USS Higgins (DDG 76) is named in honor of Colonel William R. (Rich) Higgins, USMC, who was kidnapped on Feb. 17, 1988, while serving as the Chief, Observer Group Lebanon and Senior Military Observer, United States Military Observer Group, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (Palestine). In August 1989, a cell linked to Hizbullah murdered him in response to the IDF kidnapping of Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, a senior cleric and leader of the guerrilla group who was involved in the kidnapping. His body was dumped, over a year later, on a Beirut side street.

In November 2000 the Higgins departed San Diego for a six-month maiden deployment in western Pacific.

November 2, 2002 USS Higgins deployed as part of USS Constellation (CV 64) Battle Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

March 21, 2003 Thirty U.S. Navy and coalition warships, including the Higgins, currently assigned to Naval Forces Central Command launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) during military operations to disarm Iraq.

April 24, Cmdr. Randy Hill relieved Cmdr. Mike Gilday as commanding officer of USS Higgins during a change-of-command ceremony in Singapore. Hill’s crew, the former crew of USS Benfold (DDG 65), is now the crew of the Higgins. Gilday’s crew, which took Higgins into action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, will return soon to San Diego and take over the Benfold, fully completing the first ever crew swap cycle of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The former Benfold crew arrived in Singapore April 16 and following four days of liberty and the arrival of DDG 76 April 20, began the turnover process hile the ship took on needed maintenance.

September 16, U.S and Kuwaiti naval forces concluded the annual security exercise Eager Mace 2003 in early September off the coast of Kuwait. The month-long schedule of events consisted of precision tactical maneuvering and visit, board, search and seizure demonstrations. The Higgins was the centerpiece of the U.S. component of the exercise.

October 17, The third crew exchange in the Navy’s Sea Swap program took place recently in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, when USS John Paul Jones crew members donned USS Higgins ballcaps and commenced their deployment after relieving USS Benfold crew members aboard Higgins’ hull. After the swap, team Benfold crew members flew back to San Diego to man the hull of the John Paul Jones.

March 9, 2004 DDG 76 pulled to Sydney, Australia, for a scheduled port visit.

April 4, USS Higgins returned to San Diego after more than 16 months at sea in support of operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Maritime Interdiction Operations.

May 6, 2005 USS Higgins departed San Diego as part of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group.

October 3, Exercise Malabar ended with a community relations (COMREL) project in Panjim, Goa, India. Malabar is an annual exercise intended to enhance interoperability between the U.S. and Indian navies for future combined operations. USS Higgins, USS Chaffee (DDG 90) and USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) pulled into port of Goa Oct. 2, completing the at-sea phase of the exercise, and participated in an international sports day called the "Malabar Cup".

November 8, USS Higgins returned to homeport after a six-month deployment in the western Pacific and Persian Gulf. The ship visited several ports, including Hong Kong; Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Jebel Ali, U.A.E.; and Thailand.

In the second half of January 2006, The Higgins conducted Mobility-Navigation and Seamanship (MOB-N and MOB-S) training while transiting to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a three-day port visit.

September 30, The guided-missile destroyer is currently participating in San Diego Fleet Week Sea and Air Parade.

October 7, DDG 76 entered the San Francisco Bay during the Parade of Ships, a key event during San Francisco Fleet Week 2006.

November 9, Cmdr. Jeffrey P. Menne relieved Cmdr. Jesse A. Wilson as the 7th CO of USS Higgins.

March 2, 2007 The Higgins completed the Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), as part of USS Nimitz CSG.

April 2, USS Higgins departed San Diego in support of operations in U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

May 8, Capt. Adam Levitt, Commodore, Destroyer Squadron (CDS) 23, relieved Cmdr. Jeffrey P. Menne, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command. Capt. Roy Kitchener, commander, Carrier Strike Group 11 operations officer, is currently serving as the acting CO. Menne has been temporarily assigned to CSG-11 pending further review. The loss of confidence decision was based on an administrative matter and is under further investigation.

