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USS Ponce (LPD-15)

2025-09-22T03:45:54Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221:

{{Short description|Ship}}
{{other ships|USS Ponce}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+USS ''Ponce'' (AFSB-15)
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) underway in the Arabian Gulf on 26 April 2013 (130426-N-GZ984-233).jpg
|Ship caption=In 2013, after AFSB conversion
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship name=''Ponce''
|Ship namesake= [[Ponce, Puerto Rico]]
|Ship ordered=17 May 1965
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Lockheed Shipbuilding]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
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|Ship laid down=31 October 1966
|Ship launched=20 May 1970
|Ship sponsor=
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|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=10 July 1971
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=14 October 2017
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=13 November 2017
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NSBJ
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=''Proud Lion''
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate= Scrapped in Brownsville 2022
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge= [[File:USS Ponce LPD-15 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Austin|amphibious transport dock}}
|Ship displacement=8883 tons light, 16591 tons full, 7708 tons [[Deadweight tonnage|dead]]
|Ship length=*{{convert|173.7|m|abbr=on}} overall
*{{convert|167|m|abbr=on}} waterline
|Ship beam=*{{convert|30.4|m|abbr=on}} extreme
*{{convert|25.6|m|abbr=on}} waterline
|Ship height=
|Ship draft=*{{convert|6.7|m|abbr=on}} maximum
*{{convert|7|m|abbr=on}} limit
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|Ship speed={{convert|20|kn}}
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|Ship complement=29 officers, 487 men
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|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*8 × [[M2 Browning|{{convert|0.5|in|mm|abbr=on|1}}]] [[caliber]] gun mounts
*2 × 20 mm [[Phalanx CIWS]]
*2 × 25 mm [[M242 Bushmaster#Mk 38 Mod 2|Mk 38 Mod 2]]<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-uss-ponce-2012-9?op=1
|title=America Has Never Had A Ship Like The USS Ponce
|first=Robert
|last=Johnson
|date=23 September 2012
|website=[[Business Insider]]
}}</ref>
*[[Laser Weapon System]]<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/navy-to-deploy-laser-to-destroy-drones-small-boats/?hpt=hp_t5
|title=Navy to Deploy Laser to Destroy Drones, Small Boats
|date=8 April 2013
|last1=Lawrence
|first1=Chris
|last2=Royce-Bartlett
|first2=Lindy
|website=[[CNN]]
|access-date=9 April 2013
|archive-date=16 May 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516235833/https://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/navy-to-deploy-laser-to-destroy-drones-small-boats/?hpt=hp_t5
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Ponce'' (AFSB(I)-15), ('''''formerly''''' LPD-15)''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɒ|n|s|eɪ}} {{respell|PON|say}}), was an {{sclass|Austin|amphibious transport dock}}, formerly in service with the [[United States Navy]]. She has been the only ship of the Navy named for [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]] in the Commonwealth of [[Puerto Rico]], which in turn was named after the Spanish explorer [[Juan Ponce de León]], the first governor of Puerto Rico and the European discoverer of [[Florida]]. Her [[keel]] was laid down on 31 October 1966 by the [[Lockheed Shipbuilding]] and Construction Company of [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 20 May 1970 [[Ship sponsor|sponsored]] by Florence W. Hyland, the wife of Admiral [[John Hyland|John J. Hyland]], and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 10 July 1971.<ref>{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p9/ponce.htm}}</ref> She spent most of her career based on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] and operating in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, serving in [[Operation Desert Shield]] and supporting US operations in the [[2011 Libyan Civil War]].

It was intended that the ship would be decommissioned in 2012, but she gained a reprieve to be converted at short notice into a testbed for the [[Afloat Forward Staging Base]] (AFSB) concept, in which she would act as a base for mine-sweeping [[MH-53E]] Sea Dragon helicopters in the [[Persian Gulf]]. Following the conversion, ''Ponce'' had been used to test other initiatives and technologies, such as the [[Laser Weapon System]] and operating [[United States Army|US Army]] attack helicopters at sea. After the arrival of {{USS|Lewis B. Puller|ESB-3|6}} as a permanent AFSB (now designated as [[Expeditionary Mobile Base]] (ESB)),<ref name="usni16aug17">[https://news.usni.org/2017/08/16/navy-commission-expeditionary-sea-base-lewis-b-puller-uss-warship Navy to Commission Middle East-based Expeditionary Sea Base Lewis B. Puller as a Warship] - News.USNI.org, 16 August 2017</ref> ''Ponce'' was decommissioned in October 2017 after 46 years of service and 27 deployments.<ref>[https://news.usni.org/2017/10/16/uss-ponce-last-austin-class-amphibious-warships-decommissions USS Ponce, Last of the Austin-class Amphibious warships, Decommissions] - News.USNI.org, 16 October 2017</ref>

==Ship history==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2018}}

===1980s===
On 2 February 1982, during a towing exercise while en route to [[Portsmouth]], England, ''Ponce'' collided with {{USS|Fort Snelling|LSD-30|6}}, causing minor damage to ''Ponce''{{'}}s port side, mainly to the [[accommodation ladder]] and flight deck catwalk.

On 14 February 1984, while attempting to bring an assault craft into the welldeck, near [[Morehead City, North Carolina|Morehead City]], [[North Carolina]], ''Ponce'' suffered major damage when her [[stern gate]] was damaged and eventually lost. She was later repaired in [[Philadelphia]]. Following the stern gate repairs, ''Ponce'' resumed her deployment, successfully loading the [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] and equipment off North Carolina's shores and heading for the Mediterranean, where she served as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, patrolling the shore off [[Beirut]], Lebanon in the wake of the [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing|attack on the Marine barracks]] the previous October.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ponce Command History 1984|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/p/ponce-lpd-15-i/pdf/1984.pdf|website=Naval History & Heritage Command|publisher=US Navy|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref>

===1990s===
On 5 August 1990, as part of [[Operation Sharp Edge]] to remove US citizens caught up in the civil war in [[Liberia]], ''Ponce'', together with {{USS|Saipan|LHA-2|2}}, {{USS|Sumter|LST-1181|2}}, and {{USS|Peterson|DD-969|2}}, inserted a United States Marine Corps reinforced rifle company into the U.S. Embassy compound in [[Monrovia, Liberia|Monrovia]] for increased security.

From June to December 1991, ''Ponce'' completed a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, and was part of Operation Desert Shield and supported [[Operation Desert Storm]].

In the first half of 1992, ''Ponce'' completed a four-month maintenance availability in [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. In June, she took on [[midshipmen]] for a training cruise off the [[Virginia Capes]], which earned her the "[[Cortramid|CORTRAMID]] '92 Surface Warrior of the Week". In September, she arrived in [[Miami]] for [[Hurricane Andrew]] relief efforts. In October, she commenced counter drug operations in the Caribbean with a [[United States Coast Guard]] Law Enforcement Detachment on board.<ref>{{cite book |title= 1992 Command History – USS ''Ponce'' |last= Sherrange|first= Daniel T., Capt. |year= 1993 |publisher= US Navy |location= Washington, DC |url= http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/p/lpd-15/1992.pdf |access-date=29 January 2012}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

On 17 March 1993, ''Ponce'' departed on a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operations "Deny Flight" and "Provide Promise". She was accompanied by USS ''Saipan'' and {{USS|Pensacola|LSD-38|6}}. During the deployment, she operated bilaterally with Greek units in exercise "Alexandros '93" and conducted amphibious landing exercises with the Tunisians in "Phiblex '93".

In April, 1996, operating with elements of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit - Special Operations Capable [MEU (SOC)] and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), the Ponce sailed from North Carolina independent of the "big deck" (USS Kearsarge, LHD-3), that was operating off the west coast of Africa, in support of a Non-Combatant Operation (NEO). Along with the Carter Hall, the Ponce supported all 11 of the LF6F 2-97 tasking, including conducting embassy reinforcements during Operation Silver Wake in Albania, following unrest in the capital. Supporting 4 CH-46E Sea Knight and 2 UH-1 helicopters during the entire deployment, the Ponce entered the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait and conducted Exercise Cooperative Partner in Bulgaria, marking the first time a combined Navy-Marine Corps task force had operated in the former Soviet Bloc country. A second trip to the Black Sea saw the Ponce participate in Exercise Rescue Eagle in Romania and Exercise Sea Breeze in Ukraine. Following Exercise Dynamic Mix in Greece, Ponce and Carter Hall returned to the East Coast in October, 1996, concluding the entire deployment as a two-ship Amphibious Ready Group. <ref>Landing Force 6th Fleet 2-97 22d MEU(SOC) cruise book</ref>

===2000s===
On 27 April 2001, ''Ponce'' commenced a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean, returning to Norfolk on 15 October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/p/ponce-lpd-15-i/pdf/2001.pdf|title=Annual Command History 2001|publisher=history.navy.mil|access-date=6 April 2018}}</ref> On 29 August 2001, ''Ponce'' crewmembers boarded two derelict Italian boats, a {{convert|19|ft|m|adj=on}} motorboat and a {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on}} sailboat, in the [[Straits of Messina]] between [[Sicily]] and [[Calabria]]. The civilian vessels were adrift, creating a navigational hazard. A boarding party in a rigid hull inflatable boat found both derelicts unmanned, though the motorboat was well stocked. They towed both boats back to ''Ponce'', which flooded her welldeck, brought the boats aboard, carried them into [[Catania]], and turned them over to the ''[[Corps of the Port Captaincies – Coast Guard|Guardia Costiera]]'' (Italian Coast Guard).

On 10 January 2003, ''Ponce'' received orders to depart Norfolk, Virginia and take on Marines from [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune|Camp Lejeune]], North Carolina, for the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. That duty kept ''Ponce'' at sea through February. At the end of February, she became the flagship of the Commander of Mine Countermeasure Squadron Three, designated as Commander, Task Group 55.4. The Task Group included a US Navy special clearance team, two explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units, a detachment of MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters from [[HM-14|Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen]] (HM-14), a British unit and an Australian team. The ships involved included the [[Minehunter|coastal mine hunters]] {{USS|Cardinal|MHC-60|2}} and {{USS|Raven|MHC-61|2}}, [[Mine countermeasures vessel|mine countermeasure ships]] {{USS|Ardent|MCM-12|2}} and {{USS|Dextrous|MCM-13|2}}, and [[dock landing ship]] {{USS|Gunston Hall|LSD-44|2}}.

