Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206 (DET 206) & Navy Combat Documentation Unit (NCDU) Collections
The NHHC Navy Combat Documentation Unit (NCDU) is a reserve unit tasked with documenting the history of the U.S. Navy as it happens. The unit, which was founded in 1991 following Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm, was originally named Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206 (DET 206). The unit name was changed to NCDU in 2018.
Since its founding, reservists assigned to the unit have deployed to commands around the world to document naval activity, missions, conflicts, and significant events. The reservists typically gather oral histories and historical materials. At the end of each deployment, these materials are deposited at the Navy Archives.
The deployments are listed here chronologically by start date.
As the collections of historical materials and oral histories from each deployment are processed and described, we will update this page with links to finding aids and more information.
Holy Loch Scotland Base Closure (BRAC), 1-19 December 1991
Joint Task Force Guantanamo, 17-24 March 1992
Subic Bay Philippines Base Closure (BRAC), 15-28 May 1992
Panama - Navy Counterdrug and Humanitarian Operations, U. S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet DET South (CINCLANTFLT DET South), & Naval Station Rodman (NAVSTA Rodman), 5-18 July 1992
Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) White Oak, 2-3 December 1992
Washington, D.C. - Military Sealift Command (MSC) Operation Restore Hope, 21-24 December 1992
Norfolk – Female Commanding Officers (COs) of Ships and Squadrons & Charleston – Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Documentation, 5-17 April 1993
Panama - Navy Counterdrug and Humanitarian Operations, USSOUTHCOM, CINCLANTFLT DET South, & NAVSTA Rodman, 19-30 April 1993
Naval Station (NAVSTA) Puget Sound at Sand Point BRAC, 24 May - 9 June 1993
Norfolk – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT), 3-6 June 1993
BALTOPS 93 (Annual Baltic Operations Exercise), 5-24 June 1993
Joint Task Force 4 - Key West Counterdrug Ops, 12-27 June 1993
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Documentation Project, circa 1994
Norfolk – NATO Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT), Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT), and Joint Force Command Lisbon (IBERLANT), 1994
Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mobile BRAC, 24 January - 5 February 1994
Naval Air Station (NAS) Dallas BRAC, 24 January - 5 February 1994
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWPNS) White Sands and White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), 14-19 February 1994
Naval Training Center (NTC) San Diego BRAC, 19-25 February 1994
Naval Education and Training Center (NETC) Newport, Construction Battalion Center (CBC) Davisville, and Naval Station (NAVSTA) New York BRACs, 7-18 March 1994
Naval Air Station (NAS) Moffett Field and Naval Station (NAVSTA) Treasure Island BRACs, 8-24 March 1994
Oeiras, Portugal – NATO CINCIBERLANT and Exercise RESOLUTE RESPONSE 94, 18 April - 18 May 1994
Northwood, United Kingdom – HMS Warrior and NATO Exercise RESOLUTE RESPONSE 94, 2-17 May 1994
Norfolk and Jacksonville – Naval Operations in the Adriatic Sea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5-19 August 1994
Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point BRAC, 22 February - 2 March 1995
Charleston Naval Complex BRAC, 13-24 March 1995
Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda BRAC, 27 March - 8 April 1995
USCINCPAC Exercise TEMPO BRAVE 95, 5-21 October 1995
Naval Shipyard Long Beach BRAC, 6-13 November 1995
USPACOM, Camp H.M. Smith Hawaii, 26 November - 8 December 1995
Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR) Operations in Bosnia, 6-7 December 1995
U.S. Sixth Fleet & Strike Force South (NATO) Peacekeeping Operations off Bosnia and Herzegovina and Post-Cold War Ops in the Sixth Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR), 24 January - 9 February 1996
Bahrain – Stand-Up (Reestablishment) of U.S. Fifth Fleet (FIFTHFLT) and Exercises and Operations in the NAVCENT/FIFTHFLT AOR, 15 April – 5 May 1996
Rota, Spain – Amphibious Squadron TWO (COMPHIBRON 2) and USS GUAM Amphibious Ready Group Ops in Liberia; Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB-133) Support for Bosnia Peacekeeping Ops, 14-26 May 1996
USS LASALLE (AGF-3) - Sixth Fleet Black Sea Operations, 12-28 August 1996
Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, September 1996
Long Island, New York – Salvage Ops for TWA Flight 800 Crash, 14-16 September 1996
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT) & Fifth Fleet – Naval Operations in the NAVCENT/FIFTHFLT AOR, including Operation Desert Strike, 23 September - 9 October 1996
USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) – ENTERPRISE Battle Group Deployment JTG 96-2 – Operations in Adriatic Sea off Bosnia, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Dual CVBG Operations in Arabian Gulf, and Final Deployment of the A-6 Intruder Aircraft Squadron, 6-20 December 1996
Bahrain – U.S. Navy Participation and Activity in Exercises and Real World Operations in the NAVCENT/FIFTHFLT AOR, 12-23 February, 1997
NATO Operations in the Balkans – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Adriatic Sea, 10-20 March 1997
Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) Operations in the Seventh Fleet Pacific AOR, 30 March - 18 April 1997
Gaeta, Italy – Sixth Fleet, Navy and Marine Corps Joint Operation Silver Wake (Albania), 3-14 June 1997
Sixth Fleet & Mediterranean Submarine Operations, 17-28 Jun 1997
Norfolk – Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) & Mayport – Commander Western Hemisphere Group (COMWESTHEMGRU): Stand-up and Current Ops of WESTHEMGRU and Transfer of Caribbean AOR from Atlantic Command (ACOM) to USSOUTHCOM, 11-22 August 1997 (Supplemental interviews conducted in August and October 1997 and February 1998)
Christchurch, New Zealand – Naval Support Force Antarctica (NSFA), Naval Antarctic Support Unit (NASU), Antarctic Development Squadron SIX (VXE-6) and Operation Deep Freeze, 16-27 February 1998
Mayport – WESTHEMGRU & Pascagoula – USS YORKTOWN: Implementation of SMART SHIP Initiative, 16-27 March 1998
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), Naval War College & Third Fleet: Fleet Battle Experiments and Network Centric Warfare, 20 April - 8 May 1998
CINCPACFLT, Pearl Harbor – Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT-21), 25 May - 5 June 1998
USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) End of Forward Deployment and Beginning of Decommissioning Cycle, 4-18 July 1998
USS HURRICANE (PC 3) – First Trans-Pacific Cruise of a Patrol Ship Coastal (PC), Coordination Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), & Naval Special Warfare support operations, 5-19 August 1998
Guam – The Evolving Role of Naval Forces Marianas (COMNAVFORMARIANAS) in the Pacific AOR, 5-18 April 1999
Bahrain – Mark V Special Operations Craft (SOC) Development and Naval Special Boat Unit TWELVE Operations in the Northern Arabian Gulf, 9-23 April 1999
USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) – ENTERPRISE Battle Group and Operation Desert Fox, 11-21 April 1999
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) – TR Battle Group, Joint Task Force Allied Force, and NATO Operation Noble Anvil, 3-16 July 1999
Puerto Rico – Commander South Atlantic Force (COMSOLANT) and UNITAS 40-99 Exercise, Jul 18-30, 1999
American Samoa – Centennial of Establishment as U.S. Territory, August 1999
NAB Coronado – Special Boat Squadron ONE (SPECBOATRON 1), 11-21 April 2000
Stuttgart, Germany – Naval Civil Engineering in the European Theater, 1999 Kosovo and Albania Operations, 15-26 May 2000
Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), NAS Pensacola – The Officer Candidate School (OCS) and the Aviation Officer Candidate School Programs, 22 May - 2 June 2000
Yokosuka, Japan – Forward Deployed Naval Forces, Fleet Activities (FA) Yokosuka, Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, 4-16 June 2000
Washington, D.C. and Norfolk – Navy’s Information Technology Initiatives, IT-21, NMCI, and Network Centric Warfare (NCW), 5-16 June 2000 (Supplemental interviews conducted in May, June, and August 2000)
San Diego – Documenting Naval Amphibious and Expeditionary Warfare with Amphibious Group THREE (PHIBGRU 3), 17-28 July 2000
Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) – Warfare in an Information Environment and Evolving Roles and Challenges at NPS, 30 January - 9 February 2001
USS COLE (DDG-67) Attack - Norfolk – Documenting Experiences of the Crew, 12-23 March 2001
USS COLE (DDG-67) Attack - Pascagoula – Documenting the Repair Efforts, 17 April - 4 May 2001
Total Force – Navy Reserve Force and Active Duty Force Integration, 25-28 June 2001
Total Force – Navy Reserve Force and Active Duty Force Integration, 23 July - 1 August 2001
Documenting the Attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, 12 September 2001 - 15 May 2002
Documenting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): Bahrain – Fifth Fleet, 15 November 2001 – 31 August 2002
Documenting OEF: Bahrain – Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), 15 November 2001 - 1 June 2002
Documenting OEF: Italy and France – Sixth Fleet, Allied Forces South, and Striking Forces Southern Europe, 15 November - 28 December 2001
Documenting OEF: London – Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR), 15 November - 28 December 2001
Documenting OEF: Pentagon – OPNAV N3/N5 Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy, and Operations, 28 November 2001 - 31 May 2002
Documenting OEF: Afghanistan and Oman – Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (NSWG-1), 2 February - 15 April 2002
