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Carrier Strike Group 8

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Carrier Strike Group 8
Carrier Strike Group 8 emblem
Active1 Oct 2004-present
Country United States of America
BranchUnited States Navy Seal United States Navy
TypeCarrier Strike Group
RoleNaval air/surface warfare
Part ofUnited States Fleet Forces Command
Garrison/HQNaval Station Norfolk, Virginia
WebsiteOfficial Website
Commanders
CommanderRear Admiral Victorino Mercado, USN[1]
Chief of StaffCaptain Keith Kimberly, USN[2]
Senior Enlisted LeaderCTTCS(SW/AW) Michael Swaney, USN[3]

Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.[4][5]

The current group flagship is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). The other units of the group are the guided-missile cruiser USS Hué City (CG-66), Carrier Air Wing Seven, and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 28.[Note 1][6][7]

History

During 1994, USS Hue City (CG-66) was a unit of Carrier Group 8.[8] During 1999, the previous Carrier Group 8's flagship was Eisenhower.

In May and June 1998, Vella Gulf completed a two-month BALTOPS Cruise, taking part in the 26th annual maritime exercise BALTOPS '98 in the Western Baltic Sea from 8–19 June 1998. During the exercise, Commander, Carrier Group 8, commanded the exercise from the ship.

From November 2001, at the commencement of Multinational Interception Force (MIF) operations in the Persian Gulf, Royal Australian Navy ships came under the control ('chopped to the OPCON') of Commander Carrier Group 8, Rear Admiral Mark P. Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was also serving as Commander Task Force 50 (CTF 50) embarked in the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

The group was established by redesignation of the former Carrier Group 8 on 1 October 2004.

The Strike Group deployed on 2 January 2010 to the Middle East to help with operations by the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets.

Effective 1 October 2012, when not deployed, Carrier Strike Group 8 is part of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and its commander reports to Commander Task Force 80, the director of Fleet Forces' Maritime Headquarters. Carrier Strike Group 8 is designated Task Group 80.3.[9]

On 6 October 2014, U.S. Fleet Forces Command announced that the Carrier Strike Group 8 command staff would deploy with Truman, instead of Eisenhower, in accordance with the U.S. Navy's Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP).[10] This change does not affect the other ships or units that are otherwise assigned to either strike groups.[10]

Carrier Air Wing

An F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103 prepares to launch from Dwight D. Eisenhower

Carrier Air Wing Seven comprises:

  • Strike Fighter Squadron 83, (VFA-83)
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 103, (VFA-103)
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 131, (VFA-131)
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 143, (VFA-143)
  • Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121, (VAW-121)
  • Electronic attack Squadron 140, (VAQ-140)
  • Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 Det. 3, (VRC-40)
  • Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, (HSC-5)
  • Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 72, (HSM-72)

Aircraft operated

Notes

  1. ^ As of 2012, units of Destroyet Squadron 28 included USS Farragut (DDG-99), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), USS Elrod (FFG-55), USS Ramage (DDG-61), USS Mitscher (DDG-57), USS Cole (DDG-67)USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98)

References

  1. ^ "Rear Admiral Victorino Mercado". Command Info: Commander Carrier Strike Group Eight. Carrier Strike Group Eight. 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Captain Keith Kimberly, USN". Command Info: Chief of Staff. Carrier Strike Group Eight. 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. ^ "CTTCS(SW/AW) Michael Swaney". Command Info: Senior Enlisted Leader. Carrier Strike Group Eight. 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. ^ "The Carrier Strike Group". Navy Data. U.S. Navy. 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  5. ^ Addison, Jr., Victor G. (July 2010). "The answer was the Carrier Strike Group ... Now What was the Question?". Naval Institute Proceedings. 136 (7): 47. ISSN 0041-798X. Retrieved 17 October 2013. A CSG deploys with a carrier air wing plus rotary-wing assets and is equipped to conduct sustained maritime power-projection, combat, and other missions.
  6. ^ "Destroyer Squadron 28". Carrier Strike Group Eight. 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Destroyer Squadron 28 Ships". Destroyer Squadron 28. 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. ^ USS Hue City Command History 1994
  9. ^ "USFF Commanders Guidance Brief to Senior Staff 17 Sep_FINAL". Scribd.com. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012. Slides 22, 43—49
  10. ^ a b "Fleet Forces Announces Carrier Schedule Changes". NNS141006-05. U.S. Fleet Forces Public Affairs. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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