[[File:USS Ponce (AFSB-I) Aerials.webm|thumb|USS ''Ponce'' aerials]]
After breaking the Squadron's pennant at her yardarm{{clarify|date=February 2018}}, the crews of ''Ponce'' and ''Gunston Hall'' enjoyed liberty ashore in [[Manama, Bahrain]], from 28 February to 5 March. She then served as Task Group [[flagship]] for a weeks-long minesweeping operation in Iraq, as humanitarian aid was being blocked by [[naval mine]]s in the [[Khawr Abd Allah]] river and the port of [[Umm Qasr]]. The Group used a variety of methods, including MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters towing magnetic minesweeping sleds, trained marine mammals, unmanned underwater vehicles and EOD divers. On 28 March 2003, a {{convert|200|yd|adj=on}}-wide channel was declared safe, and the British [[auxiliary vessel]] {{ship|RFA|Sir Galahad|1987|6}} docked at [[Umm Qasr Port]] and began offloading hundreds of tons of food and water. Work continued for weeks after that, widening the channel.

On 25 March 2005, ''Ponce'' again departed Norfolk, deploying with the {{USS|Kearsarge|LHD-3|2}} [[Expeditionary Strike Group]] (ESG) for six months. Following a port visit to Augusta Bay, Sicily, ''Ponce'' spent three months in the Persian Gulf conducting operations in support of the global [[War on Terrorism]]. While in the Persian Gulf, she made port visits to Bahrain and [[Jebel Ali]] in the United Arab Emirates. ''Ponce'' departed the Persian Gulf in August 2005. On 19 August, ''Ponce'' was in the [[Gulf of Aqaba]] awaiting the underway movement of {{USS|Ashland|LSD-48|6}} to allow ''Ponce'' to dock pier side. While ''Ashland'' was in the process, the [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]] rocket attack occurred on USS ''Kearsarge'' and ''Ashland''. ''Ponce'' remained in the Gulf of Aqaba for over a week in response to the attack. She then conducted port visits to Malta and [[Rota, Spain]], before returning to Norfolk on 27 September.

===2010s===
[[File:US Navy 110516-N-VK779-150 Sailors and Marines man the rails as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Ponce (LPD 15) returns to Naval Station Norf.jpg|thumb|''Ponce'' returns in May 2011 from her last major deployment as an LPD, during the Libyan civil war]]
On 2 March 2011, ''Ponce'', along with ''Kearsarge'', traveled through the [[Suez Canal]] in response to the [[2011 Libyan civil war]].<ref>{{cite news |title=2 US warships move closer to Libya via Suez Canal |author=Nasrawi, Salah |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/02/AR2011030201087.html |newspaper=The Associated Press |date=2 March 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011}}</ref>

On 23 April 2011, Commander, [[United States Sixth Fleet|U.S. Sixth Fleet]] (C6F) relieved ''Ponce''{{'}}s commanding and executive officers, as a result of a [[Naval Board of Inquiry#Purpose of the board|hazing inquiry]]. [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[Harry B. Harris Jr.]], relieved commanding officer (CO) [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] Etta Jones, due to a demonstration of poor leadership and failure to appropriately investigate, report, and hold accountable sailors found involved in hazing incidents. Additionally, she failed to properly handle a loaded weapon during a security alert, which endangered some of her ship's crew. The relief of the executive officer (XO), [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] Kurt Boenisch, was attributed to his failure to provide support to the command and to his commanding officer.<ref>Lessig, Hugh (24 April 2011). [https://www.dailypress.com/2011/04/23/commander-executive-officer-of-uss-ponce-relieved-of-command-after-hazing-inquiry/ "Commander, Executive Officer Of USS Ponce Relieved Of Command After Hazing Inquiry"] . ''[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Newport News Daily Press]]''.</ref><ref>Reilly, Corinne (1 December 2011). [https://archive.today/20120726174312/http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2011/12/navy-report-finds-preferential-treatment-ponce "Navy report finds preferential treatment on ''Ponce''"]. Norfolk, Virginia: ''The Virginian-Pilot''. Retrieved 6 December 2011.</ref>

On 26 October 2011, ''Ponce'' began a three-week tour that would take her to [[Port Canaveral]], Florida, the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and her namesake city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. On her return to Norfolk, in December 2011, she was to begin the process of decommissioning.<ref>{{cite news |title=USS Ponce gets underway for Florida |author=Miller, Nathaniel |url=http://www.dvidshub.net/news/79036/uss-ponce-gets-underway-florida |work=DVIDS |date=26 October 2011 |access-date=26 October 2011}}</ref> On 2 December 2011, ''Ponce'' came home to await decommissioning, scheduled for 30 March 2012, when she would be towed to the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]],<ref>{{cite news |title=USS Ponce to make final homecoming |author=Swink, Jessica |url=http://www.wwlp.com/dpps/military/uss-ponce-to-make-final-homecoming_4003362 |work=WWLP TV 22 |date=1 December 2011 |access-date=1 December 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and put in reserve status. In January 2012, in response to requests from [[United States Central Command]], it was decided that she would be retrofitted and re-deployed as the first of a planned series of mine-countermeasures warships for use in keeping open strategic [[sea lane]]s.<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1">{{cite web|title=US Navy's new floating base gets a workout in Gulf|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-navys-new-floating-base-gets-a-workout-in-gulf/|work=[[Fox News Channel#Online|FoxNews.com]]|publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]|access-date=28 September 2012|agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001015641/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/23/us-navy-new-floating-base-gets-workout-in-gulf/?intcmp=obnetwork|archive-date=1 October 2012|url-status=live|date=23 September 2012}}</ref>

===Afloat Forward Staging Base, Interim (AFSB-I)===
[[File:USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) in the Arabian Sea in September 2014.JPG|thumb|In September 2014 after conversion to AFSB]]
[[File:120828-N-YG591-126.jpg|thumb|RHIB enters well-deck in 2012]]
On 24 January 2012, [[Military Sealift Command]] (MSC) posted a bid request to retrofit USS ''Ponce'' on a rush-order basis. MSC issued requests for proposal to upgrade and refit the ship. The work included upgrading the ship's navigation systems, bringing habitability up to MSC standards and general refurbishment.<ref name="Floating base ships"/> The ship was expected to be completely transformed in an estimated four to five months,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/us-navy-converting-ship-into-floating-commando-base-in-middle-east |title=US Navy Converting Ship into Floating Commando Base in Middle East |publisher=The Maritime Executive, LLC. |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref> and the target date for re-deployment to her new role was met.<ref name="Swink2"/>

''Ponce'' was re-designated from LPD-15 to AFSB(I)-15 (Afloat Forward Staging Base<ref name=wavy.com/> and "I" for "interim", until purpose-built vessels came on line in 2015),<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1"/> and she was modified to support mine-sweeping MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters and small [[naval mine#Mine hunting|mine-clearance]] vessels.<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1"/><ref name=wavy.com>{{cite web |url=http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/uss-ponce-to-become-floating-base |title=USS Ponce to become floating base |publisher=WAVY |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=30 January 2012 |archive-date=2 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202001336/http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/uss-ponce-to-become-floating-base |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Floating base ships">{{cite web|url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/01/navy-afloat-forward-staging-base-ships-join-fleet-012812w/ |title=Floating base ships to join Navy fleet |work= Navy Times|date=28 January 2012 |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-wants-commando-mother-ship/2012/01/27/gIQA66rGWQ_story.html |title=Pentagon wants commando "mothership" |newspaper=The [[Washington Post]] |date=28 February 2011 |access-date=29 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Photos from the 5th Fleet – 2012|url=http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/photos/2012.html|work=Cusnc.navy.mil|publisher=[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]|access-date=28 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105103535/http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/photos/2012.html|archive-date=5 January 2012|url-status=dead|format=JPG|date=18 September 2012}}</ref> The ship was operated jointly by active-duty Navy officers and sailors, as well as being crewed by government civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command, some of whom were more than 60 years old.<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1"/>

The ship served in the Persian Gulf as [[the Pentagon]]'s first floating staging base for military operations or humanitarian assistance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shanker |first1=Thom |first2=Eric |last2=Schmitt |first3=David |last3=Sanger |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/world/middleeast/us-adds-forces-in-persian-gulf-a-signal-to-iran.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=U.S. Adds Forces in Persian Gulf, A Signal To Iran |date=3 July 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> It was later reported that, despite the capability to do so, ''Ponce'' would not be a mothership for special operations, but rather a "lilypad" for MH-53E helicopters in a mine-clearance role, as well as for patrol and mine-clearance craft.<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1"/> As [[John C. Harvey, Jr.|Admiral John Harvey]] stated, "The topic was a hot one, and people read these [documents] we generate very closely. I think they put two and two together and got 22."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-01/transport-vessel-isn-t-being-made-seal-mothership-admiral-says.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721181102/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-01/transport-vessel-isn-t-being-made-seal-mothership-admiral-says.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 July 2012 |title=Transport vessel isn't being made SEAL mothership |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=1 February 2012 |access-date=1 February 2012}}</ref>

On 1 June 2012, ''Ponce'', in her new role as AFSB, deployed to the [[United States Fifth Fleet|Fifth Fleet]] area in the Middle East,<ref name="Swink2">{{cite news |title=USS Ponce to deploy Friday |author=Swink, Jessica |url=http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/uss-carr-uss-ponce-to-deploy-friday |work=WAVYTV.com |date=31 May 2012 |access-date=31 May 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and on 22 June 2012 she passed through the [[Suez Canal]] on her way to Bahrain, arriving there on 5 July.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. sending floating naval base through Suez Canal |author=Barbara Starr |url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/21/navy-officials-floating-base-set-to-pass-through-suez-canal/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102194135/http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/21/navy-officials-floating-base-set-to-pass-through-suez-canal/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 January 2013| work=security blogs at CNN.com |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=22 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=US "Floating Base" Deploys to Gulf |author=AFP |url=http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=416672 |work=NowLebanon.com |date=6 July 2012 |access-date=7 July 2012 |archive-date=30 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130040402/http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=416672 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She then participated in International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2012 (IMCMEX 2012) between 16 and 27 September 2012,<ref>{{cite news |title=USS Ponce Showcases Capabilities |author=Navy News |url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/09/21/uss-ponce-showcases-capabilities.html |work=military.com |date=21 September 2012 |access-date=21 September 2012}}</ref> demonstrating the capabilities her [[Improvisation#Improvised weapons|"stop-gap"]] role was intended to fill.<ref name="FoxNews9_28_12-1"/>

On 29 October 2012, ''Ponce'' rescued seven Bahraini fishermen whose vessel was foundering in a hailstorm.<ref>{{cite news | title=USS Ponce rescues Bahraini fishermen in Gulf hail storm |author=US Naval Force, 5th Fleet Public Affairs|url=http://www.dvidshub.net/news/96928/uss-ponce-rescues-bahraini-fishermen-gulf-hail-storm#.UI_Be8XAeSo |work=DVIDS |date=30 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref>

