Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11 or CARSTRKGRU 11) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. The aircraft carrier is the strike group's current flagship. Other units currently assigned to the group include the cruiser and Destroyer Squadron 9.
Between 2006 and 2013, the group made four deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet operating in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea, as well as a surge deployment with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific Ocean. The group participated in bilateral exercises Malabar 2005 and Malabar 2005, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008, as well as joint exercise Valiant Shield 2007.
Historical background On 1 September 1961, Rear Admiral Joseph C. Wylie became Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9, aboard . Admiral Wylie had arrived on board the Oklahoma City as Commander Cruiser Division 3 on 22 August 1961, and merely changed titles in September without shifting flagship. As of 1 July 1969, Oklahoma City was part of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 at San Diego. The primary mission of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 during the Vietnam War era had been to ensure the effective employment of approximately 60 cruisers and destroyers in the United States Seventh Fleet. By January 1973, with the end of hostilities in Vietnam, the flotilla had expended nearly 80,000 rounds in naval gunfire support missions. This offshore firepower, and the equally important role of search and rescue coordination, were vital parts of the extensive naval presence in the South China Sea. In 1973, a major reorganization of the U.S. Navy's cruiser-destroyer force resulted in Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9's re-designation as Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 (CDG-5).
Rear Admiral Gerald E. Thomas served as Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 in 1974–76. Then Captain Leon A. Edney served as Chief of Staff to the Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 after 1976. In 1978 Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 consisted of Destroyer Squadron 9, Destroyer Squadron 21, Destroyer Squadron 31, and Destroyer Squadron 37 (Naval Reserve Force). The headquarters and the three active squadrons were at San Diego while Destroyer Squadron 37 was at Seattle, WA.Norman Polmar, Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Eleventh Edition, 1978, 7.
In the middle of 1992, the U.S. Navy instituted a concept that aimed to group its escorts into a more permanent carrier battle group structure. Instead of routinely changing the cruisers, destroyers, and frigates assigned to each carrier battle group, an attempt was made to permanently affiliate certain escorts 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. Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five's units following the reorganization were as listed below.
Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five, late 1992 Guided-Missile Cruisers Destroyer Squadron 17 Carrier Air Wing 15 squadrons embarked aboard Fighter Squadron 111: F-14A Airborne Early Warning Squadron 114: E-2C Fighter Squadron 51: F-14A Sea Control Squadron 37: S-3B Strike Fighter Squadron 97: F/A-18A Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4: SH-60F, HH-60H Strike Fighter Squadron 27: F/A-18A —— —— Attack Squadron 52: A-6E SWIP, KA-6D —— —— Electronic Warfare Squadron 134: EA-6B ——
On 1 August 1992, was appointed as Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific's "ready carrier." The ship embarked Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5; Commander, Destroyer Squadron 17 and Carrier Air Wing 15 for three months of work-ups before deploying to the Western Pacific on 3 November 1992. While on deployment, Kitty Hawk spent nine days off the coast of Somalia supporting U.S. Marines and coalition forces involved in Operation Restore Hope. In response to increasing Iraqi violations of United Nations sanctions, the ship rushed to the Persian Gulf on 27 December 1992. Seventeen days later, Kitty Hawk led a joint, coalition offensive strike against targets in southern Iraq.
On 15 July 1998, Rear Admiral Daniel R. Bowler (and his relief RADM Peter W. Marzluff), Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5, assumed operational control of Nimitz. Kitty Hawk had left the group by shifting her homeport to Yokosuka, Japan, arriving there on 11 August 1998.
In July 2000, was transferred to Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 (up to June 2000 it had been part of Carrier Group 5). From 21 September 2001 to 13 December 2001, following an overhaul, Nimitz sailed round Cape Horn to her new home port of NAS North Island. Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 and CVWR-20, the latter comprising VFA-204, VAW-78, VS-22, VRC-30, HC-11 and HS-75, were aboard. Carrier Air Wing Eleven was reassigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five and the Nimitz in January 2002. Rear Admiral Samuel J. Locklear took command of CCDG-5/Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in 2002, deploying to the Middle East in 2003.
On 1 October 2004, Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 was re-designated Carrier Strike Group 11.
Command structure The Carrier Strike Group commander 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 strike group. The group's pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise comes under the operational control of the U.S. Third Fleet. When deployed, the group comes under command of the numbered fleet in whose area it is operating (Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh). When deployed in this fashion, the group utilizes a task group designator, for example, Task Group 50.1 in the Fifth Fleet area. Guided-missile cruisers such as Princeton provide air defence during deployments.
