User:Marcd30319/Marcd30319 revised Carrier Strike Group Seven 2

Carrier Strike Group Seven, abbreviated CSG-7 or CARSTRKGRU 7, was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group which was formally disestablished on 30 December 2011. U.S. Navy carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control and project power ashore. Carrier Strike Group Seven's lineage included two previous aircraft carrier formations, Carrier Division Seven and Carrier Group Seven. Its heritage thus includes World War Two, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War, as well as the first and the second Persian Gulf wars, encompassing a total of 34 deployments to the Western Pacific Ocean and Persian Gulf.

Historical background
Carrier Strike Group Seven traced its lineage back to Night Carrier Division Seven, the U.S. Navy's first and only aircraft carrier formation exclusively dedicated to night air operations. Established on 19 December 1944, its aircraft carriers provided night air combat patrols for the U.S. Pacific Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force during World War Two. Night Carrier Division Seven participated in the Philippine and Okinawa campaigns as well as carrier air raids against the Japanese home islands. Aircraft carriers assigned to this formation included USS Saratoga (CV-3), USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Independence (CVL-22), and USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31).

Carrier Division Seven was re-established at Naval Air Station Alameda, California, on 22 March 1956. The group commander and staff first deployed to the Western Pacific Ocean onboard USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in 1957. During the Vietnam War, aircraft carriers assigned to Carrier Division Seven operated as part of Task Force 77 from Yankee Station and Dixie Station. During its third Vietnam combat deployment, the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) implemented a new anti-MiG combat patrol (MiGCAP) plan developed by the Carrier Division Seven staff.

Carrier Division Seven was re-designated as Carrier Group Seven on 30 June 1973, and beginning in the Summer of 1992, the guided-missile cruisers USS Long Beach (CGN-9), USS Halsey (CG-23), USS Reeves (CG-24), USS Fox (CG-33), and USS Truxtun (CGN-35); Destroyer Squadron 23; Carrier Air Wing Nine; and the carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) were assigned as permanent units of Carrier Group Seven, known as the Nimitz Battle Group. Carrier Division Seven saw action in the First Gulf War, Operation Southern Watch, the War in Afghanistan, the Second Gulf War, and Operation Anaconda.

Command structure
Commander Carrier Strike Group Seven (COMCARSTRKGRU 7) served as Immediate Superior-in-Command (ISIC) for the ships and units assigned to the group. Acting as an Operational Commander, COMCARSTRKGRU 7 exercised 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.

Carrier Strike Group Seven reported to Commander, U.S. Third Fleet as one of the five carrier strike groups currently part of the United States Pacific Fleet. CARSTRKGRU 7's pre-deployment training and certification comes under the operational control (OPCON) of the U.S. Third Fleet. When deployed overseas, Carrier Strike Group Seven came under the authority of the numbered fleet commander in whose area it is operating. When deployed in this fashion, the group utilizes a task force or task group designator, for example, Task Group 50.1 in the Fifth Fleet area.

Carrier Strike Group Seven was an operational formation. Administratively the ships and aircraft of the strike group were assigned to U.S. Navy type commands. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), and Destroyer Squadron Seven (DESRON-7) were under the administrative authority of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific. Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) was under the administrative authority of Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific.

Operational summary
On 1 October 2004, in accordance with the Chief of Naval Operations' orders, Carrier Group Seven was re-designated as Carrier Strike Group Seven. Shortly after returning from the Summer Pulse '04 deployment, the group flagship changed from John C. Stennis to Ronald Reagan. John C. Stennis changed its homeport to Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, and Ronald Reagan's Carrier Strike Group Fifteen had been disbanded effective 21 March 2005. Carrier Strike Group Seven was based at Naval Air Station North Island, Califronia, and it typically deployed 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.

During its 2006 deployment with the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Seven launched more than 6,100 sorties, totaling more than 19,600 flight hours, with more than 2,940 sorties and 14,200 flight hours in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also during ithis deployment, the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain joined Combined Task Force 58 (CTF-58), a multi-national force responsible for maritime security operations (MSO) in the Northern Persian Gulf. Additionally, CTF-58 also played a key role in protecting both the Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) and the Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT). The guided-missile destroyer Decatur conducted maritime security operations with the Pakistani-led Combined Task Force 150 off the coast of the Horn of Africa. Finally, the strike group joined Carrier Strike Group Five and Carrier Strike Group Nine in Valiant Shield 2006 (pictured), a joint exercise that included 28 naval vessels, nearly 300 aircraft and, approximately 22,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard.

During 2007, Carrier Strike Group Seven deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet to replace forward-based Carrier Strike Group Five flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), which was undergoing its scheduled overhaul in Yokosuka, Japan. During this surge deployment, units of the strike group participated in two bilateral exercises, RSOI/Foal Eagle 2007 and Talisman Saber. Finally, Carrier Strike Group Seven took part in a passing exercise with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force in the Philippine Sea.

During its 2008 deployment, Carrier Strike Group Seven join in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) efforts for the island of Panay, Republic of the Philippines, in the aftermath of Typhoon Fengshen (pictured). During its relief mission, the strike group flew 332 sorties over eight consecutive days delivering more than 519,000 pounds (235,414.44 kg) of fresh water, rice, and medical supplies to typhoon victims in Panay. Units of Carrier Strike Group Seven also participated the fourth annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercise and Malabar 2008.