In 2013, ''Ponce'' functioned as the operational center and HQ for the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise in the Persian Gulf, using the berthing designed for transporting marines in order to function as a floating "hotel" for the operation.<ref>[http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/international-exercise-poses-logistical-challenge-for-uss-ponce-1.222066 "International exercise poses logistical challenge for USS Ponce."]</ref>

In October 2016, ''Ponce'' was subjected to missile fire ostensibly launched from Yemen by [[Houthi]] rebels.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/united-states/news/article.cfm?l_id=110&objectid=11728511|title=US troops target after Saudi strikes|last=Lamothe|first=Dan|date=2016-10-14|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|access-date=2016-10-13}}</ref>

In August 2017, ''Ponce'' was replaced in the AFSB role by ''Lewis B. Puller'' (ESB-3),<ref>[http://news.usni.org/2013/11/06/keel-laid-first-dedicated-afloat-forward-staging-base Keel Laid for First Dedicated Afloat Forward Staging Base] - News.USNI.org, 6 November 2013</ref> and in mid-2017, both ships briefly operated together. With the role of AFSB permanently taken over, the ship returned to port at Norfolk, Virginia on 27 September 2017.<ref>[http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/27/one-navys-oldest-ships-returns-unusual-final-deployment.html One of Navy's Oldest Ships Returns From Unusual Final Deployment] - Military.com, 27 September 2017</ref>

===Laser weapon tests===
[[File:Laser Weapon System aboard USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) in November 2014 (05).JPG|thumb|Laser Weapon System aboard USS ''Ponce'' (AFSB(I)-15) in November 2014 (05)]]
''Ponce'' became the testbed platform for the [[AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System]] (LaWS), with installation of a prototype weapon system for field testing in August 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Navy's New Laser Weapon Blasts Bad Guys From Air, Sea|author=Luis Martinez|url=https://news.yahoo.com/navys-laser-weapon-blasts-bad-215808231.html|newspaper=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|date=9 April 2013| access-date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Navy sees shipboard laser weapon coming soon|author=Jonathan Skillings| url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57578559-76/u.s-navy-sees-shipboard-laser-weapon-coming-soon/| newspaper=[[CNET]]| date=8 April 2013| access-date=9 April 2013}}</ref> In December 2014 the Navy reported the LaWS system worked perfectly, and that the commander of ''Ponce'' was authorized to use the system as a defensive weapon.<ref name=cnn2014>{{cite news| last1=Lendon| first1=Brad| title=Navy: New laser weapon works, ready for action| url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/tech/innovation/navy-laser-weapon| access-date=12 December 2014| publisher=[[CNN]]| date=11 December 2014|ref=CNN2014}}</ref> On 9 December 2014, the Navy released video footage of the LaWS in operation,<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/sbjXXRfwrHg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20141210185048/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjXXRfwrHg&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|last1=U.S. Navy|title=Laser Weapon System (LaWS) demonstration aboard USS Ponce|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjXXRfwrHg|website=YouTube.com|date=9 December 2014 |publisher=U.S. Navy|access-date=11 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and while the operating power is unknown, it is estimated to be in the range of 15–50 [[Kilowatt]] (kW) for engaging [[Unmanned combat aerial vehicle|drones]], small aircraft and high-speed boats.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/09/us-navy-laser-cannon-planes "US navy laser cannon shoots down planes"] ''The Guardian.'' 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.</ref>

''Ponce'' was deployed to the Persian Gulf with the laser in late August 2014,<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-14/u-s-navy-deploys-its-first-laser-weapon-in-the-persian-gulf.html?hootPostID=94e130e1e7fc30541915dec039384948 U.S. Navy Deploys Its First Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf] - Bloomberg.com, 14 November 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.janes.com/article/46126/laser-weapon-breaks-cover-on-uss-ponce Laser weapon breaks cover on USS Ponce] - Janes.com, 23 November 2014</ref> and the LaWS remained in use until 2017;<ref>[http://news.usni.org/2015/07/28/navy-pursuing-upgraded-railgun-higher-power-laser-gun-by-2020 Navy Pursuing Upgraded Railgun, Higher-Power Laser Gun By 2020] - News.USNI.org, 28 July 2015</ref> at which point, ''Ponce'' was decommissioned and the LaWS was moved to {{USS|Portland|LPD-27}}.<ref name="usni16aug17"/>

==Possible sale to Argentina==
In 2017, it was reported that [[Argentina]] was interested in acquiring ''Ponce'' as an addition to [[Argentine Navy|their Navy]]. It was reported that talks of purchase began while US Vice President [[Mike Pence]] was on a state visit to Argentina and met with Argentine President, [[Mauricio Macri]]. Such a purchase would restore [[amphibious assault]] capability to the Argentine Navy, which it has not had since 1997, with the decommissioning of tank landing ship, {{ship|ARA|Cabo San Antonio|Q-42|6}}. In response to these reports, the [[United Kingdom]] has expressed concern that said purchase would give Argentina a way to invade the [[Falkland Islands]] once again,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wearethemighty.com/news/argentina-is-buying-a-new-warship-from-america-that-is-making-the-brits-nervous|title=Argentina is buying a new warship from America that is making the Brits nervous|date=31 March 2018}}</ref> and if purchased, the [[Royal Navy]] would have to increase its presence in the Falkland Islands. The Navy has since announced that ''Ponce'' will be dismantled following her decommissioning, likely negating any possibility of a sale.<ref name= "decomm">{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102868 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015014750/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102868 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 October 2017 |title=USS Ponce Decommissioned after 46 Years of Service |work= SURFLANT Public Affairs |date=14 October 2017 |access-date=15 October 2017}}</ref>

==Decommissioning==
''Ponce'' was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk on 14 October 2017 and moved to the [[Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], where it was laid up.

On 24 March 2022, ''Ponce'' was removed from the Philadelphia NIMSF and began its journey to [[Brownsville, Texas]], where it will be scrapped.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1icOmPx__g | title=USS Ponce (Decommissioned) under tow 03/24/2022 | website=[[YouTube]] | date=16 June 2022 }}</ref> It arrived in Brownsville on 12 April 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome USS Ponce! |url=https://m.facebook.com/webuymetal/posts/5089328934453634/ |website=Facebook |publisher=All Star Metals & All Star Shredding |access-date=16 June 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Ponce (LPD-15)}}
*{{Official website|http://www.ponce.navy.mil/}}
*{{navsource|10/09/0915|USS Ponce}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/command-operations-reports/ships/p/ponce-lpd-15.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720150210/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/command-operations-reports/ships/p/ponce-lpd-15.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 July 2015 |title=Ponce (LPD-15) I |department=Command Histories |website=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]]}}

{{Austin class landing platform dock}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce (LPD-15)}}
[[Category:Austin-class amphibious transport docks]]
[[Category:Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:Experimental ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company]]
[[Category:1970 ships]]

USS Mobile Bay

2025-09-22T03:29:37Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221:

{{Short description|American guided-missile cruiser (1987–2023)}}
{{For|ships with similar names|USS Mobile}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS Mobile Bay - Front View.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Mobile Bay'' on 22 May 2006
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship name=''Mobile Bay''
|Ship namesake=[[Battle of Mobile Bay]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=15 January 1982
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship original cost=
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|Ship laid down=6 June 1984
|Ship launched=22 August 1985
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|Ship commissioned=21 February 1987
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|Ship decommissioned=10 August 2023
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|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NMOB
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Mike}}{{ICS|Oscar}}{{ICS|Bravo}}
*[[Hull number]]: CG-53
|Ship motto=''Full Speed Ahead''
|Ship nickname=
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|Ship status= Stricken from the Naval Registry; final disposition pending as of August 2023
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge= [[File:USS Mobile Bay CG-53 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship class={{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{Ticonderoga class cruiser displacement}}
|Ship length={{Ticonderoga class cruiser length}}
|Ship beam={{Ticonderoga class cruiser beam}}
|Ship draft={{Ticonderoga class cruiser draft}}
|Ship propulsion={{Ticonderoga class cruiser propulsion}}
|Ship speed={{Ticonderoga class cruiser speed}}
|Ship range=
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|Ship complement={{Ticonderoga class cruiser complement}}
|Ship sensors={{Ticonderoga class cruiser sensors}}
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|Ship armament={{Ticonderoga class cruiser armament mark 41}}
|Ship aircraft={{Ticonderoga class cruiser aircraft}}
|Ship aircraft facilities=
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}}
|}
'''USS ''Mobile Bay'' (CG-53)''' was a [[Ticonderoga class cruiser|''Ticonderoga'' class]] [[guided-missile]] [[cruiser]] that served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1987 to 2023. She is named for the naval [[Battle of Mobile Bay]] during the [[American Civil War]] in 1864.

==Design and construction==
The ship was ordered from [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] on 15 January 1982. She was laid down on 6 June 1984, launched on 22 August 1985, and commissioned on 21 February 1987 at the Alabama State Docks in [[Mobile, Alabama]]. She was decommissioned August 10, 2023.

With guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons, ''Mobile Bay'' was capable of defeating threats in the air, on the sea, on shore, and undersea. She carries the [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk Land Attack Missile]] which played an integral part in the strikes on Iraqi targets during the opening stages of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] in 2003. She also carries two [[SH-60 Sea Hawk|Seahawk]] [[Light airborne multi-purpose system|LAMPS]] multi-purpose helicopters, mainly for [[Antisubmarine warfare|anti-submarine warfare (ASW)]]. The ship was capable of conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations, and carried a fully trained boarding team.

==Operational history==
After commissioning, ''Mobile Bay'' joined the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, arriving at [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport, Florida]], her homeport in March 1987. Following a year of crew qualifications, tests and systems trials, ''Mobile Bay'' embarked on her maiden deployment on 11 May 1989. During this cruise, ''Mobile Bay'' earned her first two awards: the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]], for operations conducted in the [[Gulf of Oman]].

In June 1990, ''Mobile Bay'' shifted homeports from Mayport to [[Yokosuka, Japan]]. Shortly thereafter, she deployed in August 1990 in support of [[Operation Desert Shield]] and [[Operation Desert Storm]], becoming the first [[AEGIS combat system|AEGIS cruiser]] to circumnavigate the globe. In the [[Persian Gulf]], the ship distinguished herself by becoming the first Battle Force Anti-Air Warfare Commander to control a four-carrier Task Force. ''Mobile Bay'' launched 22 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile strikes, and performed as the Battle Force Anti-Surface Warfare Commander targeting Iraqi naval vessels and directing carrier-launched attack aircraft to destroy 38 Iraqi naval vessels resulting in the complete neutralization of the [[Iraqi Navy]]. Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 43 (HSL-43) Detachment 2B was assigned with two SH-60B Seahawk helicopters aboard.

