USS Mason (DDG-87) is an in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

.

Homeported in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, the USS Mason is the 37th Arleigh Burke class destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 and the ninth of the Flight IIA variant. She was commissioned in Cape Canaveral, Florida

Cape Canaveral, Florida

Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,829 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,147...

, in April 2003. Her first captain was Commander David Gale.

This is the third ship with the name USS Mason. The first , in service from 1920 to 1941, was named for John Young Mason, well known for his service as the Secretary of the Navy for two American Presidents. The second was named for Ensign Newton Henry Mason

Newton Henry Mason

Newton Henry Mason was born in New York City. He enlisted as a seaman in the United States Naval Reserve on 7 November 1940 and on 10 February 1941 was appointed an aviation cadet...

, a Naval Aviator who was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. This ship is named for the crew of the second as this was the first ship in the US Navy with this distinction of a predominantly black crew.

Ship History

USS Mason conducted her maiden deployment with the Carrier Strike Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late 2004. Mason returned home after six months on 18 April 2005.

On 3 October 2006, the Mason departed Naval Station Norfolk

Naval Station Norfolk

Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...

 for a seven month deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of the Global War on Terrorism. She participated in Exercise Neon Falcon. The Mason returned home in May 2007.

The Mason deployed with the on 12 September 2008 for a scheduled deployment.

On March 12, 2011, she sailed through the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

 en-route to the Mediterranean, to support possible humanitarian or military action in response to the 2011 Libyan uprising.