View source for USS Mason (DDG-87)

{{Short description|American guided missile destroyer}}
{{Other ships|USS Mason}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = 
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:US Navy 080729-N-3392P-025 The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) steams through the Atlantic Ocean.jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Mason'' on 29 July 2008
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
| Ship name = ''Mason''
| Ship namesake = [[Newton Henry Mason]]
| Ship ordered = 13 December 1996
| Ship builder = [[Bath Iron Works]]
| Ship laid down = 19 January 2000
| Ship launched = 23 June 2001
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 12 April 2003
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship identification = *{{MMSI Number|369918000}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NPWS
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Whiskey}}{{ICS|Sierra}}
*[[Hull number]]: DDG-87
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship motto = ''Proudly We Serve''
| Ship fate = 
| Ship status = {{Ship in active service}}
| Ship homeport = [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport]]
| Ship badge = [[File:USS Mason DDG-87 Crest.png|150px]]
| Ship honours = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|guided missile destroyer}}
| Ship displacement = 9,200 tons
| Ship length = {{convert|509|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|66|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|31|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = 4 × [[General Electric LM2500|General Electric LM2500-30]] [[gas turbine]]s, 2 shafts, {{convert|100000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
| Ship speed = exceeds {{convert|30|kn}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 380 officers and enlisted
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight IIA/III armament}}
| Ship armor = 
| Ship aircraft = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight IIA/III aircraft}}
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Mason'' (DDG-87)''' is an {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|guided missile destroyer}} in the [[United States Navy]]. She is named in honor of the Black crewmembers who served on board {{USS|Mason|DE-529}} during the period of [[racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg87/Pages/History.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216070834/https://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg87/Pages/History.aspx|archive-date=16 February 2020|access-date=2 January 2022|website=United States Navy}}</ref>

This ship is the 37th destroyer of her class. ''Mason'' was the 21st ship of this class to be built at [[Bath Iron Works]] in [[Bath, Maine]], and construction began on 19 January 2000. She was launched and christened on 23 June 2001. On 12 April 2003, a commissioning ceremony was held at [[Port Canaveral|Port Canaveral, Florida]]. She is currently homeported at the [[Naval Station Mayport]] in [[Mayport, Florida]].

==Etymology==
This is the third U.S. Navy warship with the name USS ''Mason''. The first {{USS|Mason|DD-191|3}}, in service from 1920 to 1941, was named for [[John Young Mason]], well known for his service as the [[Secretary of the Navy]] for two American Presidents. The second {{USS|Mason|DE-529|3}} was named for Ensign [[Newton Henry Mason]], a Naval Aviator who was posthumously awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (USA)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]. This ship is named for the crew of the second {{USS|Mason|DE-529|3}}, as this was the first ship in the US Navy with the distinction of having a predominantly black crew.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg87/Pages/History.aspx |title=History of USS Mason |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref>

==Service history==
===2004–2015===
[[File:USS Mason DDG87.jpg|thumb|''Mason'' in the [[Persian Gulf]], January 2005]]
[[File:USS Mason (DDG 87) VBSS team receive a fish from a Yemeni fisherman.jpg|thumb|The [[visit, board, search and seizure]] (VBSS) team receive a fish from a Yemeni fisherman]]
[[File:US Navy 110228-N-5838W-004 An MK-38 25mm gun system is fired during a live-fire exercise aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87).jpg|thumb|An [[Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system|MK-38 25 mm gun system]] is fired during a [[live-fire exercise]]]]
[[File:USS MASON, Atlantic Ocean.jpg|thumb|'' Mason'' in the Atlantic, 2011]]
USS ''Mason'' conducted her maiden deployment with the {{USS|Harry S. Truman}} Carrier Strike Group in support of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]/[[Operation Enduring Freedom]] in late 2004. ''Mason'' returned home after six months on 18 April 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/02/mil-050210-nns06.htm |title=Mason Conducts Maritime Operations in Persian Gulf |work=Navy NewsStand |publisher=Globalsecurity.org |access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref>

On 3 October 2006, ''Mason'' departed [[Naval Station Norfolk]] for a seven-month deployment to the [[Persian Gulf]] in support of the [[Global War on Terrorism]]. She participated in Exercise Neon Falcon. ''Mason'' returned home in May 2007.<ref>[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=29598 Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Returns from Deployment] Navy NewsStand  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913084711/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=29598 |date=13 September 2009 }}</ref>