In February 1991, the Tactical Information Coordinator (TIC) aboard ''Mobile Bay'', reported SPY-1 Radar acquisitions of what appeared to be SCUD missile launches that were detected over [[Saudi Arabia]]. These tracks were reported over Data Systems Administration (DSA) and Anti-Air Warfare Coordination and Reporting (AAWC&R) voice networks and were confirmed to be valid targets by Patriot Batteries who engaged these SCUDs.<ref>Chief of Naval Operations Summary Report, Ser OO/lU500179, 15 May 1991, THE UNITED STATES NAVY IN "DESERT SHIELD" / "DESERT STORM," Chapter V, "THUNDER AND LIGHTNING"- THE WAR WITH IRAQ; "An AEGIS History," Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, May 1986. Author: Troy S. Kimmel. Naval Engineers Journal, 2009, Vol. 121 No. 3 "The Story of AEGIS." P. 34; "Fielding a Theater Ballistic Missile Defense," John E. Carey, Proceedings, June 1993, p. 56; "Theater Missile Defense: Beyond Patriot," Master's Thesis of Joseph P. Peterson, Naval Postgraduate School, June 1994; dcmilitary.com, from Friday October 11, 2013 in the South Potomac Pilot; Personnel Performance Evaluation of OS2 Patrick A. Payne, FTC/TIC, USS Mobile Bay, dated 1 May 1991.</ref>

In May 1991, ''Mobile Bay'' was ordered to [[Subic Bay]], [[Republic of the Philippines]], to participate in [[Operation Fiery Vigil]], the evacuation of thousands of people displaced by the volcanic eruption of [[Mount Pinatubo]]. In December 1991, ''Mobile Bay'' began work-ups for a spring 1992 Persian Gulf deployment.

On 15 April 1992, ''Mobile Bay'' once again set sail for the Persian Gulf. En route, the ship and crew visited [[Sydney, Australia]], to represent the U. S. Navy at the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Battle of Coral Sea. Sailing through the Straits of Hormuz in late May 1992, the ship began duties as the Persian Gulf Anti-Air Warfare Commander. ''Mobile Bay'' also played a vital role in Operation Southern Watch, the enforcement of the U. N.-mandated "No Fly Zone" over Southern Iraq. Returning to Japan in October, ''Mobile Bay'' participated in ANNUALEX-92, a major naval exercise involving units of the U. S. Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. ''Mobile Bay'' served as the Anti-Air Warfare Commander for a joint U. S. - Japanese flotilla.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg53/Pages/History.aspx|title=History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723005524/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg53/Pages/History.aspx|archive-date=23 July 2010}}</ref>

After participating in ''SPRING TRAINING-93'' off the coast of Australia, she made an historic visit to the Russian seaport of [[Vladivostok]] in September 1993. Accompanying her was the {{USS|Bunker Hill|CG-52|6}}.<ref>GlobalSecurity.org [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/cg-53.htm website]</ref>

''Mobile Bay'' was deployed to [[East Timor]] as part of the Australian-led [[INTERFET]] peacekeeping taskforce from 20 September to 5 October 1999.<ref>Stevens, ''Strength Through Diversity'', p. 14</ref> As the most capable air defense vessel available, the ship was placed in charge of air defence,<ref>Stevens, ''Strength Through Diversity'', p. 21</ref> although the U.S. requests for screening ''Mobile Bay'' necessitated a considerable degree of effort by other ships of the force.

In March 2003 ''Mobile Bay'' was assigned to [[Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5]].<ref>http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/usa/suface.htm {{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}, accessed May 2012</ref>

''Mobile Bay'' operated in support of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] from 17 June to 17 December 2004. The ship was later awarded the [[Iraq Campaign Medal]].

In 2006, the cruiser was deployed to the Western Pacific, where she served as the Air Defense Commander for the {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72|2}} Carrier Strike Group.

On 16 February 2007, ''Mobile Bay'' was awarded the 2006 [[Battle E|Battle "E"]] award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27895|title=Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E"|access-date=1 March 2007|archive-date=6 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206142601/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27895}}</ref> The ship completed a 10-month overhaul in early 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fellman|first=Sam|url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/05/navy-mobile-bay-insurv-details-050911w/|title=Details emerge on cruiser's INSURV failure|publisher=Navy Times|date=9 May 2011}}</ref>

On 8 April 2011, the ship was given a failing grade of "unsatisfactory" in her [[Board of Inspection and Survey|INSURV]] inspection, mainly for problems with the ship's propulsion, operations, aviation, and communications. A remedial inspection was scheduled and passed in June 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fellman|first=Sam|url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/04/navy-mobile-bay-fails-insurv-041811w/|title=West Coast cruiser fails INSURV|publisher=Navy Times|date=18 April 2011}}</ref>

[[File:USSMobileBayByPhilKonstantin.jpg|thumb|''Mobile Bay ''in San Diego Bay, 2011.]]
The ship returned from back to back deployments (2011 and 2012) as the Air Defense Commander for John C Stennis Strike Group. She was awarded the 2012 Battle E and Spokane Award for her service.

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 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/1/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF|title=Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels|publisher=Office of the Chief of Naval Operations|date=9 December 2020|access-date=2 February 2021|page=16}}</ref>

On 9 May 2022, ''Mobile Bay'' transited the [[Philippine Sea]]<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1525460932826222593|user=USNavy|title=Sunset at sea ☀️ 🌊 The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser #USSMobileBay (CG 53) transits the Philippine Sea…|date=14 May 2022}}</ref> and she steamed into [[Tokyo Bay]] on 22 May 2022 as a part of [[Carrier Strike Group 3]] with {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72|6}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2022/05/23/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-may-23-2022|title=USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022|publisher=usni.org|date=23 May 2022|access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref> ''Mobile Bay'' also participated in [[Exercise RIMPAC|RIMPAC]] 2022 in that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Aug. 1, 2022 |url=https://news.usni.org/2022/08/01/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-aug-1-2022 |access-date=9 August 2022 |publisher=news.usni.org |date=1 August 2022}}</ref>

On 10 August 2023, ''Mobile Bay'' was decommissioned at a ceremony at [[Naval Base San Diego]] after over 36 years of service.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3490821/uss-mobile-bay-decommissions-honors-36-years-of-service/|title=USS Mobile Bay Decommissions, Honors 36 Years of Service|publisher=United States Navy|date=11 August 2023|access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Jennewein|first=Chris|url=https://timesofsandiego.com/military/2023/08/10/guided-missile-cruiser-uss-mobile-bay-decommissioned-in-san-diego-after-36-years/|title=Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Mobile Bay Decommissioned in San Diego After 36 Years|publisher=Times of San Diego|date=10 August 2023|access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>

===Awards===
* [[Combat Action Ribbon]] - (Jan-Feb 1991)
* [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] - (10-28 Jun 1991)
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] - (Jan-Feb 1991, Jan-May 2003, Sep 2002-Apr 2003, Jul 2012-May 2013, Sept-2023)
* Navy [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] - (May-Sep 1992, 7–8 May 1994, Jul 1994-Apr 1996, 7–8 May 1994, 13-24 Dec 2001, Sep 2011-Jan 2012, Sep 2023)
* [[Battle E|Battle "E"]] - (1993, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023)
* [[National Defense Service Medal]] (second)
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
* [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]] - (Oct 1990-Mar 1991)
* [[Iraq Campaign Medal]] - (2004)
* [[Sea Service Ribbon]] - multiple awards
* CNO Afloat Safety Award (PACFLT) - (2005)
* [[Spokane Trophy]] Award - (2012)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Stevens |first=David |title=Strength Through Diversity: The combined naval role in Operation Stabilise |series=Working Papers |volume=20 |year=2007 |publisher=Sea Power Centre - Australia |location=Canberra |isbn=978-0-642-29676-4 |issn=1834-7231 |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Working_Paper_20.pdf |access-date=6 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910150114/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Working_Paper_20.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2012 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|USS Mobile Bay (CG-53)}}
* [http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg53 Official Navy web site]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg53.html USS ''Mobile Bay'' webpage]
* {{navsource|04/1153/040153|USS Mobile Bay (CG-53)}}
* {{hlist|USS ''Mobile Bay'' (CG-53) command histories – [[Naval History & Heritage Command]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192613/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1987.pdf 1987]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192622/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1988.pdf 1988]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192632/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1989.pdf 1989]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1990.pdf 1990]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192643/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1991-94.pdf 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192652/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1995.pdf 1995]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192701/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1996.pdf 1996]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1997.pdf 1997]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1997.pdf 1998]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/1999.pdf 1999]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192726/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/2001.pdf 2001]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104192732/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/m/cg-53/2002.pdf 2002]
}}

{{Naval Vessel Register|hull=CG-53}}

{{Ticonderoga class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobile Bay (CG-53)}}
[[Category:Ticonderoga-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:1985 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gulf War ships of the United States]]

USS New Orleans (CA-32)

2025-09-22T03:28:18Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Awards */

{{Short description|New Orleans class heavy cruiser (1933–1959)}}
{{Other ships|USS New Orleans}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more footnotes needed|date=December 2016}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2016}}
}}

