USS Elrod (FFG 55) was named by the USMC Major Henry T. Elrod, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941.

The guided-missile frigate was originally homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, and shifted to Norfolk, Virginia, in March 1995.

September 16, 2003 Commander, 2nd Fleet ordered ships based in Hampton Roads, 40 total, including USS Elrod, to get underway to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated hurricane force winds and high tidal surges.

April 30, 2004 USS Elrod departed Naval Station Norfolk for a Mediterranean deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism, as part of the Surface Strike Group. The SSG can operate independently or in conjunction with other maritime forces. It is designed to be a flexible group that will provide presence with a purpose, and strike power to support joint and allied forces afloat and ashore.

September 17, FFG 55 returned to homeport from a four-and-a-half month underway period in support of the GWOT. During the deployment, the ship carried out Maritime Interdiction Operations in support of Operation Active Endeavor, anti-submarine warfare exercises with NATO forces in both the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility and also participated in Operation Atlas Shield, which provided maritime protection for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

February 10, 2006 USS Elrod departed Norfolk to participate in a coalition course in the North Atlantic with ships from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark. Neptune Warrior is designed to improve interoperability between allied navies as well as to prepare the participants for a role in a Coalition Joint Task Force during upcoming deployments.

February 23, Three U.S. Navy ships arrived in Faslane, Scotland, to participate in a coalition course exercise.

August 4, FFG 55 arrived in Souda Bay, Crete, for a brief port visit. The guided-missile frigate is on a regularly scheduled deployment and currently assigned to the Standing NATO Response Force (NRF) Maritime Group Two (SNMG-2) in support of Operation Active Endeavor.

September 7, USS Elrod pulled to Novorossiysk, Russia, for a scheduled port call. She is the first United States Navy vessel to pull into the Black Sea port since 2001.

November 13, USS Elrod returned to Norfolk after supporting Commander Sixth Fleet operations, Joint Task Force Lebanon and Maritime Security Operations. SSG 06-2 operated both independently and in concert with NATO maritime forces providing presence and supporting allied forces.

September 4, 2007 FFG 55 departed homeport to participate in exercise Neptune Warrior 07-2, off the coast of Scotland Sept. 17-29, with naval forces from Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom.

June 2, 2008 USS Elrod, commanded by Cmdr. Todd Beltz, departed homeport for a scheduled deployment in Europe and Africa, within the 6th fleet Area of Responsibility.

July 27, The guided-missile frigate recently pulled to Severomorsk to participate in Russian Navy Day celebration after completing the underway phase of Northern Eagle 2008, a 12-day trilateral exercise involving the U.S., Russia and Norway in the Norwegian and Barents seas that focuses on maritime interdiction operations, search and rescue and tactical interoperability to improve maritime safety and security in northern Europe.

September 8, The Elrod arrived in Mindelo, Cape Verde, for a goodwill port visit in support of Africa Partnership Station.

December 3, FFG 55 returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month underway period.

May 14, 2010 USS Elrod, commanded by Cmdr. Christopher Engdahl, departed Norfolk for a scheduled Middle East deployment.

July 5, The Elrod rescued 16 Pakistani mariners stranded in a life raft near the wreckage of their fishing vessel, 144 miles west of Socotra Island.