''Mason'' deployed with the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}} on 12 September 2008 for a scheduled deployment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2008/09/mil-080926-nns01.htm |title=USS Theodore Roosevelt Deploys in Support of Maritime Security |work=Navy NewsStand |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> ''Mason'' made scheduled port calls in 2008-2009 to ports in [[Mykonos]], [[Nice]], [[Aqaba]], [[Istanbul]], [[Dubai]], [[Bahrain]], and [[Jebel Ali]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} ''Mason'' conducted operations in the Persian Gulf in support of operation enduring freedom.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

On 12 March 2011, she sailed through the [[Suez Canal]] en route to the Mediterranean, to support possible humanitarian or military action in response to the [[2011 Libyan civil war|Libyan Civil War]].<ref>[http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-12 Libya Live Blog], 12 March. Al Jazeera  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313091756/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-12 |date=13 March 2011 }}</ref> In April 2011, a boarding team from the ship successfully liberated five Yemeni hostages from 11 [[Somali pirate]]s who had taken over the Yemeni-flagged ship {{ship|F/V|Nasri}}. The pirates had seriously injured two other fishermen in their attack, left the wounded ashore, and then taken ''Nasri'' to sea as a pirate [[mothership]]. [[Assault weapon]]s, ammunition, [[rocket propelled grenade]]s, and launchers were destroyed by the boarding team.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://combinedmaritimeforces.com/2011/04/11/uss-mason-intercepts-pirate-mother-ship-in-arabian-sea/ |title=USS Mason Intercepts Pirate Mother-ship in Arabian Sea |website=Combined Maritime Forces |date=11 April 2011 |access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref>

On 22 July 2013, she deployed to the [[United States Fifth Fleet|5th Fleet]] and [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] area of responsibility as part of the ''Harry S. Truman'' Carrier Strike Group. ''Mason'' returned to her homeport on 18 April 2014.

On 7 November 2015, ''Mason'', acting as the [[flagship]] for Destroyer Squadron 26, completed the first East Coast Passing Exercise with the [[People's Republic of China]]'s [[People's Liberation Army]]-Navy ships.

===2016 attacks off the coast of Yemen===
On 3 October 2016, following a guided missile attack by [[Houthi]] rebels on the United Arab Emirates-operated {{ship|HSV-2|Swift}}, ''Mason'' was deployed off the coast of [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|war-torn Yemen]], along with destroyers {{USS|Nitze|DDG-94|6}} and {{USS|Roosevelt|DDG-80|6}}, and {{USS|Ponce|LPD-15|6}}, an [[amphibious transport dock]] being used as a forward landing base and laser [[test bed]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.usni.org/2016/10/04/official-3-u-s-warships-off-yemen-following-attack-uae-ship |title=Officials: 3 U.S. Warships Off Yemen Following Attack on UAE Ship|last=LaGrone|first=Sam|website=USNI News|publisher=U.S. Naval Institute |date=4 October 2016 |access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> According to an unnamed U.S. [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] official, the purpose for sending the ships was "to ensure that shipping continues unimpeded in the [[strait]] and the vicinity."<ref name="Tomlinson, 2016">{{cite web |url= https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-warships-sent-to-area-where-iran-backed-rebels-attacked-saudi-led-coalition-ship |title= U.S. warships sent to area where Iran-backed rebels attacked Saudi-led coalition ship |first= Lucas |last= Tomlinson |publisher= Fox News |date= 3 October 2016
}}</ref>

