USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54)

• Namesake: USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) is named after Curtis Dwight Wilbur, who served as the 43rd Secretary of the Navy from 1924 to 1929 under Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. • Arleigh Burke-class: The ship is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, one of the U.S. Navy's most advanced and versatile surface combatants. • Commissioning: USS Curtis Wilbur was commissioned on March 19, 1994, in Long Beach, California, making it the fourth destroyer of its class at that time. • Forward Deployed: In 1996, the ship was forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the U.S. 7th Fleet, enhancing rapid response capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. • Operation Southern Watch: Curtis Wilbur participated in Operation Southern Watch in the late 1990s, enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq after the Gulf War. • Missile Defense: The ship is equipped with the Aegis Combat System and has participated in ballistic missile defense missions, including intercepting test targets as part of allied defense exercises. • Disaster Relief: Curtis Wilbur provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, supporting Operation Tomodachi. • Freedom of Navigation Operations: The ship has conducted multiple Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in contested areas of the South China Sea, promoting international law and freedom of the seas. • Firsts for Women: Curtis Wilbur was among the first U.S. Navy combatant ships to integrate female sailors in the late 1990s, following changes to Navy policy. • Homeport Change: In 2021, after 25 years in Japan, USS Curtis Wilbur was reassigned to San Diego, California, as part of a larger U.S. Navy realignment in the Pacific.