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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books About the Ship's Coat of Arms About the Ship's Name History Homeports of USS Gridley Image Gallery to end of page GRIDLEY on March 10, 2008, in San Diego, Calif. Photo by Thoralf Doehring |  |
USS GRIDLEY is the 51st ship in the ARLEIGH BURKE - class of Aegis guided missile destroyers and the fourth ship in the Navy to bear the name.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: March 6, 1998 |
| Keel laid: July 30, 2004 | |
| Launched: December 28, 2005 | |
| Commissioned: February 10, 2007 | |
| Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine | |
| Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines | |
| Propellers: two | |
| Length: 508,5 feet (155 meters) | |
| Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters) | |
| Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters) | |
| Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load | |
| Speed: 32 knots | |
| Aircraft: two | |
| Armament: one | |
| Homeport: Everett, Wash. | |
| Crew: approx. 320 |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS GRIDLEY. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS GRIDLEY Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Coat of Arms:
The Shield:
The sun and the light blue allude to the tropical waters of the Philippines, where the first important battle of the Spanish-American War took place. The wavy fess suggests the ocean surface, combined with the pheons represent the five of the six ships that sailed into Manila Bay, destroying the entire Spanish fleet. The Gold pheon honors the sixth vessel, USS OLYMPIA, that led the Squadron in line of battle against the Spanish. USS OLYMPIA was the flagship of the Asiatic Squadron and commanded by Captain Gridley. Red commemorates sacrifice and Captain Gridley s wartime service. The trident symbolizes naval prowess and the ship s modern technology of air, surface and sub-surface warfare.
The Crest:
The AEGIS shield highlights USS GRIDLEY s weapon system and the destroyer class to which the ship belongs. The terrestrial globe indicates USS GRIDLEY s capability to deploy worldwide. The globe is positioned on the Pacific theater, the area of Captain Gridley s later naval career. The sea lions symbolize valor at sea; the gold sea lion refers to Captain Gridley s leadership and wisdom that won the love of his crew, illustrated by the gray sea lion. The collar to dexter suggests Captain Gridley s rank and the sinister collar signifies the colors traditionally associated with the Navy, Dark Blue and Gold, representing the sea and excellence.
The Motto:
Red, white and blue are the national colors. The motto translates to 'FIRE WHEN READY' the command that opened the battle of Manila Bay. The date '1898' is the year of events in Manila Bay and '2006' is the year USS GRIDLEY was delivered to the United States Navy.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Name:
Charles Vernon Gridley was born 24 November 1844 in Logansport, Ind., and was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1860. Reporting for duty with his class in September 1863, Gridley joind the sloop-of-war ONEIDA with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and distinguished himself with Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay 5 August 1864. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1867 and Commander in 1882, he spent the next 30 years at various stations around the world, including a tour as instructor at the Naval Academy. Captain Gridley took command of OLYMPIA, Admiral Dewey's famous flagship, 27 April 1898, a post which he held despite failing health during the Battle of Manila Bay 1 May 1898. It was that morning that Dewey gave his famous command: "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," immortalizing the doughty captain. After the destruction of the Spanish squadron and the capture of Manila, Gridley was obliged to leave his command because of his health, and died en route to the United States at Kobe, Japan, 25 May 1898.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS GRIDLEY History:
USS GRIDLEY was built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, with her keel laid on July 30, 2004, christened on February 11, 2006, and commissioned at the Port of Miami on February 10, 2007. After shakedown in the western Atlantic and a transit to the Pacific via the Panama Canal, she established her initial homeport at Naval Base San Diego and entered the Pacific Fleet basic and advanced training cycles to certify combat systems and warfare areas.
The destroyer's maiden deployment began on May 19, 2008, when she departed San Diego for the Western Pacific as part of a carrier strike group rotation. Over six months in U.S. 7th Fleet she conducted maritime security operations and multilateral exercises, made liberty calls at several regional ports, and returned to San Diego on November 25, 2008.
After additional workups, GRIDLEY sailed again with CARL VINSON (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group in late 2010 for a Western Pacific deployment that extended into 2011. Operations included presence missions and integrated air-defense and anti-submarine training with the strike group and partner navies. She returned to San Diego on July 22, 2011, concluding a seven-month WESTPAC with the carrier USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70).