On 9 October 2016, ''Mason'', operating near the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] strait, was targeted by two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory. Both missiles fell short and crashed into the water.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/09/us-navy-ship-uss-mason-targeted-in-failed-missile-attack-from-yemen.html |title=US Navy ship targeted in failed missile attack from Yemen |website=CNBC|date=9 October 2016 |access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-10/missiles-fired-from-yemen-target-u-s-navy-ship-in-failed-attack|title=Missiles Fired From Yemen Target U.S. Navy Ship in Failed Attack|publisher=Bloomberg|date=10 October 2016|access-date=10 October 2016}}</ref> The Houthi insurgency denied launching the attack on the warship.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/politics/yemen-us-navy-targeted/|title=Yemen: Missiles target U.S. warship, Pentagon says|last1=Browne|first1=Ryan|last2=Crawford|first2=Jamie|date=10 October 2016|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=10 October 2016}}</ref> The [[United States Naval Institute]] reported that ''Mason'' fired two [[RIM-66 Standard|SM-2 Standard]] missiles and one [[RIM-162 ESSM]] missile to intercept the two missiles, and deployed her [[Nulka]] missile decoy. One of two U.S. defense officials cited anonymously added that it was not clear whether the incoming missiles had been shot down or crashed into the water on their own.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2016/10/11/uss-mason-fired-3-missiles-to-defend-from-yemen-cruise-missiles-attack|title=USS Mason Fired 3 Missiles to Defend From Yemen Cruise Missiles Attack|last=LaGrone|first=Sam|website=USNI News|publisher=U.S. Naval Institute|date=11 October 2016|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref> This marked the first recorded instance of ship-based [[anti-air]] missiles being fired from vertical launching cells in combat in response to an actual inbound missile threat.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Navy Successfully Thwarts Attack With First Engagement of Missile Defense System |url=http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/u-s-navy-successfully-thwarts-attack-with-first-engage-1787678550 |publisher=Foxtrot Alpha |date=11 October 2016 |access-date=13 October 2016}}</ref>

On 12 October 2016 ''Mason'' was again targeted by missiles fired from Yemeni territory, while it was operating in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.<ref name="2nd attack">{{Cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2016/10/12/pentagon-respond-appropriate-manner-new-missile-attack-uss-mason-yemen|title=Pentagon Pledges to Respond in 'Appropriate Manner' After New Yemen Missile Attack on USS Mason|last=LaGrone|first=Sam|date=12 October 2016|website=USNI News|publisher=U.S. Naval Institute|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref> ''Mason'' was not hit by the two missiles, which were fired from near the southern Yemen city of [[Al Hudaydah]].<ref name="2nd attack" /> While the Navy was not certain whether the first incoming missile was intercepted or instead just fell into the sea, officials said ''Mason'' successfully intercepted the second missile at a distance of about {{convert|8|mi}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/aegis-defense-system-helped-stop-missile-attack-on-uss-mason-1.433974|title=Aegis defense system helped stop missile attack on USS Mason|last=Copp|first=Tara|publisher=Stars and Stripes|date=13 October 2016|access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref> marking the first time in history a warship destroyed an inbound [[anti-ship missile]] with a [[Surface-to-air missile|SAM]] in actual self-defense. On 13 October 2016, the U.S. attacked three [[radar]] sites in Houthi-held territory which had been involved in the earlier missile attacks, with [[Tomahawk (missile family)|cruise missiles]] launched from ''Nitze''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-missiles-idUSKCN12C294|title=U.S. military strikes Yemen after missile attacks on U.S. Navy ship|last=Stewart|first=Phil|publisher=Reuters|date=12 October 2016|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref> The Pentagon assessed that all three sites were destroyed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37639565|title=Yemen conflict: U.S. strikes radar sites after missile attack on ship|work=BBC News|date=13 October 2016|access-date=13 October 2016}}</ref>

On 15 October 2016, ''Mason'' was targeted in a third attack by Houthi rebels based in Yemen, by five anti-ship [[cruise missile]]s while operating in the [[Red Sea]] north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait. ''Mason'' fired a radar [[decoy]], an [[infrared]] decoy, and several [[SM-2 Standard]] missiles in response, either neutralizing or intercepting four of the five incoming missiles. The Navy reported the fifth incoming missile as neutralized by a radar decoy launched from ''Nitze'', after ''Mason'' alerted her to the threat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/11/03/four-ship-crews-receive-combat-action-ribbon|title=Four ship crews receive Combat Action Ribbon |last=Ziezulewicz|first=Geoff|date=3 November 2017|website=Navy Times|access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref>

===2017–2022===

On 23 May 2017, ''Mason'' was awarded the 2016 [[Battenberg Cup]], signifying she was the best all-around ship or submarine in the United States Navy's [[Atlantic Fleet (United States)|Atlantic Fleet]] based on crew achievements. ''Mason'' was only the fifth destroyer in the prior 111 years to receive the award.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=100675 |title=USS Mason Awarded Battenberg Cup |website=United States Navy |date=26 May 2016 |access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref>

