USS Preble Sets Sail from San Diego Bound for Japan

SAN DIEGO — The USS Preble (DDG 88), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, departed San Diego on September 22, 2024. The ship is changing its homeport to Yokosuka, Japan, as part of a scheduled rotation of forward-deployed naval forces in the Pacific, which also involves the permanent relocation of its crew and their families.

Preble will replace USS Benfold (DDG 65), which is moving from Yokosuka to Everett, Washington. This strategic move underscores America’s commitment to the defense of Japan and enhances U.S. national security while safeguarding strategic interests in the region. The deployment aligns with the Defense Strategic Guidance to station the most capable naval units in the Indo-Pacific area.

The U.S. appreciates Japan’s ongoing contributions to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, as well as its long-term commitment to hosting U.S. forward-deployed forces. These forces, alongside the Japan Self-Defense Forces, are essential for meeting shared strategic objectives.

Cmdr. Paul Archer, Preble’s commanding officer, remarked, “It has been more than four years since Preble last operated in 7th Fleet. But Preble today is markedly different than the ship that last left 7th Fleet. Armed with the U.S. Navy’s most capable combat system suite, this crew is well-trained and hungry to take our cutting-edge warship west to support national strategic objectives. The Western Pacific is gaining a true asset—unparalleled technical capabilities and more than 300 Sailors excited for this new opportunity.”

Preble is named in honor of Commodore Edward Preble, a 19th-century U.S. Navy hero from the Revolutionary War who led an assault on Tripoli in 1803. Commissioned on November 9, 2002, in Boston, Preble has been homeported at Naval Base San Diego for nearly 22 years.

Among Preble’s significant operations was a 2004 surge deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. During this mission, the ship, along with other U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and coalition vessels, patrolled the waters near the Khawr AL Amaya and Al Basrah oil terminals in the Persian Gulf.

The strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific warrants the deployment of the U.S. Navy’s most capable ships forward, ensuring rapid response times for maritime and joint forces. Such positioning allows the Navy to bring its most powerful ships with extensive striking capabilities into action quickly.

Commander, Naval Surface Force, Pacific, aims to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with competent naval power for sea control and power projection ashore.