Latest news with #USSStockdale
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A US Navy captain tells BI his heart was racing when his warship came under Houthi fire for the first time
The US Navy destroyer USS Stockdale came under Houthi fire multiple times last year. The Stockdale's captain, then the executive officer, described to BI what it was like to battle the rebels. He said his heart was racing and that seeing the warship's missiles launch was "unlike anything else." Cdr. Jacob Beckelhymer remembers vividly the first time his warship came under attack in the Red Sea. It was late September of last year, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stockdale was already several months into its lengthy Middle East deployment. Beckelhymer, then the warship's executive officer, knew that the ship and its sailors could be pulled into combat at any moment against the Iran-backed Houthis who had been launching missiles and drones into shipping lanes. "We went into it with the expectation that there was a high probability that we would come under fire," he told Business Insider in a recent interview. When the attack came, the destroyer was prepared. Sailors had received their pre-briefing, and the crew was well-rested. The watch teams were ready. That day, the Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles and drones. Beckelhymer was in the pilot house with the warship's commanding officer and watched as the bridge team, from lieutenants down to junior sailors, performed as they were trained. He said he experienced a heart rate increase and some excitement. Seeing a surface-to-air missile come out of the launchers for real, and not in a training scenario, is "unlike anything else." Beckelhymer recalls thinking about his composure. He briefly thought about how he'd always wanted to teach his eldest daughter how to ride a bike. The most pressing thought, though, was that the destroyer needed to make it home. A mix of Navy warships in the Red Sea, including the Stockdale, thwarted the Houthi attack. Beckelhymer said that "the biggest takeaway" for him "was how quickly we did the things that we were supposed to, we reset, and then we all got back on the same page to do it again." The Stockdale came under Houthi fire several times during its combat-packed deployment, which ended in February. The Navy said that the destroyer "successfully repelled" multiple attacks, shooting down a tough combination of drones and missiles and emerging unscathed each time. "The mission sets that we performed over there were a combination of standard missile defense, contested straight transit, and civilian escort," said Beckelhymer, who is now the Stockdale's commanding officer. "We had occasion to use weapons in defense of ourselves and ships in company a number of times. In all of those instances, the team responded really, really great," he told BI. "We didn't incur any sort of stress reactions. The overall resilience of the crew was great." Several weeks after Stockdale returned to its homeport in San Diego, the destroyer deployed again — this time to the waters off the coast of southern California, where, until recently, it supported the US military's southern border mission. Two other warships that fought the Houthis also participated in these operations. While the threat environment was different in the Pacific compared to the Red Sea, Beckelhymer said the approach to the mission was relatively similar, even if Stockdale's weapons system was placed in a different configuration. "It takes every single person on board this ship, all-in, every single day, to operate safely at sea," he said. "Whether you're off the coast of California or you're in the Red Sea, the business that we do is inherently dangerous. And flight operations, small boat operations, underway replenishment — all of those things take our collective focus." Beckelhymer said he saw his crew's confidence grow consistently from September until the end of the most recent deployment. The sailors, he said, had every reason to be proud of their abilities. Receiving the training is one thing, but it's another to be tested in real-world conditions and have everything validated. "We experienced that in the Red Sea, and I think we experienced that again over the last 40-ish days off the coast of California," he said. "When the Navy needs us, Stockdale is ready." Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
24-05-2025
- General
- Business Insider
A US Navy captain tells BI his heart was racing when his warship came under Houthi fire for the first time
Cdr. Jacob Beckelhymer remembers vividly the first time his warship came under attack in the Red Sea. It was late September of last year, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stockdale was already several months into its lengthy Middle East deployment. Beckelhymer, then the warship's executive officer, knew that the ship and its sailors could be pulled into combat at any moment against the Iran-backed Houthis who had been launching missiles and drones into shipping lanes. "We went into it with the expectation that there was a high probability that we would come under fire," he told Business Insider in a recent interview. When the attack came, the destroyer was prepared. Sailors had received their pre-briefing, and the crew was well-rested. The watch teams were ready. That day, the Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles and drones. Beckelhymer was in the pilot house with the warship's commanding officer and watched as the bridge team, from lieutenants down to junior sailors, performed as they were trained. He said he experienced a heart rate increase and some excitement. Seeing a surface-to-air missile come out of the launchers for real, and not in a training scenario, is "unlike anything else." Beckelhymer recalls thinking about his composure. He briefly thought about how he'd always wanted to teach his eldest daughter how to ride a bike. The most pressing thought, though, was that the destroyer needed to make