USS Sterett
 |
Bellville Native Returns from 10-Month Deployment Commanding USS Sterett (DDG 104)
By Carrier Strike Group 11 Public Affairs
A 1997 Bellville High School graduate and Bellville, Texas, native recently returned home marking the end of a more than 10-month deployment aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
Cmdr. Andrew Koy is Sterett’s commanding officer. As the captain of the ship, he is responsible for the safety, training, combat readiness and operational employment of a $1.5 billion Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and 320 sailors.
“Sterett provided defense of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and conducted missions to escort high interest shipping through the most contested and threatened waterways in the world,” said Koy. “During deployment, this warship steamed nearly 90,000 nautical miles, providing a credible deterrent to our adversaries and provided confidence and reassurance to our allies and partners.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the crew of Sterett embarked aboard the ship for a nearly month-long sequester, April 7, 2020. Sterett then joined Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) for integrated training prior to deploying, June 8, 2020.
NIMCSG was the first carrier strike group to deploy amid COVID-19. Mitigations were implemented strike group-wide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and included wearing face masks, social distancing, increasing ship-wide cleaning and a focus on handwashing. A COVID-19 Response Team consisting of medical professionals embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) to support all strike group personnel. Visits to Bahrain and Guam were confined to the piers to ensure the health and safety of the crew. New sailors that joined the ship underway completed a sequester and tested negative for COVID-19 prior to embarking.
“It has been the absolute honor of my 20-plus year naval career to lead this crew during a historic deployment,” said Koy. “For nearly eleven months, my crew conducted sustained operations forward-deployed, and did it with an impeccable safety record. From the 120-plus degree heat of the Middle East summer sun, to the thunderous seas of the Western Pacific, they are a salty crew and are phenomenally tough.”
NIMCSG completed multiple dual carrier operations in U.S. 7th Fleet with Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups and conducted cooperative deployments with the Indian and Australian navies. The ships also participated in multinational Exercise Malabar 2020 with Japan, Australia and India.
“I am most proud of my sailors’ professional development,” said Koy. “They have logged hundreds of hours of watch, conducted complex and varied operations and I watched their competence and confidence grow. Our Navy is in incredible hands with these tough sailors.”
While independently deployed in U.S. 5th Fleet, Sterett provided 50 days of overwatch support to International Maritime Security Construct’s Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel which promotes maritime security, ensures freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce throughout key waterways in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Southern Red Sea. Sterett also supported the 33-nation Combined Maritime Forces, a multi-national naval partnership, which promotes security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes. She was the first ship of her name to transit the Suez Canal and steam in the Mediterranean.
NIMCSG supported Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in U.S. 5th Fleet, part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. In Sept. 2020, Nimitz conducted the first carrier transit through the Strait of Hormuz since Nov. 2019. NIMCSG supported Operation Inherent Resolve, providing close air support and defensive counter-air missions to the coalition fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. NIMCSG transited to the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia to support Joint Task Force – Quartz and Operation Octave Quartz during a repositioning of U.S. forces within East Africa.
“Being on board 510 feet of American fighting steel for most of the last year, I’ve learned to enjoy the beauty in a routine and to find personal strength from within,” said Koy. “I gain energy and inspiration from my sailors and the sea; watching the sunrise on the horizon with a cup of coffee or a bridge wing conversation at night with a deck Seaman standing lookout, put most problems into perspective.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Koy, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Koy is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My dad has inspired me with his servant heart,” said Koy. “Whether his spare time is helping those with special needs or organizing civic functions, I admire his energy and drive to do more for his community and his passions. I endeavor to do the same.”
Koy experienced an unprecedented deployment, one with unique challenges and successes, and both Navy and government leaders acknowledged the crew’s continued perseverance in the face of adversity.
As a member of the United States Naval Academy class of 2001, Koy left Bellville High School and immediately embarked on what is now a more than two-decade journey.
“If I was never assigned a book report in junior high school on the history of the Naval Academy, I may never have researched the opportunities and asked the questions that got me to where I am today,” added Koy. “My parents took me on a trip there my sophomore year of high school, and I was committed after that inspirational visit. I could not have a more proud advocate to encourage me than my mom.”
Sterett is part of Destroyer Squadron 9 and NIMCSG, and returned to its homeport of San Diego following a deployment in support of maritime stability and security. 1
