Carrier Strike Group 11

Carrier Strike Group 11
Carrier Strike Group 11 crest
Active	1 October 2004 to date.
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Carrier Strike Group
Role	Naval air/surface warfare
Part of	U.S. Third Fleet
Garrison/HQ	Naval Station Everett, Washington
Nickname(s)	Nimitz Carrier Strike Group
Motto(s)	Combat Proven
Engagements	Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA)
Decorations	Navy Unit Commendation (2005) Meritorious Unit Commendation (2009)
Website	Official Website
Commanders
Commander	Rear Admiral Dee L. Melbourne
Chief of Staff	Captain Michael J. Coury, USN
Aircraft flown
Electronic warfare	EA-6B Prowler
Fighter	F/A-18E/F Super Hornet F/A-18C Hornet
Helicopter	MH-60R Seahawk MH-60S Knighthawk
Reconnaissance	E-2C Hawkeye
Transport	C-2A Greyhound

Navy Unit Commendation (2005)

Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11 or CARSTRKGRU 11) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.

The aircraft carrier Nimitz is the strike group's current flagship. Other units currently assigned to the group include the cruisers Lake Erie and Princeton, and Destroyer Squadron 9.

Between 2006 and 2013, the group made four deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet operating in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea, as well as a surge deployment with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific Ocean. The group participated in bilateral exercises Malabar 2005 and Malabar 2005, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008, as well as joint exercise Valiant Shield 2007.

On 1 September 1961, Rear Admiral Joseph C. Wylie became Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9, aboard Oklahoma City. Admiral Wylie had arrived on board the Oklahoma City as Commander Cruiser Division 3 on 22 August 1961, and merely changed titles in September without shifting flagship. As of 1 July 1969, the Oklahoma City was part of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 at San Diego. The primary mission of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9 during the Vietnam War era had been to ensure the effective employment of approximately 60 cruisers and destroyers in the United States Seventh Fleet. By January 1973, with the end of hostilities in Vietnam, the flotilla had expended nearly 80,000 rounds in naval gunfire support missions. This offshore firepower, and the equally important role of search and rescue coordination, were vital parts of the extensive naval presence in the South China Sea. In 1973, a major reorganization of the U.S. Navy's cruiser-destroyer force resulted in Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9's re-designation as Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 (CDG-5).

Rear Admiral Gerald E. Thomas served as Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 in 1974-76. Then Captain Leon A. Edney served as Chief of Staff to the Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 after 1976. In 1978 Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 consisted of Destroyer Squadron 9, Destroyer Squadron 21, Destroyer Squadron 31, and Destroyer Squadron 37 (Naval Reserve Force). The headquarters and the three active squadrons were at San Diego while Destroyer Squadron 37 was at Seattle, WA.