Documenting OEF: Italy – NAS Sigonella; Stuttgart, Germany – United States European Command (EUCOM); & London – CINCUSNAVEUR, 3-15 February 2002
Documenting OEF: Norfolk – CINCLANTFLT, 25 February - 2 May 2002
Experiences and Contributions of the U.S. Navy in New York After 9/11, 3-15 March 2002
Documenting OEF: Hawaii – Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT), 29 April - 31 May 2002
Documenting OEF: Little Creek, Virginia – 2nd Naval Construction Brigade & Cuba – Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, 19-26 May 2002
Documenting OEF: Cuba – Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, 22 July - 3 August 2002
Task Force History (TFH): Documenting Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): Kuwait – NAVCENT & FIFTHFLT AOR, 19 March - 11 July 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Bahrain – NAVCENT & FIFTHFLT AOR, 29 March – 19 August 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: USS LASALLE (AGF-3), 1-30 April 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72), 8-26 April 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN-75), 2-22 May 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64), 5-21 May 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71), 17 May - 4 June 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Italy – Sixth Fleet AOR, 26 May - 11 July 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Naples, Italy – Submarine Group EIGHT (COMSUBGRU 8), 29 June - 8 July 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Japan – USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63), Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CAW-5), Carrier Group Five (CCG-5), & Destroyer Squadron 15 (CDS-15), 11-29 July 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Third Fleet San Diego – Expeditionary and Amphibious Warfare and Littoral Combat, 30 July - 15 August 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Hawaii – COMPACFLT, 3-10 September 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Norfolk – Second Fleet, 4-16 September, 2003
TFH: Documenting OIF: Camp Lejeune – IWO JIMA Amphibious Ready Group, 16-19 October 2003
San Diego – Documenting the First Deployment of Expeditionary Strike Group ONE (ESG-1), 26 April - 7 May 2004
Documenting OIF: Mine Warfare Command, 16-27 May 2004
Groton – Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN) Conversion Project, 7 June - 29 July 2004
Fort Worth – Seventh Fleet, NR C7F Det 111, 25-27 June 2004
Yokosuka – Seventh Fleet, C7F Staff and Ships in Port, 29 July - 1 August 2004
Sasebo – Amphibious Group ONE (PHIBGRU 1) Staff and Ships in Port, 2-5 August 2004
Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at NAS Fallon – TOP GUN, 2-13 August 2004
Norfolk – Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN) Conversion Project, 14-22 September 2004
Norfolk – OIF: Fleet Forces Command Leadership – 20-30 September 2004
Documenting OIF: NAVCENT & USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD-6), 23 January - 8 February 2005
Documenting Operation Unified Assistance (OUA) – Indonesia Tsunami Relief: NAVCENT & USS BONHOMMME RICHARD (LHD-6), 23 January - 8 February 2005
Documenting OUA: USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72), 12-24 February 2005
Documenting OUA: COMPACFLT Hawaii, 24 February - 2 March 2005
Documenting OUA: USNS MERCY, 1-8 June 2005
Documenting the Global War on Terror (GWOT): COMPACFLT Hawaii, 1-16 June 2005
Joint Task Force (JTF) Hurricane Katrina History Project: Norfolk, 27-30 September 2005
JTF Katrina: New Orleans, 29 September - 13 October 2005
JTF Katrina: Little Creek, 30 November - 14 December 2005
JTF Katrina: Norfolk, 30 November - 7 December 2005
JTF Katrina: Various Locations, 19 January - 14 March 2006
JTF Katrina: New Orleans, 18-19 April 2006
JTF Katrina: Gulfport, 19-25 April 2006
JTF Katrina: Corpus Christi, 24-27 April 2006
Bahrain – Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), 7-17 May 2006
Colorado – U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), 5-23 June 2006
Norfolk – Navy Mobilization Processing Site (NMPS) – Individual Augmentee and Reserve Units Demobilization Processing, 18-20 December 2006
McCrady Training Center – Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training (NIACT), 30 July – 10 August 2007
Cheatham Annex Naval Base – Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG) Customs Battalions, 30 July - 2 August 2007
Little Creek – Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), 15-29 August 2007
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay – Joint Task Force Guantanamo Operations, 27 August - 7 September 2007
Commander, Naval Submarine Force (COMNAVSUBFOR), 26-27 September 2007
Naval Special Warfare Command, 5-16 November 2007
Italy – Naval Forces Europe (CNE) Sixth Fleet Leadership and Expansion into Africa, 5-8 February (Supplemental interview conducted in March 2008)