May 23, The Higgins entered the Persian Gulf to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

June 4, U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces concluded exercise Nautical Union 2007 in the Persian Gulf June 2. USS Higgins trained with Saudi Arabian forces during the eight-day exercise, which focused on improving regional cooperation and efficiency in maintaining stability in the 5th Fleet area of operations.

September 30, USS Higgins returned to homeport after a six-month deployment.

January 24, 2008 USS Higgins departed Naval Base San Diego for a surge western Pacific deployment, as part of USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.

February 14, DDG 76 departed Apra Harbor, Guam, after a three-day port call.

February 28, The guided-missile destroyer pulled to Pohang, Republic of Korea, for a scheduled port visit.

June 3, USS Higgins returned to San Diego after a four-month underway period.

The Higgins underwent its first Drydock Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) in British Aerospace Engineering’s San Diego shipyard over the summer.

December 12, Cmdr. Carl W. Meuser relieved Cmdr. F. Winton Smith Jr. as commanding officer of USS Higgins. The guided-missile destroyer pulled to San Francisco for a brief port visit before returning to homeport after participating in a ballistic missile defense exercise in the Gulf of Alaska.

July 16, 2009 USS Higgins departed Naval Base San Diego for a scheduled deployment.

September 6, DDG 76 pulled for the second time in Haifa, Israel, for a brief port call. In just a few weeks, additional Aegis vessels will arrive here to participate in the biennial Juniper Cobra missile defense exercise that the IDF has been holding with the US European Command (EUCOM) and Missile Defense Agency since 2001. This year's drill, scheduled for mid-October, is being described as the largest joint exercise ever held by the countries. The Higgins reported on station in the Mediterranean Sea, Sept. 1, following completion of a normal western transit, which included consecutive operations in the 3rd, 7th, and 5th Fleets. She is one of 15 guided-missile destroyers, fitted with the full Aegis BMD capability in the U.S. Navy, allowing them to detect, track and engage enemy ballistic missiles. By the end of Fiscal Year 2010, the U.S. Navy will have 21 BMD-capable Aegis ships, and is building towards 32 ships in 2015.

September 25, USS Higgins is currently in the Adriatic Sea participating in the multinational exercise Jackal Stone 2009 with nine other partner nations off the coast of Croatia.

November 25, The Higgins arrived in Bodrum, Turkey, for a four-day port visit.

November 30, The guided-missile destroyer pulled to Souda Bay, Greece, for a routine port call.

January 14, 2010 USS Higgins arrived off the coast of Haiti to provide afloat logistical services for the Coast Guard helicopters after a magnitude-7.0 quake devastated the nation Tuesday afternoon.

February 3, DDG 76 returned to homeport after six-and-a-half month around-the-world deployment.

January 18, 2011 The Higgins departed San Diego for a Friends and Family Day Cruise.

January 20, USS Higgins departed Naval Base San Diego for an independent deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

February 25, The guided-missile destroyer arrived in Maldives in support of the U.S. Navy's agreement to provide maritime domain awareness (MDA) to the Maldives Coast Guard. USS Higgins recently visited Phuket, Thailand.

May 18, The Higgins is currently participating in a multi-national training exercise Iron Siren with United Arab Emirates Marines in the Arabian Gulf. The ship recently departed Jebel Ali after a port visit to Dubai.

August 12, DDG 76 pulled into Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit.

August 21, The Higgins pulled into Apra Harbor, Guam, for a brief port call.

September 7, USS Higgins returned to San Diego after seven-and-a-half month deployment. While in the Central Command AoO, the ship was assigned to Command Task Group Iraqi Maritime and participated in oil platform defense of Al Basra Oil Terminal. Higgins also participated in multiple exercises operations with coalition partners including Operation Goal Keeper, a multi-national exercise with Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., and Qatar; and Exercise Arabian Gauntlet, a mine countermeasure and surface combatant exercise.

December ?, Cmdr. Andrew F. Carlson relieved Cmdr. Rome Ruiz as CO of the Higgins during a change-of-command ceremony at NBSD. Cmdr. Ruiz was the commanding officer since June 11, 2010.