On 22 August 2022, ''Mason'' completed a homeport shift to [[Naval Station Mayport]], in [[Jacksonville, Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/picture-gallery/news/2022/08/22/uss-mason-arrives-new-homeport-mayport-naval-station/7865879001/ |title=Photos: The USS Mason arrives at Naval Station Mayport |date=2022-08-22}}</ref>

===2023 Israel-Hamas war===
On 14 October 2023, US Secretary of Defense [[Lloyd Austin]] directed nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Dwight D. Eisenhower|CVN-69|2}} and her [[carrier strike group]], which includes the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Philippine Sea|CG-58|2}}, along with ''Mason'' and sister-destroyers {{USS|Laboon|DDG-58|2}} and {{USS|Gravely|DDG-107|2}}, to the [[eastern Mediterranean]] in response to [[2023 Israel–Hamas war|Israel's war with Hamas]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/exclusive-us-send-2nd-aircraft-carrier-eastern-mediterranean/story?id=103984246 |title=Exclusive: US to send 2nd aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean |date=14 October 2023 |last1=Raddatz |first1=Martha |last2=Martinez |first2=Luis |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> This is the second carrier strike group to be sent to the region in response to the conflict, following aircraft carrier {{USS|Gerald R. Ford|CVN-78|2}} and her group, which had been dispatched six days earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement From Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on U.S. Force Posture Changes in the Middle E |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3551716/statement-from-secretary-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-us-force-posture-changes-in-the/|access-date=2023-10-08 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Defense]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 26 November 2023, ''Mason'' responded to a [[distress call]] from the commercial tanker ''Central Park'', which was seized by gunmen in the [[Gulf of Aden]]. Five gunmen tried to escape on a fast boat, but were chased and eventually surrendered to a search and seizure team dispatched by ''Mason''. Two [[ballistic missile]]s were fired from [[Houthi]]-controlled parts of Yemen towards the general direction of ''Mason'' and ''Central Park'', but they landed about 10 [[nautical mile]]s away from the ships, with no reported injuries or damage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/armed-individuals-seize-israeli-managed-oil-tanker-gulf-aden-us-official-2023-11-26/|title=Tanker in Middle East safe from attackers after U.S. Navy responds, officials say |first1=Idrees |last1=Ali |first2=Phil |last2=Stewart |first3=Aziz |last3=El Yaakoubi |website=Reuters|date=27 November 2023|access-date=27 November 2023}}</ref>

On 6 December 2023, ''Mason'' shot down an air drone headed toward ''Mason'' from Yemen, which officials attributed to Houthi rebels, as it was in the southern Red Sea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2023/12/06/uss-mason-shoots-down-another-air-drone-in-the-red-sea/|title=USS Mason shoots down another air drone in the Red Sea|first=Diana|last=Correll|date=6 December 2023|website=Navy Times}}</ref>

After the Norwegian-flagged oil and chemical tanker ''Strinda'', traveling from Malaysia and carrying a cargo of [[palm oil]], was struck by an [[anti-ship cruise missile]] whilst passing through the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] strait on 11 December 2023, ''Mason'' responded to the ship's distress call and rendered assistance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/12/uss-mason-responds-after-houthi-missile-strikes-norwegian-flagged-tanker-red-sea.html|title=USS Mason Responds After Houthi Missile Strikes Norwegian-Flagged Tanker in Red Sea|author=Jon Gambrell|date=14 December 2023|website=Military.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/missile-launched-from-yemen-hits-tanker/7394253.html|title=Missile Launched from Yemen Hits Tanker|website=www.voanews.com|date=12 December 2023|access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref>

On 13 December 2023, ''Mason'' shot down in self-defense a drone launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, that was heading directly towards the Mason.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-destroyer-red-sea-shoots-down-another-houthi-drone|title=US destroyer in Red Sea shoots down another Houthi drone|first=Jennifer Griffin|last=Danielle Wallace|date=13 December 2023|website=Fox News}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tradewindsnews.com/insurance/houthi-drone-targeted-us-warship-during-ardmore-attack/2-1-1571062|title=Houthi drone targeted US warship during Ardmore attack|first=Harry|last=Papachristou |date=14 December 2023|website=TradeWinds &#124; Latest shipping and maritime news}}</ref> ''Mason'' was at the time responding to the distress call issued by the tanker Ardmore ''Encounter''.<ref name="auto1"/> Houthi forces had unsuccessfully attempted to board the tanker on skiffs, exchanged fire with the ship’s armed guards, and then fired two missiles in the Ardmore Encounter’s direction, prompting the distress call.<ref name="auto1"/> The tanker was carrying jet fuel from India to the Netherlands and Sweden.<ref name="auto1"/>