{{Use American English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS New Orleans (CA-32) underway in Puget Sound on 30 July 1943 (NH 94847).jpg
|Ship caption= USS ''New Orleans'' (CA-32), steams through a tight turn in [[Elliott Bay]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], on 30 July 1943, following battle damage repairs and overhaul at the [[Puget Sound Navy Yard]].
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1947}}
|Ship name=''New Orleans''
|Ship namesake=City of [[New Orleans]], Louisiana
|Ship ordered= 13 February 1929
|Ship awarded=*12 July 1929 (date assigned to ship yard)
*2 June 1930 (beginning of construction period)
|Ship builder=[[New York Navy Yard|Brooklyn Navy Yard]], [[Brooklyn, New York]]
|Ship original cost= $12,000,000 (limit of price)
|Ship laid down= 14 March 1931
|Ship launched= 12 April 1933
|Ship sponsor= Miss Cora S. Jahncke
|Ship acquired=
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned= 15 February 1934
|Ship decommissioned= 10 February 1947
|Ship reclassified= CA-32, 1 July 1931
|Ship struck=1 March 1959
|Ship identification=*[[Hull classification symbol#Surface combatant type|Hull symbol]]: CL-32
*Hull symbol:CA-32
*[[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]: NABJ
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Alpha}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Juliet}}
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=''NO Boat''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.zuzuray.com/nicknames2.html#USA | title=Ship Nicknames | publisher=zuzuray.com | access-date=5 October 2015 | archive-date=12 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021407/http://www.zuzuray.com/nicknames2.html#USA | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Ship honors=*[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]] [[File:Silver-service-star-3d.png|20px]] 17 × [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle star]]s
*[[File:American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] [[American Defense Service Medal]]
*[[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] [[American Campaign Medal]]
*[[File:Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]
*[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] [[World War II Victory Medal]]
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap 22 September 1959
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (as built)<ref name="ships">{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rp-jAAAAMAAJ| title=Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels | publisher=US Naval Department | date=1 July 1935 | access-date=5 October 2015 | pages=16–23}}</ref>
|Ship class={{sclass|New Orleans|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|9950|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (standard)
|Ship length=*{{convert|588|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[length overall|oa]]
*{{convert|574|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
|Ship beam={{convert|61|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=*{{convert|19|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)
*{{convert|23|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} (max)
|Ship depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship power=*8 × [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler#Babcock & Wilcox boiler|Babcock & Wilcox boilers]]
*{{convert|107000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*4 × [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]] [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|geared turbines]]
*4 × [[Propeller|screws]]
|Ship speed={{convert|32.7|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship capacity=Fuel oil: 1,650 tons
|Ship complement=96 officers 819 enlisted
|Ship armament=*9 × [[8"/55 caliber gun|{{convert|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}/55]] [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns (3x3)
*8 × [[5 inch (127 mm)/25 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}/25 caliber]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]]
*2 × [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss#US service|3-pounder {{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] [[Saluting guns#Heavy arms: gun salutes|saluting guns]]
*8 × [[M2 Browning|caliber {{convert|0.50|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}]] [[Heavy machine gun|machine guns]]
|Ship armor=*'''[[Armor belt|Belt]]:''' {{convert|3-5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]:''' {{convert|1+1/4|-|2+1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Barbette]]s:''' {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Gun turret|Turret]]s:''' {{convert|1+1/2|-|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Conning tower|Conning Tower]]:''' {{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=4 × [[floatplane]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities=2 × [[Amidships#Amidships|Amidship]] [[Aircraft catapult|catapults]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=title
|Header caption= (1945)<ref name="history">{{cite web | url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_New_Orleans_CA32.html | title=USS New Orleans (CA-32) | publisher=Historyofwar.org | date=19 December 2014 | access-date=8 October 2015 | author=Rickard, J}}</ref>
|Ship armament=*9 × {{convert|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}/55 caliber guns (3x3)
*8 × {{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns
*2 × 3-pounder {{convert|47|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} saluting guns
*6 × quad [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{convert|40|mm|in|abbr=on}} Bofors]] anti-aircraft guns
*28 × single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} Oerlikon]] anti-aircraft cannons
|Ship aircraft facilities=1 × Amidship catapult
}}
|}

'''USS ''New Orleans'' (CL/CA-32)''' was the lead {{sclass|New Orleans|cruiser}} in service with the [[United States Navy]]. The ''New Orleans''-class cruisers were the last U.S. cruisers built to the specifications and standards of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of {{cvt|10000|LT|0|lk=in}} standard displacement and {{convert|8|in|0|adj=on}} caliber main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers." While she was originally classified a [[light cruiser]] because of her thin armor, soon after being laid down she was reclassified as a [[heavy cruiser]] because of her 8-inch guns. The term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until the [[London Naval Treaty]] in 1930.

==Inter-war period==
''New Orleans''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> keel was laid on 14 March 1931, at the [[New York Navy Yard]], commonly known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The ship was launched on 12 April 1933, sponsored by Cora S. Jahncke, a native of [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, and daughter of [[Ernest L. Jahncke]], a civil engineer and president of the Jahncke Shipbuilding Co. in New Orleans. Jahncke had served as [[assistant secretary of the Navy]] in the administration of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Herbert Hoover]], returning to private life in March 1933 with the inauguration of President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]. ''New Orleans'' was commissioned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 15 February 1934, with [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] [[Allen B. Reed]] as the first commander. Attending the commissioning ceremonies were [[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Yates Stirling Jr.]], commandant of the New York Naval Yard, and former Assistant Navy Secretary Jahncke. Among ''New Orleans''{{'}} [[junior officer]] [[plankowner]]s in 1934, were Jahncke's son, Ensign E.L. Jahncke Jr. and Ensign T.H. Moorer, who as [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[Thomas H. Moorer]] was [[Chief of Naval Operations]] from 1967 to 1970 and [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] from 1970 to 1974.

Under Captain Reed's command that ended on 30 August 1935, ''New Orleans'' made a [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] [[Transatlantic crossing]] to [[Great Britain]] and [[Scandinavia]] in May and June 1934. ''New Orleans'' made ports of call and was greeted by thousands at [[Stockholm]], Sweden, [[Copenhagen]], Denmark, [[Amsterdam]], the Netherlands, and [[Portsmouth, England]], returning to New York on 28 June. On 5 July, ''New Orleans'' sailed to [[Balboa, Panama]], the western entrance to the [[Panama Canal]] to rendezvous with the heavy cruiser {{USS|Houston|CA-30|2}}, carrying President Roosevelt, on a nearly {{cvt|12000|nmi}} cruise to [[Hawaii]] and an exercise with the United States Airship {{USS|Macon|ZRS-5|2}} and her aircraft off the California coast.

''New Orleans'' reached [[Honolulu]], Hawaii, on 26 July 1934, and [[Astoria, Oregon]], on 2 August, where the cruise ended. ''New Orleans'' sailed at once for [[Panama]] and [[Cuba]], stopping at [[San Pedro, Los Angeles]], on 7 August 1934. She exercised off [[New England]] into 1935, then visited her namesake city at the end of March while en route to join [[United States Fleet]] [[Scouting Force]] [[Cruiser Division 6]] based out of San Pedro, and operating along the coast of California and the eastern Pacific. ''New Orleans'' was open for public viewing while visiting the [[New Orleans, Louisiana|"Crescent City"]] and thousands of citizens visited the ship during the time she was berthed there. Shortly after arriving at San Pedro, the cruiser participated in [[fleet problem]] XVI from 29 April to 10 June. It was the largest mock battle ever staged and conducted in five separate stages over 5 million sq mi of the North Central Pacific between [[Midway Atoll|Midway]], Hawaii, and the [[Aleutian Islands]], involving 321 vessels and 70,000 men. In June, ''New Orleans'' visited [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] for the first-ever [[Fleet Week]], one of 114 American warships in the "mightiest fleet ever assembled under the U.S. flag" for the [[California Pacific International Exposition]].

''New Orleans'' returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, where she was dry-docked for maintenance from 20 August to 7 December 1936. Early in 1937, she was once more in the Pacific. Aside from winter training in the [[Caribbean]] early in 1939, she served out of California ports until joining the [[Hawaiian Detachment]] on 12 October 1939, for exercises, training, and as war drew close, vigilant patrol.

==World War II==

===Attack on Pearl Harbor===
Moored in [[Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941, ''New Orleans'' was taking power and light from the dock, her engines under repair. With yard power out during the attack, ''New Orleans''{{'}} engineers began to raise steam, working by flashlight, while on deck men fired on the [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]ese attackers with rifles and pistols. The crew was forced to break the locks on the ammunition ready boxes as the keys could not be located, and because the ship was taking power from the dock, the [[5"/25 caliber gun|5"/25 cal AA gun]] had to be aimed and fired manually. The gunners topside were ducking machine gun bullets and [[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]], training their guns manually, as they had no ammunition other than the few shells in their ready boxes. The ammunition hoists did not have power, making getting more ammunition topside to the gun crews nearly impossible. The {{convert|54|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shells had to be pulled up the powerless hoists by ropes attached to their metal cases. Every man with no specific job at the moment formed ammunition lines to get the shells to the guns. A number of her crew were injured when a [[fragmentation bomb]] exploded close aboard. ''New Orleans'' suffered no severe damage during the attack.

===1942===
Before having the engine work complete at Pearl Harbor, the cruiser convoyed troops to [[Palmyra Atoll]] and [[Johnston Atoll]] operating on only three of her four engines; she then returned to San Francisco on 13 January 1942 for engineering repairs and installation of new search radar and 20 mm guns. She sailed on 12 February, commanding the escort for a troop convoy to [[Brisbane]]; from Australia, she screened a convoy to [[Nouméa]], and returned to Pearl Harbor to join Task Force 11.

====Battle of Coral Sea====
Task Force 11 [[sortie]]d on 15 April to join the {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}} task force southwest of the [[New Hebrides]]. This joint force, together with a cruiser-destroyer group, won the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]] on 7–8 May, driving back a southward thrust of the Japanese, which threatened Australia and New Zealand and their seaborne lifelines. In this battle, {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}} was sunk and ''New Orleans'' stood by, her men diving overboard to rescue survivors and her boat crews closing the burning carrier, saving 580 of ''Lexington''{{'}}s crew who were subsequently landed at Nouméa. ''New Orleans'' then patrolled the eastern [[Solomon Islands|Solomons]] until sailing to replenish at Pearl Harbor.

====Battle of Midway====
''New Orleans'' sailed on 28 May, screening {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}}, to surprise the Japanese in the [[Battle of Midway]]. On 2 June, she met with the ''Yorktown'' force, and two days later joined battle. Three of the four Japanese carriers—''Akagi,'' ''Kaga,'' and ''Soryu''—were sunk by hits scored in [[dive bomber]] attacks. The fourth carrier, ''Hiryu,'' was found and wrecked later, but not before her dive bombers had damaged ''Yorktown'' so badly she had to be abandoned.

====Battle of the Eastern Solomons====
Again the ''New Orleans'' was replenished at Pearl Harbor, steaming out on 7 July to meet off the [[Fiji Islands]] for the invasion of the Solomon Islands, during which she screened the {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}. Fighting off enemy air attacks on 24–25 August, the ''New Orleans'' aided the [[U.S. Marine Corps]] beachhead on [[Guadalcanal]], as a Japanese landing expedition was turned back in the [[Battle of the Eastern Solomons]]. At this point, ''New Orleans'' had been in the [[Coral Sea]] for two full months, and food began to run low. The crew went on half rations and Spam became the main course of every meal; eventually, they ran out of rice. When the ''Saratoga'' was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on 31 August, the ''New Orleans'' escorted her to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 21 September.

