strike Group Three returned to San Diego on 27 August 2007, and the carrier John C. Stennis returned to its homeport on 31 August 2007.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John C. Stennis depart its homeport of Bremerton, Washington, on 13 January 2009, and Carrier Strike Group Three departed Naval Air Station North Island on 17 January 2009 after embarking Carrier Air Wing Nine for the strike group's 2009 deployment. Carrier Air Wing Nine flew more than 7250 sorties, consisting of approximately 12,747 flight hours with a sortie completion rate of 97 percent during it 2009 deployment. Also, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71), a new component to Carrier Air Wing Nine, is the first squadron of its kind to embark on board a carrier as part of a carrier air wing (pictured). The squadron flew more than 4,690 hours with a 95 percent sortie completion rate and earned the right to fly the Enlisted Aviation Warfare Pennant. The highlight for the squadron occurred during the undersea warfare exercise when HSM-71 deployed multiple aircraft to simulate engagements with U.S. and Japanese submarines. The squadron kept three helicopters aloft throughout the entire four-day exercise for a total of 222 flight hours and conducted 28 simulated attacks on two U.S. and two Japanese submarines. Carrier Strike Group Three also participated in the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2009 (KR/FE 09) exercises (pictured) which began on 28 February 2009. Key Resolve/Foal Eagle was held in the aftermath of the sinking of the ROK corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by North Korea. During the exercise, the aircraft carrier Stennis was overflown by two Russian Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft on 16 March and two Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers on 17 March. In both incidents, the intruders were intercepted and escorted by F/A-18 Hornets until the Russian aircraft left the exercise area. Finally, Carrier Strike Group Three participated in Operation Northern Edge (pictured) held between 15–26 June 2009. Strike group units consisted of carrier John C. Stennis (pictured), Carrier Air Wing Nine, and the guided-missile cruiser Antietam. Carrier Strike Group Three completed its 2009 deployment after six months at sea, returning to Bremerton, Washington, on 10 July 2009.

On 25 July 2011, the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis departed from its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Washington. Stennis was subsequently joined by Carrier Air Wing Nine, Destroyer Squadron Twenty-one, and the guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay. On 29 July 2011, Carrier Strike Group Three departed from Naval Air Station San Diego near San Diego, California, for its 2011-2012 deployment. The first port-of-call for Carrier Strike Group Three was to have been Manila, the Philippines, but that port-call was cancelled because of Typhoon Mina. On 13 October 2011, the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-100) was directed to join Carrier Strike Group Five, led by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73), to provide humanitarian assistance/disaster relief to flood-ravaged Thailand.