Also during the 2008 Fifth Fleet deployment, the guided-missile destroyer Decatur and the guided-missile frigate Thach joined Combined Task Force 152 (CTF-152) operating in the Persian Gulf, while the guided-missile destroyers Gridley and Howard patrolled the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-50). Finally, on 28 September 2008, the guided-missile destroyer Howard began visually monitoring the situation involving the Belize-flagged cargo ship Faina that had been captured on 25 September The Ukraine-owned Faina was carrying a cargo of T-72 tanks and related equipment, and it was anchored off the Somalia coast near the harbor city of Hobyo. Two other pirate-seized vessels, MV Capt Stefanos and MV Centauri, were also anchored at this location. On 5 February 2009 the MV Faina and her crew were released after being held captive for 5 months.

During its 2009 deployment to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Seven flew more than 1,600 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Howard, and Gridley, as well as the guided-missile frigate Thach, supported maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea. On 26 August 2009, Somali pirates aboard Win Far opened fire at a U.S. Navy SH-60B helicopter from Squadron HSL-49 embarked aboard the cruiser Chancellorsville. No rounds struck the helicopter, the crew did not return fire, and no U.S. Navy personnel were injured. Win Far is a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel that was captured by pirates on 6 April 2009, and it subsequently served as a "mother ship" to conduct other known pirate attacks, including the Maersk Alabama incident in April 2009. The HSL-49 helicopter was conducting a routine surveillance flight of Win Far at anchorage south of Garacad, Somalia, when the incident occurred. During the flight, aircrew observed activity, but could not ascertain they were fired upon until their return to Chancellorsville and review of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) video, which recorded the incident. The helicopter was approximately 3,000 yards from Win Far when it was fired upon.

Carrier Strike Group Seven participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010, with the USS Ronald Reagan being the only aircraft carrier involved in this multinational exercise (pictured). RIMPAC 2010 included live fire gunnery and missile exercises; maritime interdiction and vessel boardings, and anti-surface warfare, undersea warfare, and air defense training. Over 40 naval personnel from Singapore, Japan, Australia, Chile, Peru, and Colombia managed combat exercises while serving aboard the Ronald Reagan. This involved managing anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare for the group and the entire RIMPAC force.

During its 2011 deployment to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Seven launched over 900 air sorties supporting ground forces in Afghanistan. Also, in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Carrier Strike Group Seven was despatched to take part in the U.S. military relief effort, Operation Tomodachi. It appears that the unplanned Japan disaster relief operations meant the carrier strike group's planned participation in Exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2011 in Korea was cancelled. A planned port call to Busan, South Korea, was cancelled, and the group was the first U.S. naval force to arrive. The strike group arrived off the east coast of Honshu on 13 March 2011 and immediately began supporting relief operations.

Ronald Reagan served as a platform for refueling Japan Self Defense Force and other helicopters involved in rescue and recovery efforts ashore (pictured). The guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville also began providing relief support while operating off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. The guided-missile destroyer Preble provided more than 700 pounds of supplies to earthquake and tsunami survivors, and also used its embarked helicopters to survey the coastline. On 4 April 2011, Carrier Strike Group Seven concluded its involvement in Operation Tomodachi after being thanked by Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and U.S. ambassador to Japan John Roos during a visit to the Reagan. Because of its involvement in Operation Tomodachi, the strike group was able to participate in the U.S./Indian Exercise Malabar 2011 between 2–9 April 2011. Carrier Strike Group Seven returned home from the deployment to Naval Air Station North Island on 9 September 2011, completing its final overseas deployment.

Deployed force composition

 * 2006 deployment


 * 2007 deployment
 * 2008 deployment
 * 2009 deployment


 * 2011 deployment

Exercises and port visits

 * 2006 deployment
 * 2007 deployment
 * 2008 deployment
 * 2009 deployment
 * 2011 deployment

Deactivation
On 5 August 2011 news media reported that Carrier Strike Group Seven would be deactivated effective 30 December 2011. The deactivation was due to reallocation of Navy resources following defense budget reductions. Reagan (pictured) was reassigned as flagship of another carrier strike group. At the time of its disestablishment in 2011, Carrier Strike Group Seven was composed of the following units:


 * USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), flagship
 * Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
 * USS Chancellorsville (CG-62)
 * Destroyer Squadron Seven:
 * USS Gridley (DDG-101)
 * USS Howard (DDG-83)
 * USS Decatur (DDG-73)
 * USS Benfold (DDG-65)
 * USS Thach (FFG-43)

In total, aircraft carriers assigned to the formation made a total of 34 deployments to the Western Pacific Ocean and Persian Gulf.

External list

 * Ronald Reagan Strike Group at GlobalSecurity.org
 * Ronald Reagan Strike Group References at GlobalSecurity.org
 * USS Ronald Reagan Helos Deliver Aid, Look for Survivors in Japan - U.S. Navy Media Content Services
 * US Navy ships Carrier Strike Group Seven - YouTube