Group commanders since October 2002 have included: Rear Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III (October 2002 – February 2004) Rear Admiral Derwood C. Curtis (February 2004 – February 2005) Rear Admiral Peter H. Daly (February 2005 – August 2006) Rear Admiral John T. Blake (August 2006 – March 2008) Rear Admiral John W. Miller (September 2008 – March 2010) Rear Admiral Robert P. Girrier (March 2010 – March 2011) Rear Admiral Thomas S. Rowden (March 2011 – November 2011) Rear Admiral Peter A. Gumataotao (November 2011 – February 2013) Rear Admiral Michael S. White (February 2013 – February 2014) Rear Admiral (lower half) Dee L. Mewbourne (February 2014 – July 2015) Rear Admiral (lower half) Richard A. Brown (July 2015 – September 2016) Rear Admiral (lower half) William D. Byrne Jr. (September 2016 – October 2017) Rear Admiral (lower half) Gregory N. Harris (October 2017 – June 2018) Rear Admiral (lower half) Donald D. Gabrielson (June 2018 – May 2019) Rear Admiral (lower half) Yvette M. Davids (May 2019 – May 2020) Rear Admiral (lower half) James A. Kirk (May 2020 – April 2021) Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney (April 2021 – June 2023) Rear Admiral Jennifer S Couture (June 2023 – May 2024) Rear Admiral Maximilian Clark (May 2024 – May 2025) Rear Admiral Fred Goldhammer (May 2025 – March 2026) Rear Admiral Cassidy Norman (March 2026 – Present)
Operational history
2005 deployment
From 11 to 24 March 2005, the group conducted a pre-deployment Joint Task Force exercise off California. The group departed San Diego, California, on 7 May 2005 under the command of Rear Admiral Peter Daly.
On 21 July 2005 in the Persian Gulf, USS Princeton (pictured) responded to a radio call from the Iranian dhow Hamid which needed engineering assistance. A team was dispatched to the Hamid where it was determined that the engine problem was due to corroded batteries that were low on power. The batteries were removed and brought back to Princeton for maintenance, cleaning, and recharging. Princeton was able to restore the power on board Hamid, restart the engines, and then provided medical assistance and fresh water.
On 22 September 2005, the group departed the Persian Gulf, after completing nine weeks of operations with the U.S. Fifth Fleet. During this period, 4,500 sorties totaling over 11,000 flight hours were flown by Carrier Air Wing Eleven, including over 1,100 sorties and 6,000 flight hours bombing Iraq War targets. The group returned home on 8 November 2005. 2005 deployment force composition CARSTRKGRU 11 Warships Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) squadrons embarked aboard flagship Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232): 10 F/A-18C(N) Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 (VAW-117): 4 E-2C 2000 NP Strike Fighter Squadron 94 (VFA-94): 10 F/A-18C(N) Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 6 (HS-6): 2 HH-60S and 4 SH-60S Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41): 12 F/A-18F Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40), Det. 3: 2 C-2A Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14): 12 FA-18E —— Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 135 (VAQ-135): 4 EA-6B —— 2005 deployment exercises and port visits Number Exercises Port Visits Notes Duration U.S. Force Type Operating Area Location Dates 1st: —— Carrier Strike Group 11 —— —— Hong Kong 3–7 Jun. 2005 2nd: —— Carrier Strike Group 11 —— —— Guam 17 Jun. 2005 3rd: 18–22 Jun. 2005 Carrier Strike Group 11 PASSEX: JMSDFDestroyers Akebono (DD-108), Makinami (DD-112) and Myōkō (DDG-175). Western Pacific Port Kelang, Malaysia 30 Jun. – 4 Jul. 2005 4th: —— Carrier Strike Group 11 —— —— Bahrain 6–9 Aug. 2005 5th: —— Carrier Strike Group 11 —— —— Dubai 1–6 Sep. 2005 6th: 27 Sep. – 5 Oct. 2005 Carrier Strike Group 11 Malabar 05: Indian Navy Indian Ocean Fremantle, Australia 7–12 Oct. 2005
2007 deployment The group left San Diego on 2 April 2007 under the command of Rear Admiral John Blake. The group entered the U.S. Fifth Fleet area on 8 May 2007 and began conducting missions over Afghanistan three days later. The group joined Carrier Strike Group Three, led by the , and relieved Carrier Strike Group Eight, led by the , that was currently operating in the Persian Gulf. The arrival of the strike group ensured the maintenance of the then two-U.S. carrier presence in the region.
Nimitz'''s escorts conducted maritime security operations. Higgins boarded ships of interest in the Persian Gulf, as well as informing three Iraqi dhows on coalition aims and objectives. The VBSS teams boarded three Iraqi tugs and four super-tankers, thereby safeguarding the merchants in the region by deterring piracy and smuggling. Higgins was the only ship in the strike group to conduct a boarding of a tanker suspected of oil smuggling. After a thorough six-hour boarding, the VBSS team was able to clear the tanker.
The guided-missile destroyer Pinckney participated in a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy and three other U.S. Navy ships. The ships conducted air defense, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and VBSS operations in the compressed waters of the South China Sea, validating current tactics, techniques and procedures and identifying areas for further development.
Carrier Strike Group 11 joined Carrier Strike Group 5 and Carrier Strike Group 3 to participate in Exercise Valiant Shield 2007, a joint U.S. exercise held off Guam. Carrier Strike Group 11 subsequently joined the Carrier Strike Group Five and India's aircraft carrier in the Bay of Bengal for the multilateral Exercise Malabar 07-2 (pictured), an annual naval exercise involving India, Australia, Japan, and Singapore. The group arrived back at San Diego on 30 September 2007. 2007 deployment force composition