During its 2011-2012 deployment to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Three and its embarked Carrier Air Wing Nine launched a combined total of 13,389 sorties in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan. On 18 December 2011, Carrier Strike Group Three flew the final carrier-based air sortie over Iraq, effectively ending U.S. naval support for Operation New Dawn. The final command-and-control mission for U.S. forces over Iraq was flown by an E-2C Hawkeye (pictured) From Airborne Early Warning Squadron 112, catapulting off the carrier Stennis at 7:32 a.m. and returning at 11:04 a.m, both local time. While operating with Combined Task Force 151, on 13 December 2011, the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG-91) disrupted a group of suspected pirates south of Yemen near the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor. At approximately 8:40 a.m. local time, the merchant vessel M/V Nordic Apollo reported to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization of being fired upon by pirates in a skiff. At approximately 11:00 a.m., the M/V Heather, operating 30 nautical miles from Nordic Apollo, reported suspicious activity by a skiff. CTF-151commander Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy, ordered Pinckney to investigate. Pinckney got underway and launched its MH-60R helicopter which located a suspicious skiff. Once under observation, the helicopter reporteed that the skiff had nine suspected pirates aboard, as well as several ladders, weapons and fuel containers that the suspected pirates attempted to cover up or throw overboard. As Pinckney closed, the skiff stopped and the suspected pirates threw their weapons overboard, which were identified as five AK-47 rifles, one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. and three RPG rounds. Pinckney conduct a boarding using their visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team (pictured), and once aboard, the VBSS team confirmed that there were nine suspected pirates, one grappling hook, 36 barrels of fuel, and 75 and 45 horsepower outboard engines. The VBSS team scuttled one outboard motor and left the skiff with enough fuel and water to return back to shore. On 5 January 2012, at approximately 12:30 p.m local time, an SH-60S Seahawk helicopter from guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-100) detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai operating in the northern Arabian Sea. Simultaneously, the Kidd received a distress call wasfrom the master of the Al Molai claiming to be held captive by pirates. The Kidd dispathed a visit, board, search and seizure team that boarded the Al Molai (pictured) and subsequently detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The pirates did not resist the boarding, quickly surrendered, and were detained on the Al Molai by the Kidd boarding party until the next morning, 6 January 2012, when they were transferred to the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis where the incident was reviewed for potential prosecution. According to the Iranian vessel's crew, the Al Molai had been pirated and used as a "mother ship" for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf during the preceding 40–45 days. The pirates forced the Al Molai crew to live in harsh conditions under the constant threat of violence with limited supplies and medical aid. The Kidd VSBB team provided the Al Molai crew with food, water, and medical care, and the Al Molai master thanked the VBSS team for their assistance. On 18 January 2012, at 7:53 a.m. local time, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from the squadron HSM-71 spotted the Iranian fishing vessel Al Mamsoor disabled in the Arabian Sea. The vessel was in a sinking condition, and the helicopter alerted the guided-missile drestroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) which rendered assistance. Dewey dispatched a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team which learned that the Al Mamsoor' had been sinking condition for previous three days. The VBSS team provided food, water, medical, and hygienic supplies to the Iranian mariners, and after determining Iranian nationals' safety, departed the scene.

On 27 December 2011, the carrier John C. Stennis concluded a four-day port visit to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, for a return to the Arabian Sea in support of coaltion ground operations in Afghanistan. On 3 January 2012, following the end of the ten-day Velayat 90 naval maneuvers by the Iranian Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian Army chief of staff, General Ataollah Salehi, was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as warning the United States to not deploy the Stennis back to the Persian Gulf. On 4 January 2011, Fars News Agency reported that a bill was being prepared for the Iranian Parliament to bar foreign naval vessels from entering the Persian Gulf unless they given permission by the Iranian navy, with Iranian lawmaker Nader Qazipour noting: "If the military vessels and warships of any country want to pass via the Strait of Hormuz without coordination and permission of Iran’s navy forces, they should be stopped by the Iranian armed forces." Also, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi reiterated that "transnational forces" have no place in the Persian Gulf region. On 6 January 2012, armed Iranian speedboats reportedly harassed two U.S. military vessels, the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18) and the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Adak (WPB-1333), as they were transiting through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. On 9 January 2012, Carrier Strike Group One, led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), joined Carrier Strike Group Three in the North Arabian Sea, with Carrier Strike Group Nine, led by the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), enroute to the Arabian Sea amid rising tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran over U.S. naval access to the Strait of Hormuz. On 19 January 2012, Carrier Strike Group Nine entered the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of responsibility and relieved Carrier Strike Group Three (pictured). Also on that date, Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee reportedly stated in a recent interview on the Charlie Rose program that Iran would consider closing the Strait of Hormuz if Iran’s security was endangered. On 27 February 2012, Carrier Strike Group Three completed its seven-month deployment to the western Pacific and Middle East, with the cruiser Mobile Bay and destroyers Pinckney, Kidd, Dewey, and Wayne E. Meyer returning to their homebase of Naval Base San Diego. The strike group's flagship, the carrier Stennis, stopped in San Diego before returning to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, on 28 February 2012.

Deployment force composition

 * 2005 deployment
 * 2007 deployment
 * 2009 deployment
 * 2011-2012 deployment

Deployment exercises and port visits

 * 2007 deployment
 * 2009 deployment
 * 2011-2012 deployment