The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer made 12 contested passages through the strait under threat of attack from the air, surface forces and mines, the Navy said. It helped enforce what the Navy described as its first naval blockade in 60 years, operating in the northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.
The ship led a surface action group under Task Force 50, coordinating the defense of 14 U.S. and coalition vessels, including six U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutters. The Navy said the ship and its crew received the Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbon for their combat actions, which included defending against drone and missile attacks.
“Whether defeating incoming air and surface threats or leading operations through contested choke points, this crew never hesitated,” said Cmdr. David Nicolas, the ship’s commanding officer. “They answered every call of our nation, defended our allies, and lived up to the heroic namesake.”
*Michael Murphy* left Pearl Harbor on Dec. 1, 2025, with the carrier strike group led by USS Abraham Lincoln and entered the U.S. Central Command area in late January 2026. It also conducted surface and anti-submarine operations in the South China and Philippine seas while operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area.
The destroyer traveled more than 97,000 nautical miles, replenished at sea 43 times and refueled in port eight times under combat conditions, the Navy said. Its helicopter detachment flew 330 sorties and logged more than 900 mishap-free flight hours, including 273.4 combat flight hours.