it home. A mix of Navy warships in the Red Sea, including the Stockdale, thwarted the Houthi attack. Beckelhymer said that "the biggest takeaway" for him "was how quickly we did the things that we were supposed to, we reset, and then we all got back on the same page to do it again." The Stockdale came under Houthi fire several times during its combat-packed deployment, which ended in February. The Navy said that the destroyer "successfully repelled" multiple attacks, shooting down a tough combination of drones and missiles and emerging unscathed each time. "The mission sets that we performed over there were a combination of standard missile defense, contested straight transit, and civilian escort," said Beckelhymer, who is now the Stockdale's commanding officer. "We had occasion to use weapons in defense of ourselves and ships in company a number of times. In all of those instances, the team responded really, really great," he told BI. "We didn't incur any sort of stress reactions. The overall resilience of the crew was great." Several weeks after Stockdale returned to its homeport in San Diego, the destroyer deployed again — this time to the waters off the coast of southern California, where, until recently, it supported the US military's southern border mission. Two other warships that fought the Houthis also participated in these operations. While the threat environment was different in the Pacific compared to the Red Sea, Beckelhymer said the approach to the mission was relatively similar, even if Stockdale's weapons system was placed in a different configuration. "It takes every single person on board this ship, all-in, every single day, to operate safely at sea," he said. "Whether you're off the coast of California or you're in the Red Sea, the business that we do is inherently dangerous. And flight operations, small boat operations, underway replenishment — all of those things take our collective focus." Beckelhymer said he saw his crew's confidence grow consistently from September until the end of the most recent deployment. The sailors, he said, had every reason to be proud of their abilities. Receiving the training is one thing, but it's another to be tested in real-world conditions and have everything validated. "We experienced that in the Red Sea, and I think we experienced that again over the last 40-ish days off the coast of California," he said. "When the Navy needs us, Stockdale is ready."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Warship captain explains why the military sent his destroyer fresh off the Red Sea fight to the US southern border
The US Navy dispatched three of its destroyers to support the military's southern border mission. USS Stockdale's captain explained to BI that his warship is an ideal platform for this mission. He said the Stockdale brings high-end comms and sensors to the table, along with an embarked helicopter. The captain of one of three US Navy destroyers that deployed this spring to support the military's southern border mission after spending months battling the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea says his warship was well-suited to both assignments. Amid questions of whether the southern border deployments were overkill, the military acknowledged that it was "a bit unique to deploy a capability of this level for this mission set." But it sent an unmistakable message. Unlike the Red Sea mission, at the southern border, the value of these warfighting ships isn't as much the firepower they bring to a potential fight but rather the capabilities that other vessels lack, such as robust communications and sensor suites, and endurance. Cdr. Jacob Beckelhymer, the commanding officer of USS Stockdale, told Business Insider that the maritime security missions are familiar taskings and "part of the broad set of things that destroyers do." The Stockdale just recently returned to its homeport in San Diego after spending weeks deployed off the coast of southern California in support of US military operations at the southern border. Transnational criminal operations coming out of Mexico were at the top of the US intelligence community's 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, and the Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime criminal activity, from illegal immigration to human and drug trafficking, priorities. In addition to thousands of military personnel, the administration has dispatched a range of military assets to the border area, including the three destroyers that battled the Houthis last year. The Stockdale, like USS Spruance and USS Gravely, had an embarked US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment for its southern border deployment. These are Coast Guard teams that specialize in law-enforcement operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counter-piracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Stockdale are equipped with missile tubes that carry a mix of surface-to-air and land-attack munitions and different guns, such as a five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. This extensive loadout was needed to battle the Houthis, as the Stockdale and other Navy warships routinely came under rebel missile and drone attacks. The warships faced a very different threat environment at the southern border than in the Red Sea. Beckelhymer said Stockdale's weapon system was in a "different configuration" since they didn't expect to be shot at. At the southern border, the emphasis was on other capabilities. "The sensor suite is incredible. My surface radar tracking ability, I think, far exceeds what we normally see, particularly on the smaller Coast Guard cutters," Beckelhymer said. "And then I've also got a much larger team." He touted the ship's combat information center, a multimission room with many monitors that display maps and radars, as an essential tool for monitoring possible smuggling situations and recommending whether it's worth following up. As Henry Ziemer, an Americas Program fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously wrote, a destroyer has "powerful sensors and electronics that can be assets for detecting small boats and semisubmersibles used for illicit activities." These ships can also coordinate additional assets, he said, and function as a force multiplier. Beckelhymer said the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter embarked on the Stockdale provides faster air coverage than relying on something from the shore. The helicopter is equipped with a very capable radar and communications suite and can share real-time data and video feed with the destroyer. The captain said the Stockdale is also an endurance platform. The ship can "stay on station considerably longer" and carry more fuel and food. During its deployment, Stockdale served as a command-and-control platform, providing maritime awareness and surveillance to the Coast Guard assets operating in the area. The destroyer played a role in helping them apprehend suspected smuggling vessels, and Beckelhymer's crew saved the lives of mariners who were caught adrift with no food or water on board. Speaking to the missions that his warship has supported, Beckelhymer said "it's really, really humbling to watch young men and women put to action the things that it takes to operate a destroyer at sea in support of priority missions for two separate fleet commanders." Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Warship captain explains why the military sent his destroyer fresh off the Red Sea fight to the US southern border
The captain of one of three US Navy destroyers that deployed this spring to support the military's southern border mission after spending months battling the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea says his warship was well-suited to both assignments. Amid questions of whether the southern border deployments were overkill, the military acknowledged that it was "a bit unique to deploy a capability of this level for this mission set." But it sent an unmistakable message. Unlike the Red Sea mission, at the southern border, the value of these warfighting ships isn't as much the firepower they bring to a potential fight but rather the capabilities that other vessels lack, such as robust communications and sensor suites, and endurance. Cdr. Jacob Beckelhymer, the commanding officer of USS Stockdale, told Business Insider that the maritime security missions are familiar taskings and "part of the broad set of things that destroyers do." The Stockdale just recently returned to its homeport in San Diego after spending weeks deployed off the coast of southern California in support of US military operations at the southern border. Transnational criminal operations coming out of Mexico were at the top of the US intelligence community's 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, and the Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime criminal activity, from illegal immigration to human and drug trafficking, priorities. In addition to thousands of military personnel, the administration has dispatched a range of military assets to the border area, including the three destroyers that battled the Houthis last year. The Stockdale, like USS Spruance and USS Gravely, had an embarked US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment for its southern border deployment. These are Coast Guard teams that specialize in law-enforcement operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counter-piracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Stockdale are equipped with missile tubes that carry a mix of surface-to-air and land-attack munitions and different guns, such as a five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. This extensive loadout was needed to battle the Houthis, as the Stockdale and other Navy warships routinely came under rebel missile and drone attacks. The warships faced a very different threat environment at the southern border than in the Red Sea. Beckelhymer said Stockdale's weapon system was in a "different configuration" since they didn't expect to be shot at. At the southern border, the emphasis was on other capabilities. "The sensor suite is incredible. My surface radar tracking ability, I think, far exceeds what we normally see, particularly on the smaller Coast Guard cutters," Beckelhymer said. "And then I've also got a much larger team." He touted the ship's combat information center, a multimission room with many monitors that display maps and radars, as an essential tool for monitoring possible smuggling situations and recommending whether it's worth following up. As Henry Ziemer, an Americas Program fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously wrote, a destroyer has "powerful sensors and electronics that can be assets for detecting small boats and semisubmersibles used for illicit activities." These ships can also coordinate additional assets, he said, and function as a force multiplier. Beckelhymer said the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter embarked on the Stockdale provides faster air coverage than relying on something from the shore. The helicopter is equipped with a very capable radar and communications suite and can share real-time data and video feed with the destroyer. The captain said the Stockdale is also an endurance platform. The ship can "stay on station considerably longer" and carry more fuel and food. During its deployment, Stockdale served as a command-and-control platform, providing maritime awareness and surveillance to the Coast Guard assets operating in the area. The destroyer played a role in helping them apprehend suspected smuggling vessels, and Beckelhymer's crew saved the lives of mariners who were caught adrift with no food or water on board. Speaking to the missions that his warship has supported, Beckelhymer said "it's really, really humbling to watch young men and women put to action the things that it takes to operate a destroyer at sea in support of priority missions for two separate fleet commanders."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