====Battle of Tassafaronga====
{{Main|Battle of Tassafaronga}}

With the repaired carrier, ''New Orleans'' sailed to Fiji early in November 1942, then proceeded to [[Espiritu Santo]], arriving on 27 November to return to action in the Solomons. With four other cruisers and six destroyers, she fought in the [[Battle of Tassafaronga]] on the night of 30 November, engaging a Japanese destroyer-transport force. When the flagship ''Minneapolis'' was struck by two torpedoes, ''New Orleans'', next astern, was forced to sheer away to avoid collision, and ran into the track of a torpedo, which detonated the ship's forward magazines and gasoline tanks. This explosion severed {{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=on}} of her bow just forward of turret number two. The severed bow, including turret number one, swung around the port side and punched several holes in the length of ''New Orleans''{{'}} hull before sinking at the stern and damaging the port inboard propeller.<ref>Hornfischer, ''Neptune's Inferno,'' pp. 384-390</ref> With one-quarter of her length gone, she slowed to {{convert|2|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} and was on fire. Everyone in turrets one and two perished; 183 men were killed. Herbert Brown, a seaman in the ship's plotting room, described the scene after the torpedo hit:

"''I had to see. I walked alongside the silent turret two and was stopped by a lifeline stretched from the outboard port lifeline to the side of the turret. Thank God it was there, for one more step and I would have pitched headfirst into the dark water 30 feet below. The bow was gone; 125 feet of ship and the number-one main battery turret with three 8-inch guns were gone. Eighteen hundred tons of ship were gone. Oh my God, all those guys I went through boot camp with – all gone''" <ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Herbert C. |title=Hell at Tassafaronga: The History of the Heavy Cruiser New Orleans (CA 32) |publisher=Ancient Mariners Press LLC |year=2001 |isbn=9780970072146 |pages=134–135.}}</ref>

Damage control parties managed to repair the ship enough to sail to [[Tulagi]] Harbor near daybreak on 1 December.

The crew camouflaged their ship from air attack, jury-rigged a bow of coconut logs, and worked clearing away wreckage. Eleven days later, ''New Orleans'' sailed stern first, to avoid sinking, to [[Cockatoo Island Dockyard]] in Sydney, Australia, arriving on 24 December. At Cockatoo, the damaged propeller was replaced and other repairs were made including the installation of a temporary stub bow. On 7 March 1943, she left Sydney for [[Puget Sound Navy Yard]], sailing backward the entire voyage, where a new bow was fitted with the use of ''Minneapolis''{{'}} number-two turret. All battle damage was repaired, and she was given a major refit involving the reduction of the forward superstructure along the lines of other prewar cruisers, adding new air-search and surface-search radars, as well as numerous 20 mm and 40 mm Bofors antiaircraft guns. In addition, her boilers, machinery, and hull structures were overhauled to almost new condition. She continued to sail with the back portion (aft) riveted and the front portion (bow) welded.
<gallery>
Image:NewOrleansTulagiBowMissing.jpg|''New Orleans'' with torpedo damage in Tulagi Harbor on 1 December 1942 after the Battle of Tassafaronga.
Image:Damages New Orleans Tassafaronga.jpg|Damage to ''New Orleans'' with everything ahead of turret number two missing after being hit by a single torpedo that detonated her forward magazines. This was photographed after the Battle of Tassafaronga, which occurred on 30 November 1942.
Image:Survivors on PT boat after Tassafaronga.jpg|''New Orleans'' seen after the Battle of Tassafaronga near Tulagi on 1 December 1942: The PT boat in the foreground is carrying survivors from ''Northampton''.
Image:TassaNewOrleans.gif|''New Orleans'' under a camouflage net at Tulagi undergoing field repairs suffered in the Battle of Tassafaronga on 1 December 1942: Once field repairs were completed, ''New Orleans'' traveled to rear-area ports for further repairs.
Image:Titan lifting temporary bow to be welded to USS New Orleans.jpg|[[Floating crane Titan|Titan]] lifting temporary bow to be welded ''New Orleans'' at Cockatoo Island Dockyard
Image:False bow being fitted to USS New Orleans.jpg|False bow being fitted to ''New Orleans''
Image:Temporary bow fitted to USS New Orleans.jpg|Temporary bow fitted to ''New Orleans'' to enable her return to the United States to repair damage sustained from torpedo damage at the Battle of Tassafaronga: The {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on}} guns have been removed from the number-two turret.
</gallery>

===1943===
Returning to Pearl Harbor on 31 August for combat training, ''New Orleans'' next joined a cruiser-destroyer force to bombard [[Wake Island]] on 5–6 October, repulsing a Japanese torpedo-plane attack. Her next sortie from Pearl Harbor came on 10 November, when she sailed to fire precision bombardment in the [[Gilberts]] on 20 November, then to screen carriers striking the eastern [[Marshall Islands|Marshalls]] on 4 December. In aerial attacks that day, the new {{USS|Lexington|CV-16|2}}, namesake of the carrier whose men ''New Orleans'' had pulled from the Coral Sea, was torpedoed, and ''New Orleans'' guarded her successful retirement to repairs at Pearl Harbor, arriving on 9 December.

[[File:USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), USS Pensacola (CA-24) and USS New Orleans (CA-32) at Pearl Harbor on 31 October 1943.jpg|thumb|left|250px|{{sclass|Pensacola|cruiser|4}} cruisers {{USS|Salt Lake City|CA-25|2}} and {{USS|Pensacola|CA-24|2}}, with ''New Orleans'' (L to R), at Pearl Harbor in 1943]]

===1944===
From 29 January 1944, ''New Orleans'' fired on targets in the Marshalls, hitting air installations and shipping as the Navy took [[Kwajalein]]. She fueled at [[Majuro]], then sailed 11 February to join the fast carriers in a raid on [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]], Japanese bastion in the [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] on 17–18 February. While air strikes were flown, ''New Orleans'', with other warships circled the atoll to catch escaping ships; the task force's combined gunfire sank a light cruiser, a destroyer, a trawler, and a [[submarine chaser]]. The force sailed on to hit the Marianas, then returned to Majuro and Pearl Harbor.

The carriers, with ''New Orleans'' in escort, attacked targets in the Carolines late in March, then in April, sailed south to support Allied landings at [[Jayapura|Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura)]], [[New Guinea]]. There on 22 April, a disabled {{USS|Yorktown|CV-10|2}} plane flew into ''New Orleans''{{'}} mainmast, hitting gun mounts as it fell into the sea. The ship was sprayed with gas as the plane exploded on hitting the water; one crew member was lost, and another badly injured, but ''New Orleans'' continued in action, patrolling and plane guarding off New Guinea, then joining in further raids on Truk and [[Satawan]], which she bombarded on 30 April. She returned to Majuro on 4 May.

Preparations were made in the Marshalls for the invasion of the Marianas, for which ''New Orleans'' sortied from Kwajalein on 10 June. She bombarded [[Saipan]] on 15–16 June, then joined the screen protecting carriers as they prepared to meet the [[Japanese Mobile Fleet]] in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]].

''New Orleans'' made patrols and bombardments on Saipan and [[Tinian]] into August, returned to [[Eniwetok]] on the 13th, and sailed the 28th for carrier raids on the [[Bonins]], bombardments of [[Iwo Jima]] on 1–2 September, and direct air support for the invasion of the [[Palaus]]. After reprovisioning at [[Manus Island|Manus]], the task force assaulted [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], [[Taiwan|Formosa]], and Northern [[Luzon]], destroying Japanese land-based aviation, which otherwise would have threatened the landings on [[Leyte (island)|Leyte]] on 20 October.

''New Orleans'' was present during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], which started on 23 October. On 25 October, the Fast Carrier Strike Force had steamed north, to attack the Northern Force commanded by [[Jisaburō Ozawa]]. ''New Orleans'' again screened for the carriers, which sank or damaged several Japanese carriers. Task Force 34 was detached to finish off several of the crippled Japanese ships with gunfire; ''New Orleans'' and three other cruisers sank the light carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chiyoda||2}} and the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hatsuzuki||2}}.<ref>Rohwer, p. 366–367</ref><ref>Cressman, p. 267</ref>

===1945===
After replenishing at [[Ulithi]], ''New Orleans'' guarded carriers during raids throughout the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of [[Mindoro]], then late in December, sailed for a [[Mare Island Navy Yard]] overhaul, followed by training in Hawaii. She returned to Ulithi on 18 April 1945, and two days later, departed to join [[Okinawa naval order of battle#Gunfire and Covering Force (Task Force 54)|Task Force 54]], in the ongoing [[Battle of Okinawa|invasion of Okinawa]], arriving at [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] on 23 April. Here, she engaged with shore batteries and fired directly against the enemy lines. After nearly two months on station, she sailed to replenish and repair in the Philippines, and was at [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]] when [[Victory over Japan Day|hostilities ceased]] in the [[Pacific War]].

==Post-war==
''New Orleans'' sailed on 28 August with a cruiser-destroyer force to ports of China and [[Korea]]. She covered the [[internment]] of Japanese ships at [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]], the evacuation of liberated Allied [[prisoners of war]], and the landing of troops in Korea and China. She sailed on 17 November from the mouth of the [[Peking River]] ([[Hai He]]), carrying veterans homeward bound. More returning troops came aboard at the [[U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo|Sasebo U.S. Fleet Activities base]], and all were disembarked at San Francisco on 8 December. After similar duty took her to [[Guam]] in January 1946, she sailed through the Panama Canal for a 10-day visit to her namesake city. She then steamed to [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]], arriving on 12 March. There, she was decommissioned on 10 February 1947 and lay in reserve until struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 1 March 1959 and sold for scrapping on 22 September to [[Boston Metals Company]], [[Baltimore]], Maryland.

==Discovery of lost bow==
On 7 July 2025, a team of explorers led by the [[Ocean Exploration Trust]] and [[Robert Ballard]] on the [[research vessel]] ''[[EV Nautilus|Nautilus]]'' discovered the wreck of the bow section ''New Orleans'' lost during the Battle of Tassafaronga in 1942 using a [[remotely operated underwater vehicle]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kindy |first=Dave |date=2025-07-08 |title=Undersea expedition discovers bow of USS New Orleans, lost in WW2 |url=https://www.airforcetimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/07/08/undersea-expedition-discovers-bow-of-uss-new-orleans-lost-in-ww2/ |access-date=2025-07-08 |website=Air Force Times |language=en}}</ref> The bow lies at a depth of 675 m (2,214 ft) and contains details identifying it as belonging to ''New Orleans'', such as anchor-imprinted text reading "Navy Yard".<ref name=":0" />

==Awards==

* [[File:American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Defense Service Medal]]
* [[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Campaign Medal]]
*{{ribbon devices|number=17|type=service-star|name=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with 17 [[battle star]]s
* [[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[World War II Victory Medal]]

The 17 [[battle star]]s ''New Orleans'' received for her World War II service placed her among the [[Most decorated US Naval vessels of World War II|most decorated U.S. naval vessels of World War II]].

Members of ''New Orleans''′s crew were awarded five [[Navy Cross]]es, 10 [[Silver Star]]s, one [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]], one [[Air Medal]], and 206 [[Purple Heart]]s.

==Legacy==
*One destroyer (DD) and four destroyer escorts (DE) were named after USS ''New Orleans'' sailors killed in action at the [[Battle of Tassafaronga]].
#{{USS|Rogers|DD-876}} (similar to the five [[Sullivan brothers]] who were lost on {{USS|Juneau|CL-52}}, the three [[Rogers brothers]] who all served on ''New Orleans'' died at the Battle of Tassafaronga)
#{{USS|Hayter|DE-212}},
#{{USS|Foreman|DE-633}},
#{{USS|Swenning|DE-394}},
#[[USS Haines (APD-84)|USS ''Haines'' (DE-792/APD-84)]].