Military Sealift Command Headquarters, 15-21 February 2008
U.S. Navy in Kuwait, 15-29 April 2008
Pearl Harbor – TRIDENT WARRIOR 08 Technology Demonstration, 13-28 June 2008
Italy – Naval Forces Europe (CNE) Sixth Fleet Leadership and Expansion into Africa, 5-8 August 2008
Naval Special Warfare Command, 12-22 August 2008
CTF-63 Sealift Logistics Europe (SEALOGEUR) – Fleet Support in Europe, Africa, NAVCENT AOR, 18-21 August 2008
Norfolk – Commander Naval Surface Force Atlantic (CNSL) Class Squadron (CLASSRON) Initiative, 18-28 August 2008 (Supplemental interviews conducted in June 2008)
Pearl Harbor – COMPACFLT (CPF) Operations, 19 August - 4 September 2009
Military Sealift Fleet Support Command (MSFSC), 14-23 September 2009
USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) Commissioning, 5-8 November 2009
Documenting Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE (OUR) – Haiti Earthquake: Haiti, 21 February - 5 March 2010
Yokosuka – Seventh Fleet Operations, 29 March - 1 April 2010
USS FREEDOM (LCS-1) – First Deployment of First in Class Ship and LCS Program, 17-25 May 2010
USS FREEDOM (LCS-1) & USS INDEPENDENCE (LCS-2) – First Deployments of LCS Ship Classes, 16-26 August 2010 (Supplemental interviews conducted in October 2010)
Documenting OUR: Military Sealift Command Response, 2 February 2011 (Supplemental interviews conducted in June 2010)
Operation ODYSSEY DAWN, 25 May - 3 June 2011
Military Sealift Command Support to Operation TOMODACHI – Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 6-18 July 2011
Military Sealift Command Office Kuwait Command History, 14 February, 17-24 July, and 22-23 September 2012
War of 1812 Commemoration Events, 12 June - 26 October 2012
Norfolk – Surface Force Readiness Manual Development, 25-26 June 2012
Military Sealift Command Leadership, 17-20 July 2012
Navy Week Chicago – WWII Merchant Marines, 14 August 2012
San Diego – Surface Force Readiness Manual Development, 27-29 August 2012
USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN-77) – Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR), 7-13 November 2014
USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) and Carrier Strike Group TEN (CCSG 10) Cruise, 21-29 December 2016
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Female Support Technicians (FST) Program, 18-20 March and 7-13 April 2017
USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76) – CTF-70 and Fleet Activities Yokosuka, 31 July - 8 August 2017
Norfolk – USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN-78) In-Port, 1-3 March 2018
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) and Carrier Strike Group NINE (CCSG 9) End of Deployment, 6-10 April 2018 (Supplemental interview conducted in June 2018)
U.S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters, Hawaii – Admiral Swift Retirement, 2-4 May 2018 (Supplemental interview conducted in June 2018)
USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN-77) End of Deployment, 8-16 March 2018
Naples – Sixth Fleet (C6F) Staff, 9-13 July 2018
Norfolk – OIR: Military Working Dog Team Deployments to Syria, 26-30 July 2018
Pearl Harbor – Third Fleet (C3F) and USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70) – Exercise RIM OF THE PACIFIC 18 (RIMPAC), 25 July - 4 August 2018
Oslo, Norway - USS IWO JIMA Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE 18, 12-16 November 2018
Yokosuka – Forward Deployed Naval Forces, Seventh Fleet (C7F), 27 November - 11 December 2018
USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN-75) and Carrier Strike Group EIGHT End of Deployment, 1-6 December 2018
San Diego – First In Class USS ZUMWALT (DDG-1000) and USS AMERICA (LHA-6); Second in Class USS FORT WORTH (LCS-3); VRC-30 Squadron Transition to Ospreys, 10-11 January 2019
Coronado – Naval Special Warfare, 14-18 January 2019
Joint CREW Composite Squadron ONE (JCCS-1) History, 31 January - 13 February 2019
Pearl Harbor – Submarine Force Pacific (SUBPAC), 10-16 February 2019
ESSEX Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) – USS ESSEX and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) End of Deployment, 17 February - 1 March 2019
Croatia – USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC-20), 18 February - 1 March 2019
Hampton Roads – Submarine Force Atlantic (SUBLANT), 11-15 March 2019
Bahrain – Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain and NAVCENT/C5F Headquarters, 5-16 April 2019
KEARSARGE Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) – USS KEARSARGE (LHD-3) and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) End of Deployment, 12-20 June 2019
Naples – Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Sixth Fleet Leadership, 13-17 July 2019
Djibouti – Camp Lemonnier, 28 August - 8 September 2019
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NSWC IHEODTD) – Shutdown and Restart of Manufacturing (M) Department, 24 August - 4 September 2020
