View source for USS Laboon

{{Short description|American guided-missile destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:US Navy 100209-N-4774B-016 The guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) pulls alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during a refueling-at-sea.jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Laboon'' on 9 February 2010
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
| Ship name = ''Laboon''
| Ship namesake = [[John Francis Laboon]]
| Ship ordered = 13 December 1988
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[Bath Iron Works]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship laid down = 23 March 1992
| Ship launched = 20 February 1993
| Ship sponsor = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship commissioned = 18 March 1995
| Ship recommissioned = 
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| Ship homeport = [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]]
| Ship motto = ''Without Fear''
| Ship nickname = 
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| Ship identification = *{{MMSI Number|36690000}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NJFL
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}{{ICS|Lima}}
*[[Hull number]]: DDG-58
| Ship fate = 
| Ship status = {{Ship in active service}}
| Ship notes = 
| Ship badge = [[File:USS Laboon DDG-58 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer}}
| Ship displacement = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer displacement I}}
| Ship length = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer length I}}
| Ship beam = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer beam}}
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| Ship draft = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer draft}}
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer propulsion}}
| Ship speed = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer speed}}
| Ship range = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer range}}
| Ship complement = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer complement}}
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| Ship sensors = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer sensors}}
| Ship EW = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer EW}}
| Ship armament = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer armament I}}
| Ship aircraft = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight I/II aircraft}}
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}}
|}

'''USS ''Laboon'' (DDG-58)''' is an {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|0}} ([[Arleigh Burke-class destroyer#Characteristics|Flight I]]) [[Aegis combat system|Aegis]] [[guided missile destroyer]] in the [[United States Navy]].
She is named for Father [[John Francis Laboon]] (1921–1988), a captain in the [[United States Navy Chaplain Corps|Chaplain Corps of the United States Navy]], who was awarded the [[Silver Star]] during [[World War II]] while serving on the [[submarine]] {{USS|Peto|SS-265|6}}.

''Laboon''{{'s}} [[keel]] was laid down in 1992 at the [[Bath Iron Works]] shipyard in [[Bath, Maine]]. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] in 1993, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] in 1995.

==Ship's history==
[[File:US Navy 100415-N-1559J-051 Members of the visit, board, search and seizure team from of the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) approach a target ship.jpg|thumb|left|Members of the [[visit, board, search, and seizure]] from the ''Laboon'' approach a target ship]]

''Laboon''{{'s}} [[Keel laying|keel was laid down]] on 23 March 1992 at the [[Bath Iron Works]] shipyard in [[Bath, Maine]]. She was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 20&nbsp;February 1993<!-- , sponsored by SPONSOR -->. ''Laboon'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 18&nbsp;March 1995.

In late 1996, she fired [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk missiles]] at targets in Iraq, thus becoming the first ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer to engage in combat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/ddg/DDG-58-USS-Laboon.htm|title=USS Laboon DDG-58 Arleigh Burke class Destroyer US Navy|website=www.seaforces.org}}</ref>

In 1998, ''Laboon'' took part in [[NATO]] Exercise Dynamic Response 98, together with {{USS|Wasp|LHD-1|6}}'s [[Amphibious Ready Group]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/l/laboon-ddg-58/1998.pdf|title="1998 Composition and Organization of USS Laboon (DDG 58)"}}</ref>

On 12 September 2012, ''Laboon'' was ordered to the coast of Libya in what [[the Pentagon]] called a "contingency" in case a strike was ordered. This was in response to the [[2012 diplomatic missions attacks]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/12/us-moving-navy-destroyers-off-coast-of-libya | title=US moving Navy destroyers off coast of Libya | date=12 September 2012 | access-date=12 September 2012 | work=CNN | archive-date=8 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008000834/https://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/12/us-moving-navy-destroyers-off-coast-of-libya/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 21 June 2015, ''Laboon'' entered the [[Black Sea]] along with the French ship {{ship|French ship|Dupuy de Lôme|A759|2}} as part of [[NATO]]'s presence missions following the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.usni.org/2015/06/22/destroyer-uss-laboon-french-surveillance-ship-enter-black-sea |title=Destroyer USS Laboon, French Surveillance Ship Enter Black Sea |last1=LaGrone |first1=Sam |date=22 June 2015 |publisher=USNI News |access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> While in the Black Sea, ''Laboon'' participated in joint maneuvers with a [[Romanian Naval Forces|Romanian Navy]] {{sclass|Rear-Admiral Eustațiu Sebastian|corvette}} for two days beginning on 22 June 2015.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} On 27 June 2015, ''Laboon'' began a two-day visit to the Black Sea port of [[Batumi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], to participate in training with the [[Coast Guard of Georgia]] and offer tours of the ship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://georgiatoday.ge/news/528/USS-Laboon-Missile-Destroyer-Visits-Georgia |title=USS Laboon Missile Destroyer Visits Georgia |date=2 July 2015 |publisher=Georgia Today |access-date=27 October 2015 |archive-date=17 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030544/http://georgiatoday.ge/news/528/USS-Laboon-Missile-Destroyer-Visits-Georgia |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 14 April 2018, she fired seven Tomahawk missiles from a position in the [[Red Sea]] as part of a [[2018 bombing of Damascus and Homs|bombing campaign]] in retaliation for the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against people in [[Douma chemical attack|Douma]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.militarytimes.com/pentagon/2018/04/14/us-launched-105-weapons-against-syria-with-none-intercepted-dod-says/|title=Coalition launched 105 weapons against Syria, with none intercepted, DoD says|last1=Mehta|first1=Aaron|date=14 April 2018|work=Military Times|access-date=14 April 2018|last2=Copp|first2=Tara}}</ref>