*Diosdado Rome, OCC of ''New Orleans'' has been additionally honored by the naming of a mess hall at the Naval Station Pearl Harbor in his name, the [[Diosdado Rome Galley]].
*The famous song "[[Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition]]" written by Frank Loesserh was inspired by those heartening words uttered by Chaplain Howell M. Forgy of ''New Orleans'' during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.<ref>U.S.Historical Society, [https://archive.today/20121212042318/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-f/h-forgy.htm]</ref>
*When ''New Orleans'' was sold for scrap, little was saved. However, a few items from the ship are on display at the [[USS Kidd (DD-661)|USS ''Kidd'' and Louisiana Veterans Memorial]] in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]. In particular, it has the ship's bell and the builder's model of the ship, as well as some mementos of the launching ceremony. Some items are at the [[Patriots Point|Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum]] in [[Charleston Harbor]], [[South Carolina]], and at the [[Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]]. A plaque was donated to the [[National Museum of the Pacific War]] in [[Fredericksburg, Texas]], by ''New Orleans'' Reunion Association. A memorial honoring ''New Orleans'' has been installed in the [[New Orleans Walk of Fame]] outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown New Orleans.
*The flag flown by ''New Orleans'' when she was struck by the torpedo on 30 November 1942 is on display in the [[U.S. Naval Academy Museum]], Annapolis, Maryland.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
*She is also featured in the game ''[[World of Warships]]'' as the seventh US Navy cruiser available on the nation's ship tree.
*She is also featured in the game ''[[War Thunder]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Adcock|first=Al|title=U. S. Heavy Cruisers in Action|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0WblAAAACAAJ|date=1 February 2001|publisher=Squadron Signal Publications|isbn=978-0-89747-422-1 | quote=Warship Pictorial}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=Herbert C.|title=Hell at Tassafaronga: The History of the Heavy Cruiser New Orleans (CA 32)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBTqAAAACAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Ancient Mariners Press LLC|isbn=978-0-9700721-4-6 | quote=An intensely personal and gripping memoir, a veteran of the gallant ship tells its history from rollicking peacetime days, on through 17 Pacific battles, to the hauling down of its commission pennant and its finally being broken up for scrap.}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/new-orleans-ii.html}}
* {{cite book|last=Cressman|first=Robert|title=The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II|url=https://archive.org/details/TheOfficialChronologyOfTheUSNavyInWorldWarII|publisher=US Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|year=2000|isbn=1-55750-149-1}}
*{{cite book| title=The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Two-Ocean Fleet Edition |author=Fahey, James C. |author-link=James Charles Fahey |publisher=Ships and Aircraft |year=1941}}
* {{cite book|last=Forgy|first=Howell Maurice|title="And Pass the Ammunition,"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnE-AAAAIAAJ|year=1944|publisher=D. Appleton-Century Company, Incorporated | quote=First Hand accounts from the Chaplain of the New Orleans from the attack on Pearl Harbor to Bremerton after the Battle of Tassafaronga.}}
* {{cite book|title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II |publisher=Studio |year=1989 |isbn=1-85170-194-X}}
*{{citation | last=Hartzell | first= Carl T. |year=1997 | title=''From Bremerton To Philadelphia'' | quote=First Hand accounts from Bremerton after the New Orleans received a new bow till the end of hostilities in the Pacific.}}
* {{cite book|last=Hornfischer|first=James D.|author-link=James D. Hornfischer |title="Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal,"|year=2011|publisher=Random House Publishing Group | quote=A readable, well-researched popular account of the 1942 Guadalcanal naval campaign}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer|title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=US Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|year=2005|isbn=1-59114-119-2}}
* {{cite book | publisher=Classic Warship Publishing | last= Wiper | first= Steve | year=2000 | title=New Orleans Class Cruisers | quote=Warship Pictorial}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS New Orleans (CA-32)}}
*{{navsource|04/032/04032|USS New Orleans}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020602200216/http://history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-n/ca32.htm Navy photographs of ''New Orleans'' (CA-32)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010621184334/http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph60.htm USS ''New Orleans Pearl Harbor Action Report'']
*[http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/CA/CA32-Coral.html USS ''New Orleans Coral Sea Action Report'']
*[http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-CN-Tassafaronga/index.html ''Battle of Tassafaronga'']
*[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tassafaronga "Battle of Tassafaronga Images"]

{{New Orleans class cruiser}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Orleans (CA-32)}}
[[Category:New Orleans-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:1933 ships]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor]]

USS Anzio (CG-68)

2025-09-22T03:24:46Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221:

{{short description|Decommissioned Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser}}
{{other ships|USS Anzio}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:US Navy 091001-N-5345W-001 The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) transits the Gulf of Aden.jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Anzio'' on 7 October 2009
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|2006}}
| Ship name = ''Anzio''
| Ship namesake = [[Operation Shingle|Battle of Anzio]]
| Ship ordered = 16 April 1987
| Ship awarded =
| Ship builder = [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
| Ship original cost =
| Ship yard number =
| Ship way number =
| Ship laid down = 21 August 1989
| Ship launched = 2 November 1990
| Ship sponsor =
| Ship christened =
| Ship completed =
| Ship acquired = 10 February 1992
| Ship commissioned = 2 May 1992
| Ship recommissioned =
| Ship decommissioned = 22 September 2022<ref name="decomm1">{{cite press release|url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3168212/uss-anzio-decommissioned-after-30-years-of-service/|title=USS Anzio Decommissioned After 30 Years of Service|publisher=United States Navy|date=22 September 2022|access-date=22 September 2022}}</ref>
| Ship maiden voyage =
| Ship in service =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship renamed =
| Ship reclassified =
| Ship refit =
| Ship struck =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship identification = *[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NZIO
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Zulu}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Oscar}}
*[[Hull number]]: CG-68
| Ship motto = ''Stand and Fight''
| Ship nickname =
| Ship honors =
| Ship captured =
| Ship fate =
| Ship status = Decommissioned
| Ship notes =
| Ship badge = [[File:USS Anzio CG-68 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class = {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}
| Ship displacement = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser displacement}}
| Ship length = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser length}}
| Ship beam = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser beam}}
| Ship height =
| Ship draft = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser draft}}
| Ship power =
| Ship propulsion = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser propulsion}}
| Ship speed = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser speed}}
| Ship range =
| Ship endurance =
| Ship complement = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser complement}}
| Ship sensors = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser sensors}}
| Ship EW =
| Ship armament = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser armament mark 41}}
| Ship armor =
| Ship aircraft = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser aircraft}}
| Ship aircraft facilities =
| Ship notes =
}}
|}

'''USS ''Anzio'' (CG-68)''' is a {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[guided missile cruiser]] that served in the [[United States Navy]]. She was named for the site of a [[Operation Shingle|beachhead invasion of Italy]] by [[Allies of World War II|Allied troops]] from 22 January to 23 May 1944. Her [[keel]] was [[keel laying|laid down]] by the [[Ingalls Shipbuilding|Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation]] at [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]] on 21 August 1989. The ship was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 2 November 1990, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 2 May 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Press-Room/Photo-Gallery/igphoto/2003083635/|title=Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (SURFLANT)|publisher=surflant.usff.navy.mil|date=22 September 2022|access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref> ''Anzio'' was decommissioned on 22 September 2022.<ref name="decomm1"/>

==History==
[[File:US Navy Flash Gear.jpg|left|thumb|U.S. Navy sailors in [[flash gear]] man the helm during a [[general quarters]] drill aboard ''Anzio'', June 2002.]]
===2000s===
On 6 April 2000, ''Anzio'', along with another cruiser and the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Dwight D. Eisenhower|CVN-69|2}}, was participating in an [[Military exercise|exercise]] in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] Sea, about {{convert|250|mi}} off the coast of [[Israel]]. In an unannounced missile test, the [[Israel Defense Forces]] fired a [[Jericho missile|Jericho-1]] medium-range ballistic missile from a test facility in [[Yavne]], which landed {{convert|40|mi}} from the ship. The missile was detected by the ship's radar, and the crew briefly thought that they were under attack.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://fas.org/news/israel/e20000502pentagon.htm |title=Pentagon Questions Israeli Missile Test Near Navy |first=Thomas E. |last=Ricks |date=2 May 2000 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=19 |access-date=9 September 2015 |via=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308075526/http://fas.org/news/israel/e20000502pentagon.htm |archive-date=8 March 2016 }}</ref><ref name="defenselink">{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2000/t05022000_t502asd_.html |title=DoD News Briefing |first=Craig |last=Quigley |author-link=Craig Quigley |date=2 May 2000 |website=United States Department of Defense |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040321121944/http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2000/t05022000_t502asd_.html |archive-date=21 March 2004}}</ref>

On 9 January 2003, ''Anzio'' was pre-deployed in support of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. Ordered first to the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]] for the initial phase of President [[George W. Bush]]'s [[Shock and Awe]] strategy (during which the U.S. Navy deployed to defeat the [[Iraq]] military before ground forces were sent in). Once ''Anzio'' completed her mission in the eastern Mediterranean, she forward-deployed to the [[Persian Gulf]]. Once ''Anzio'' arrived in the Persian Gulf, she had marked her 45th straight day at sea. In the Persian Gulf, ''Anzio'' continued carrier-flight support operations and coastal surveillance. After President Bush announced major combat had concluded in the Iraq War, on 1 May 2003, ''Anzio'' was relieved of her duties, returning home on 3 July 2003, after 175 days at sea. In March 2003, she was assigned to [[Carrier Strike Group Twelve|Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/usa/surface.htm |title=World Navies Today: US Navy Aircraft Carriers & Surface Combatants |first=Andrew |last=Toppan |date=10 March 2003 |website=Haze Gray & Underway |access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref>
{{stack|
[[File:US Navy 061122-N-8036C-215 The Japanese fast combat support ship JDS Mashu (AOE 425) conducts a replenishment at sea (RAS) with the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68).jpg|thumb|While in the [[Arabian Sea]] on 22 November 2006 - the Japanese fast combat support ship ''[[JS Mashū (AOE-425)|Mashu]]'' (left) conducts a replenishment at sea with USS ''Anzio'']]
[[File:Cg anzio 08.jpg|thumb|''Anzio'' anchored at [[Boothbay Harbor, Maine]] in June 2008.]]
}}
On 16 February 2007, ''Anzio'' was awarded the 2006 [[Battle E|Battle "E"]] award.<ref name="battleE">{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27895 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617210154/https://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27895 |archive-date=17 June 2007 |title=Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E" |first=Paula M. |last=Ludwick |date=19 February 2007 |website=U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs |access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref>