===United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)===
{{Main|United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)}}{{See also|2024 missile strikes in Yemen}}
On 12 January 2024, ''Philippine Sea'', ''Mason'' and ''Gravely'' fired [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk cruise missiles]] at [[Iran]]ian-backed [[Houthi]] rebels in [[Yemen]]. Aircraft from [[Carrier Air Wing Three]], embarked on the carrier ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' also participated in the strikes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mongilio |first1=Heather |title=Ike's Carrier Air Wing 3, USS Gravely, USS Philippine Sea and USS Mason Struck Houthi Targets |url=https://news.usni.org/2024/01/12/ikes-carrier-air-wing-3-uss-gravely-uss-philippine-sea-and-uss-mason-struck-houthi-targets |access-date=13 January 2024 |publisher=USNI News |date=12 January 2024}}</ref>

== Coat of arms ==
[[File:USS Mason (DDG-87) Coat of Arms.jpg|thumb|Crest|150px]]

The shield has background of white with a double chevron across the center. Above are opposing lions and below is a gold trident. The traditional U.S. Navy colors were chosen for the shield because dark blue and gold represents the sea and excellence respectively. The colors red, white and blue represent the United States. The double chevron is to honor DD 191 and DE 529, the former ships named USS Mason. The facing lions, adapted from the Mason family coat of arms, denote the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns of World War II. The trident, symbol of sea prowess, represents ''Mason’s'' modern warfare capabilities which include the AEGIS weapon system (including [[Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System]] from [[theater ballistic missile]]s) and [[Cooperative Engagement Capability]].

The crest consists of a helm, crossing swords behind and a combined anchor and cross surrounded by a wreath. The helm is symbolic to strong defense with power projection. The anchor refers to the namesake of DD 191, [[John Y. Mason]], who was the Secretary of the Navy under President John Tyler and James K. Polk. The cross is in reference to [[Newton Henry Mason]]'s Distinguished Flying Cross award. The wreath represents all the awards, honors and achievements of the past ships with the namesake Mason and crews who served them.

The motto is written on a scroll of white with a red trim. The ship's motto is "Proudly We Serve". The motto is in honor of the high achievement of the African American crew of DE-529 who made history with their selfless bravery in defense of the U.S. in World War II, and marks their contribution to the eventual desegregation of the U.S. Navy.

The coat of arms in full color as in the blazon, upon a white background enclosed within a dark blue oval border edged on the outside with a gold rope and bearing the inscription "USS Mason" at the top and "DDG 87" in the base all gold.

== Awards ==
* [[Combat Action Ribbon]] - (9-15 Oct 2016, Oct 2023 - Apr 2024)
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] - (Oct 2006-May 2007, Sep 2008-Apr 2009)
* [[Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation]] - (Jan 2011-Nov 2012)
* [[Navy E Ribbon]] - (2004, 2005, 2016, 2023)
* [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]] - (Sep-Nov 2013)
*[[Battenberg Cup]] - (2016)<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=LaCrosse|first=Lenny|date=2 January 2018|title=Recognizing the Best of the Fleet|url=https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/swmag/Pages/Recognizing-the-Best-of-the-Fleet.aspx|url-status=dead|magazine=Surface Warfare Magazine|publisher=United States Navy|issue=57|no-pp=y|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415005518/https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/swmag/Pages/Recognizing-the-Best-of-the-Fleet.aspx|archive-date=15 April 2018|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref>
* LANTFLT Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Bloodhound Award - 2015,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/201259/uss-mason-earns-bloodhound-award | title=USS Mason Earns the Bloodhound Award }}</ref> 2019 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2284450/uss-mason-earns-the-bloodhound-award | title=USS Mason Earns the Bloodhound Award }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DDG87}}}}

==External links==
*[https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/ddg87/ Official site]
{{Commons category|USS Mason (DDG-87)}}

{{Arleigh Burke class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason (DDG-87)}}
[[Category:Arleigh Burke-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:2001 ships]]
[[Category:Carrier Strike Group Two]]