===2023 Israel-Hamas war===
On 14 October 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Lloyd Austin]] directed {{USS|Dwight D. Eisenhower||2}} and her carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser {{USS|Philippine Sea|CG-58|2}}, along with ''Laboon'', and sister-destroyers {{USS|Mason|DDG-87|2}} and {{USS|Gravely|DDG-107|2}}, to the [[eastern Mediterranean]] in response to the [[Gaza war]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/exclusive-us-send-2nd-aircraft-carrier-eastern-mediterranean/story?id=103984246 |title=Exclusive: US to send 2nd aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean |date=14 October 2023 |last1=Raddatz |first1=Martha |last2=Martinez |first2=Luis |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> This was the second carrier strike group to be sent to the region in response to the conflict, following {{USS|Gerald R. Ford|CVN-78|2}} and her group, which was dispatched only six days earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement From Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on U.S. Force Posture Changes in the Middle E |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3551716/statement-from-secretary-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-us-force-posture-changes-in-the/|access-date=2023-10-08 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Defense]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 23 December 2023, while patrolling in the southern [[Red Sea]], ''Laboon'' shot down four unmanned aerial attack drones that originated from areas controlled by the Iranian-backed [[Houthi]] rebels in Yemen and were inbound toward ''Laboon''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/12/houthis-fire-more-ballistic-missiles-and-drones-in-the-red-sea/|title=Houthis fire more Ballistic Missiles and Drones in the Red Sea|work=Naval News|date=25 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/us-warship-shoots-4-drones-red-sea-centcom-105907655|title=Video US warship shoots down 4 drones in Red Sea: CENTCOM|website=ABC News|date=December 25, 2023}}</ref> On 26 December, ''Laboon'' shot down three [[anti-ship ballistic missile]]s in the Red Sea fired by Houthi rebels with multiple SM-6 missiles. This was the first intercept of a ballistic missile in combat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/26/navy-defends-against-17-houthi-attacks-red-sea-shipping-over-just-10-hour-period.html|title="Massive One-Day Barrage of Houthi Attacks on Shipping Fended Off by Navy Destroyer, Fighter"|first1=Konstantin|last1=Toropin|date=December 26, 2023}}</ref>

On 6 January 2024, ''Laboon'' shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stancy |first1=Diana |title=USS Laboon shoots down Red Sea air drone in 'self-defense' |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/01/08/uss-laboon-shoots-down-red-sea-air-drone-in-self-defense/ |access-date=12 April 2024 |publisher=Military Times |date=9 January 2024}}</ref> On 9 January, at approximately 9:15&nbsp;p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting. Eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18 Super Hornet]] aircraft from ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'', ''Gravely'', ''Laboon'', ''Mason'', and the United Kingdom’s {{HMS|Diamond|D34|6}}. This was the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since 19 November 2023. There were no injuries or damage reported.<ref>{{cite news |title=US CENTCOM Statement on 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea|url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/STATEMENTS/Statements-View/Article/3639970/us-centcom-statement-on-26th-houthi-attack-on-commercial-shipping-lanes-in-the/}}</ref> On 14 January, an anti-ship missile was fired in the direction of ''Laboon'' from a Houthi-controlled portion of Yemen, according to [[CENTCOM]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gambrell |first1=Jon |title=Yemen Houthi rebels fire missile at US warship in Red Sea in first attack after American-led strikes|url=https://apnews.com/article/houthis-us-yemen-israel-palestinians-gaza-fa2aefc86ae002e73081e6ac1b772610 |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=AP News |publisher=Associated Press |date=14 January 2024}}</ref>

On 2 February 2024, ''Laboon'' and F/A-18 Super Hornets from ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' shot down at least 12 drones launched by Houthis over the Red Sea.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ziezulewicz |first1=Geoff |title=Navy destroyers and jets took out at least 12 Houthi drones Friday |publisher=Navy Times |date=3 February 2023}}</ref> On 6 February at 4:30&nbsp;p.m., while patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, ''Laboon'', operating near the cargo ship MV ''Star Nasia'', intercepted and shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iranian-Backed Houthi Terrorists conduct Multiple Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile Attacks in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden|url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3668425/iranian-backed-houthi-terrorists-conduct-multiple-anti-ship-ballistic-missile-a/}}</ref> On 20 February at 12:30&nbsp;a.m., while operating in the Gulf of Aden, ''Laboon'' detected and shot down one anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis.<ref>{{cite news |title=Feb. 19 and early morning Feb. 20 Red Sea Update |url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3681040/feb-19-and-early-morning-feb-20-red-sea-update/ |access-date=12 April 2024 |publisher=U.S. Central Command |date=20 February 2024}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[Combat Action Ribbon]] - (October 2023 - April 2024)
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] - (2021 (IKE CSG), Oct-May 2024)
* [[Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award]] - (2012)

==References==
*{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DDG58}}}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|USS Laboon (DDG-58)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110917043537/http://www.laboon.navy.mil/ USS ''Laboon'' (official website)]
*{{navsource|05/01058}}

{{Arleigh Burke class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laboon (DDG-58)}}
[[Category:Arleigh Burke-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:1993 ships]]