USS Gravely


USS Gravely is an guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.
Gravely is the 57th destroyer in her class. She was authorized on 13 September 2002 and her keel was laid down on 26 November 2007 at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Gravely was launched on 30 March 2009. She successfully completed sea trial in June 2010.
Alma B.C. Gravely, Admiral Gravely's widow, christened Gravely, Northrop Grumman’s 27th Aegis guided missile destroyer, on 16 May 2009. Retired Navy Adm. J. Paul Reason was the principal speaker at the ceremony, which was held at Northrop’s facility in Pascagoula.
Gravely was commissioned at Wilmington, North Carolina on 20 November 2010.

Service history

In late August 2013 along with her sister ships,, and, Gravely was sent to patrol the eastern Mediterranean Sea in response to rising rumors of an imminent U.S. military intervention in the Syrian civil war. On 28 October 2013, the destroyers Gravely and Ramage answered a distress call from vessel a carrying immigrants located off the coast of Kalamata, Greece. On 18 November 2013, Gravely returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, completing her first overseas deployment. On 28 March 2016, Gravely provided assistance to, which had seized a stateless dhow transporting weapons. Once the weapons were offloaded, the dhow and its crew were released.
In June 2016 while escorting the aircraft carrier the destroyer had a close encounter with a Russian Navy frigate causing Russian and US Navy officials to accuse each other of dangerous and unprofessional conduct.