1990s Vella Gulf successfully completed
sea trials during the month of February 1998. In the months of May and June, she completed a two-month cruise, taking part in the 26th annual maritime exercise U.S. Baltic Operations (
BALTOPS) '98 in the western
Baltic Sea from 8 to 19 June 1998. During the exercise, the commander,
Carrier Group Eight, commanded the exercise from the ship. She then completed an
underway replenishment, her
LAMPS helicopters moved aboard, she completed a successful
command and control exercise (C2X), and had made a port call at
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Upon the completion of C2X,
Vella Gulf continued pre-deployment work-ups. In January 1999, after winning her fifth consecutive "
Battle "E"," the ship commenced training operations while hosting the week-long course Force Air Defense Commander training.
Vella Gulfs successful completion, in February 1999, of
Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) '99 marked the end of a ten-month work-up. The vessel headed out for deployment to the
Adriatic Sea on 26 March 1999. After a six-day transit,
Vella Gulf took her position in the Adriatic Sea and participated in everything from Tomahawk Strike Ops to Fast-track Logistics Ops as part of
Operation Noble Anvil. In May and June,
Vella Gulf continued to participate in support of combat operations, fired Tomahawks, assumed warfare commander duties (ADC, ASUWC, ASWC and Launch Area Coordinator), and conducted numerous at-sea refueling and stores replenishment events until the relaxation of weapons posture and cessation of hostilities.
Vella Gulf began the month of August engaged in multi-ship exercises, where she participated in DIVTACS, LeapFrogs, Tomahawk exercises, submarine exercises, Flight Ops, and Gunnery practice. On 22 September 1999 she returned home, then in November sailed to
Yorktown, Virginia for a complete weapons offload.
2000s As part of the
Carrier Battle Group (CVBG), and in response to the
terrorist attacks of
11 September 2001, the ship set sail in support of defense and humanitarian efforts off the coast of New York. A week later, she deployed as part of the Carrier Battle Group, to the Mediterranean, and South Asia in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. The
Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group transited the
Suez Canal on 13 October and arrived in the Arabian Sea on 15 October, before returning home in April 2002. In March 2003 she was assigned to
Carrier Strike Group Eight. On 5 January 2007,
Vella Gulf departed on a six-month cruise as part of the
expeditionary strike group (BATESG). She conducted operations in the
Persian Gulf, Northern
Arabian Sea with the French
aircraft carrier (in support of Operation Enduring Freedom),
Gulf of Oman and
Gulf of Aden. She participated in multi-national exercises, including AMAN '07, hosted by Pakistan.
Vella Gulf visited
Agadir, Morocco and
Gaeta, Italy as liberty ports of call, and twice visited
Manama, Bahrain. She returned to her
home port in
Norfolk, Virginia on 3 July 2007.
Anti-piracy operations Vella Gulf was identified as one of the U.S. Navy ships surrounding , a
Ukrainian-owned,
Belizean-
registered ship carrying 33
T-72 tanks,
RPGs and other munitions, after she was seized by pirates off
Somalia on 25 September 2008. Ultimately the ship was not recaptured, and a ransom was paid. On 11 February 2009
Vella Gulf responded to a distress call from the tanker
Polaris in the Gulf of Aden.
Polaris reported that pirates in a single skiff were attempting to board the tanker with ladders, though
Polariss crew was able to thwart their efforts. Upon arriving in the area,
Vella Gulf intercepted a skiff with seven men aboard. The crew aboard
Polaris identified them as the attackers, and they were taken aboard
Vella Gulf, transferred to the supply ship for processing, and sent to Kenya for trial. The following day, 12 February,
Vella Gulf responded to a distress call from the Indian freighter
Premdivya which reported that she had been pursued by pirates who had fired at the ship.
Vella Gulf dispatched a helicopter to the scene which fired warning shots and chased the pirate skiff down.
Vella Gulf launched a boarding party in two
RHIBs (inflatable boats) and captured nine pirates, who were again transferred to
Lewis and Clark for processing.
2010s In 2012 while
Vella Gulf was at sea, a petty officer sexually assaulted a female sailor, telling her he planned to kill her and dispose of her body overboard. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. In December 2015 the ship was assigned to
Carrier Strike Group 12. On 23 April 2017,
Vella Gulf left for an eight-month deployment to support maritime security operations in the
Persian Gulf." In July, she joined
Carrier Strike Group 11 for three months, conducting air strikes against
ISIL targets in
Iraq and
Syria. She returned on 15 December.
2020s In 2020, a U.S. Navy budget plan proposed putting
Vella Gulf, along with her
Ticonderoga-class sister ships , , and , on a path to early decommissioning, as they had not been modernized. In December 2020 the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2022. On 4 August 2022,
Vella Gulf was decommissioned at
Naval Station Norfolk following just under 29 years of service. Disposal arrangements have not been announced. The ship will be berthed at Philadelphia. ==Awards==