From mid-2012 into early 2013, GRIDLEY conducted an independent deployment spanning both 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet. The period included transits through the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, maritime security operations, and logistics/engagement stops typical of a solo destroyer patrol. The ship returned to San Diego on February 5, 2013.
On August 22, 2014, GRIDLEY departed San Diego with CARRIER STRIKE GROUP ONE centered on USS CARL VINSON for a long deployment that included Western Pacific operations, a 5th Fleet phase supporting coalition missions in the Middle East, and carrier-escort duties. The strike group completed the cruise on June 4, 2015, when its units returned to their Southern California homeports.
In 2016, the Navy realigned several destroyers to the Pacific Northwest. GRIDLEY shifted homeport from San Diego to Naval Station Everett, Washington, arriving there on July 9, 2016, and subsequently operated from Puget Sound for training and maintenance in 3rd Fleet while preparing for future tasking.
From 2016 through 2018, GRIDLEY's activities centered on fleet exercises, certifications, and maintenance at Everett. She completed a Selected Restricted Availability in 2017 to update combat systems and hull maintenance, followed by local operations and fleet training off the U.S. West Coast. In 2018, she joined multinational exercises in the eastern Pacific, taking part in integrated air-and-missile-defense events and anti-submarine warfare drills with allied units. By 2019, she was fully re-certified and entered deployment preparation, undertaking pre-deployment workups and integrated training in the eastern Pacific ahead of her forward tasking.
From June 2019 into January 2020, GRIDLEY executed an independent deployment to the North Atlantic under U.S. 2nd Fleet that included a period as flagship for Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and combined operations in European waters. She returned to Naval Station Everett on January 21, 2020.
In late 2021, the destroyer got underway again from Everett and proceeded across the Pacific to join the ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group for a 7th Fleet deployment. Through the first half of 2022, she served as an air-defense and anti-submarine escort for the carrier during operations that emphasized allied integration and presence missions across the Philippine Sea and adjacent waters. GRIDLEY completed the seven-month cruise and moored at Everett in mid-August 2022.
In the summer of 2024, GRIDLEY participated in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise hosted by 3rd Fleet in the Hawaiian operating areas. On July 15 she took part in a multinational visit-board-search-and-seizure drill conducted with partner ships and boarding teams, one of several warfare events during the exercise that also included integrated air and missile defense and replenishment evolutions. Following the conclusion of RIMPAC she returned to the U.S. West Coast for short maintenance and training in the Puget Sound region.
By spring 2025 GRIDLEY was again underway for deployment. On June 11, 2025, she was documented in the South China Sea conducting vertical replenishment, confirming operations in the U.S. Seventh Fleet theater as part of forward presence and logistics support in contested waters. Shortly afterward she shifted westward into U.S. Fifth Fleet. On July 10, 2025, official imagery placed her in the Central Command area of responsibility engaged in daily operations, with subsequent reports the same month noting a live-fire gunnery event. These activities reflected the continued emphasis on freedom of navigation, maritime security, and coalition integration in the Middle East.
The deployment extended into late summer. On August 25, 2025, GRIDLEY was recorded conducting a Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA) deployment while operating in Fifth Fleet, highlighting anti-submarine warfare proficiency during sustained regional patrols. Through September she remained assigned to Central Command tasking, supporting maritime security and presence operations alongside other deployed surface units.
back to top go to the end of the pageHomeports of USS GRIDLEY:
| Period | Homeport |
|---|---|
| commissioned at Miami, Fla. | |
| 2007 - 2016 | San Diego, Calif. |
| 2016 - present | Everett, Wash. |
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS GRIDLEY Image Gallery:
The photos below were taken by me and show the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 10, 2008.
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The photo below was taken by Thomas Heinrich and shows the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 21, 2009.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the GRIDLEY undergoing maintenance at San Diego, Calif., on March 23, 2010.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 15, 2012.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 8, 2012.
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The photos below were taken by Henry Schnutz and show the GRIDLEY undergoing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at Huntington Ingalls Industries Continental Maritime of San Diego shipyard on August 27, 2013.
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The photo below was taken by Lydia Perz and shows the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 3, 2014.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the GRIDLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on October 2, 2015.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the GRIDLEY at Bravo Pier at Naval Air Station North Island during ammunition onload on April 18, 2016. The last two photos show her six hours later at Naval Base San Diego, Calif.
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The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the GRIDLEY at Naval Station Everett, Wash., on October 13, 2017.
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