NATO warships in the Red Sea fight are proving that deck guns can fight a drone war
NATO warships deployed to the Red Sea have used their deck guns to shoot down Houthi drones. The deck guns fire cheaper ammunition than expensive surface-to-air missiles. Former US Navy officers told BI that the engagements prove this weapon is still very much relevant. NATO warships deployed to the Red Sea have been using their deck weapons, from autocannons to naval artillery guns, to shoot down Houthi drones over the past few months. The engagements demonstrate that naval deck guns are not only still relevant but also offer warships a more cost-effective way to destroy drones than expensive surface-to-air missiles, retired US Navy officers told Business Insider. Earlier this month, the French military released footage of one of its frigates using a deck gun to destroy a Houthi drone above the Red Sea. The weapon appears to be the Italian-made 76mm naval autocannon, in service since the 1960s. It fired several rounds into the distance, causing a target to explode in the sky. After the first shot, a small object can be seen flying past the line of sight. The French said this was the rubber cover that protects the gun barrel but "still allows for emergency firing," suggesting that the hostile drone was unexpected and particularly close. The kill marks the latest but not the first disclosure of a NATO warship using its deck gun to take out a Houthi drone, showcasing the value of these weapons in a maritime drone fight. The range of naval guns is typically within around 10 miles, close enough that any targeting failure or misfire could leave the warship dangerously exposed. In November, the Navy destroyer USS Stockdale was in the middle of an intense, hourslong shoot-out with the Houthis. At one point, a low-flying drone crossed in front of the warship. It was detected late, but a kill order was given, and the vessel's five-inch gun blasted the threat out of the sky. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of US Central Command, said in January when he disclosed the incident that it's a proud moment to destroy a threat with a missile, "but there's a lot of high-fives when you shoot something down with a gun, kind of World War II-style." The Mark-45 five-inch deck gun mounted on US destroyers and cruisers was first deployed in 1971. The naval artillery gun is made to hit surface, air, and land targets and has a range of roughly 13 nautical miles; it's typically guided by radar against air targets. In its fully automatic firing mode, it can fire up to 20 rounds a minute with an autoloader. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers carry 600 rounds of conventional ammunition, while Ticonderoga-class cruisers, which have two Mark 45s, can hold 1,200 shells. This is a far greater magazine depth than the air-defense missile capacity. This class of destroyers is equipped with as many as 96 vertical launching system cells, while the cruisers are equipped with around 120 VLS cells. Not all these launch tubes carry the Navy's Standard Missile interceptors, like the SM-2, SM-3, or SM-6. They are also equipped with land-attack missiles. While surface-to-air missiles appear to be the main air-defense tool that US and European warships have used to eliminate Houthi drones and missiles, the deck gun engagements suggest the weapon could be useful in future maritime conflicts where drones are prominent. Bradley Martin, a retired Navy surface warfare captain, said that while the naval deck gun was always intended to be part of a layered defense, the Red Sea conflict shows that this weapon is ideal for destroying small attack drones that fly slower than a cruise missile. Maritime drones can be launched in large numbers and are relatively cheap compared to other munitions. "A gun provides an inexpensive counter," said Martin, now a senior policy researcher at RAND. "What we're learning is that having short-range kinetic capability, like a gun offers, is very valuable," he added. A longer-range kinetic capability, like the SM-2, can strike enemy aircraft or anti-ship missiles some 90 nautical miles away. But with a $2 million price tag, it's a significantly more expensive option than a Mk-45 round for taking out a cheap drone worth a few thousand dollars. Martin said that deck guns are a good way to get ordnance out quickly and can be used in various ways. A warship, for instance, may track a target via radar or a camera and fire precisely at it; alternatively, air burst rounds can release lots of shrapnel into the air, making it difficult for a drone to pass through. US warships are armed with other ways to defend themselves at closer ranges as well. These include the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles. A US warship had a close call with an incoming missile early in the Red Sea fight that required CIWS employment. Archer Macy, a retired Navy admiral, said that it's ultimately the job of the vessel's combat system and the operators to best align each weapon with the incoming threat. He noted that while a deck gun is ideal for the smaller, slower targets, it could potentially engage subsonic cruise missiles, too. Macy, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, said that the Mk-45 has a muzzle velocity of over 2,500 feet per second, meaning the projectile travels at very high speeds. "It's a lot cheaper than a Standard Missile, and you can put a lot more of them out in a hurry," Macy explained. "And you carry more on your ship." In an air-defense situation, a warship tends to fire more than one missile at a target and then see if it works to eliminate the threat, and if it doesn't, the ship will move to launch another, Macy said. Instead, the vessel can put out nearly a dozen five-inch rounds in seconds and fill the sky with shrapnel. "It doesn't all have to be done with missiles," Macy said. "When in doubt, use a gun — if it's appropriate." Read the original article on Business Insider