''Anzio'' has served as the [[flagship]] of the [[Horn of Africa]] international anti-piracy [[Combined Task Force 151]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=55471 |title=U.S. Assumes Command of Counter-piracy Task Force |first=Iain |last=Jones |date=13 August 2009 |website=United States Department of Defense |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814234150/http://www.defenselink.mil//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=55471 |archive-date=14 August 2009}}</ref> On 15 October 2009 a team from the cruiser working with [[United States Coast Guard]] personnel from [[Maritime Safety and Security Team]] 91104 seized a [[skiff]] carrying an estimated 4 tons{{vague|which tons?|date=March 2010}} of [[hashish]] worth an estimated $28 million about {{convert|170|nmi|km}} southwest of [[Salalah, Oman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/uss-anzio-seizes-4-tons-of-narcotics.html |last=Jones |first=Iain |date=21 October 2009 |title=USS Anzio Seizes 4 Tons of Narcotics |website=Military Daily News |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225045248/http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/uss-anzio-seizes-4-tons-of-narcotics.html |archive-date=25 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId%3D685013 |title=MSST 91104 stops drugs in Gulf of Aden |date=15 October 2009 |website=U.S. Coast Guard |access-date=26 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718225632/http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=685013 |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref> The boarding team destroyed the drugs by dumping them into the ocean and released the skiff's crew.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=65520 |title=Navy seizes 4 tons of narcotics at sea |date=21 October 2009 |newspaper=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] |access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref>

===2010s===
''Anzio'' was tentatively scheduled to be [[Ship commissioning#Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] and designated for disposal on 31 March 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2012/NAV12087.txt |title=FY13 Projected Ship Inactivation Schedule |date=12 March 2012 |website=[[Bureau of Naval Personnel]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120321132152/https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2012/NAV12087.txt |archive-date= 21 Mar 2012 |access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref> However, ''Anzio'' was retained under the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsus-navy-retain-four-ticonderoga-class-cruisers-service |title=US Navy to retain four Ticonderoga-class cruisers in service |date=27 September 2012 |website=Naval Technology |access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-112hrpt479/pdf/CRPT-112hrpt479.pdf |title=National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 |page=5 |website=U.S. Government Publishing Office |access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref>

On 13 January 2016, ten U.S. Navy sailors were picked up by ''Anzio'' for transport and medical evaluations after being held in Iranian custody. The sailors were [[2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident|captured by Iran on 12 January 2016]] after their two naval boats entered Iranian waters. "The evidence suggests that they unintentionally entered the Iranian waters because of the failure of their navigational system," [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] spokesman Ramazan Sharif said on [[Press TV]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wreg.com/2016/01/13/10-american-sailors-detained-by-iran-freed |title=10 American sailors detained by Iran freed |first=George |last=Brown |date=13 January 2016 |website=[[WREG-TV]] |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202153106/http://wreg.com/2016/01/13/10-american-sailors-detained-by-iran-freed/ |archive-date=2 February 2016}}</ref> ''Anzio'' was also involved in a [[Underway replenishment|replenishment at sea]] operation with {{HMS|Defender|D36|6}}, {{USS|Harry S. Truman}}, {{USS|Ramage}}, {{USNS|Pecos|T-AO-197|6}}, and {{USNS|Medgar Evers|T-AKE-13|6}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2016/january/21/160121-defender-refuels-in-the-gulf |title=Defender refuels for counter-Daesh operations |date=21 January 2016 |website=Royal Navy |access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref>

===2020s===
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/1/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF|title=Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels|publisher=Office of the Chief of Naval Operations|date=9 December 2020|access-date=2 February 2021|page=16}}</ref>

On 22 September 2022, ''Anzio'' was decommissioned at [[Naval Station Norfolk]], Virginia after 30 years of service.<ref name="decomm1" />

==Notable crew==
* {{annotated link|Frank Castellano}}<ref name="2015-09-10 Navy Times">{{cite news |last1=Bacon |first1=Lance M. |date=2015-09-10 |title=Cruiser Anzio skipper canned for alleged misconduct |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/09/11/cruiser-anzio-skipper-canned-for-alleged-misconduct/ |url-status=live |work=[[Navy Times]] |language=en |issn=0028-1697 |oclc=03511129 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230526210235/https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/09/11/cruiser-anzio-skipper-canned-for-alleged-misconduct/ |archive-date=2023-05-26 |access-date=2023-05-26}}</ref>
* {{annotated link|Gordon Klingenschmitt}}<ref name="2014-11-24 Fed. Cl.">{{citation |title=Gordon James Klingenschmitt v. The United States of America |last1=Kaplan |first1=Elaine D. |author1-link=Elaine D. Kaplan |url=https://ecf.cofc.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2011cv0723-51-0 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805181402/https://ecf.cofc.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2011cv0723-51-0 |archive-date=2022-08-05 |id=11-723C |publisher=[[United States Court of Federal Claims]] |date=2014-11-24}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Naval Vessel Register|hull=CG-68}}

==External links==
{{Portal|United States}}
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.anzio.navy.mil/}}

{{Ticonderoga class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anzio (Cg-68)}}
[[Category:1990 ships]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Ticonderoga-class cruisers]]

USS Hué City

2025-09-22T03:24:44Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221:

{{Short description|Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:USS Hue City is conducting routine training and operations in preparation for an upcoming deployment. (29793903210).jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Hué City'' on 30 September 2016
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
| Ship name = ''Hué City''
| Ship namesake = [[Battle of Hue]]
| Ship owner =
| Ship operator =
| Ship registry =
| Ship route =
| Ship ordered = 16 April 1987
| Ship awarded =
| Ship builder = [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
| Ship original cost =
| Ship yard number =
| Ship way number =
| Ship laid down = 20 February 1989
| Ship launched = 1 June 1990
| Ship sponsor =
| Ship christened =
| Ship completed =
| Ship acquired = 28 June 1991
| Ship commissioned = 14 September 1991
| Ship recommissioned =
| Ship decommissioned = 23 September 2022
| Ship maiden voyage =
| Ship in service =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship renamed =
| Ship reclassified =
| Ship refit =
| Ship struck =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship identification = *[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NHUE
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Uniform}}{{ICS|Echo}}
*[[Hull number]]: CG-66
| Ship motto = ''Fidelity, Courage, Honor''
| Ship nickname =
| Ship honors =
| Ship captured =
| Ship fate =
| Ship status = Stricken, Final Disposition Pending
| Ship notes =
| Ship Crest = [[File:USS Hue City CG-66 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class = {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}
| Ship type =
| Ship tonnage =
| Ship displacement = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser displacement}}
| Ship length = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser length}}
| Ship beam = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser beam}}
| Ship height =
| Ship draft = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser draft}}
| Ship depth =
| Ship hold depth =
| Ship decks =
| Ship deck clearance =
| Ship ramps =
| Ship ice class =
| Ship power =
| Ship propulsion = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser propulsion}}
| Ship sail plan =
| Ship speed = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser speed}}
| Ship range =
| Ship endurance =
| Ship test depth =
| Ship boats =
| Ship capacity =
| Ship troops =
| Ship complement = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser complement}}
| Ship crew =
| Ship time to activate =
| Ship sensors = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser sensors}}
| Ship EW =
| Ship armament = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser armament mark 41}}
| Ship armor =
| Ship aircraft = {{Ticonderoga class cruiser aircraft}}
| Ship aircraft facilities =
| Ship notes =
}}
|}

'''USS ''Hué City'' (CG-66)''' is a decommissioned {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[guided missile]] [[cruiser]] that served in the [[United States Navy]]. She was ordered 16 April 1987, and laid down 20 February 1989, at Ingalls Shipbuilding, [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]]. ''Hué City'' was in active service from 14 September 1991 to 23 September 2022.<ref name="Decommissioned">{{cite press release|url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3169828/uss-hu-city-decommissioned-after-31-years-of-service/|title=USS Hué City Decommissioned After 31 Years of Service|publisher=United States Navy|date=23 September 2022|access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref> She is named for the [[Battle of Huế]], fought in the city during the [[Tet Offensive]] of 1968 by the [[1st Marine Regiment]] (composed of [[1st Battalion, 1st Marines]], [[1st Battalion, 5th Marines]], [[2nd Battalion, 5th Marines]] and attached units) during the [[Vietnam War]]. The three battalion commanders were the honored guests at her 1991 commissioning.

''Hué City'' is the only U.S. Navy ship named after a battle in the Vietnam War, although it had been planned to name LHA-5 as USS ''Khe Sanh'' after the [[Battle of Khe Sanh]], but that ship was commissioned in 1976 as {{USS|Peleliu|LHA-5|2}}. As the only U.S. warship named for a battle that took place during the Vietnam War, ''Hué City'' had the opportunity to reach out to the veterans of the battle for which she is named. She frequently held memorials commemorating the Battle of Huế.

== Ship history ==
=== 1990s ===
''Hué City'' sailed on 11 March 1993, for her maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|2}} [[Carrier battle group]] (CVBG). Principally operating in the [[Adriatic Sea]], ''Hué City'' developed the air picture and transmitted it to command centers afloat and shore. ''Hué City'' also monitored the safety of United Nations relief flights to [[Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]], ensuring [[Republika Srpska (1992–95)|Serb]] aircraft did not violate no-fly zones.<ref name="Command History">{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041014234754/http://www.hue-city.navy.mil/command.htm |archive-date= 14 October 2004 |url= http://www.hue-city.navy.mil/command.htm |title= Command Information |website= hue-city.navy.mil |access-date= 26 February 2015 }}</ref>

While conducting training near [[Guantanamo Bay, Cuba]], in April 1994, ''Hué City'' was directed to serve as Destroyer Squadron 22 flagship in support of sanctions against [[Haiti]]. ''Hué City'' sailed for her second deployment 22 March 1995, with the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' CVBG. ''Hué City'' took station in the Red Sea, where she provided air coverage to the Combat Air Patrol enforcing the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq.<ref name="Command History" />

''Hué City'' sailed for the [[Baltic Sea]] on 24 May 1996, to participate in operations involving forty-eight ships from thirteen nations. The operations focused on tracking air, surface, and subsurface targets in a multinational task force. ''Hué City'' deployed on 29 April 1997, to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CV-67|2}} CVBG. ''Hué City'' operated in the Adriatic Sea, overseeing all air activity in support of naval operations.<ref name="Command History" />

In 1999, ''Hué City'' sailed for counter-drug operations in the Caribbean Sea. Later that year, ''Hué City'' participated in Baltic Operations, a multinational exercise consisting of fifty-three vessels from twelve nations.<ref name="Command History" />

=== 2000s ===
''Hué City'' conducted multinational exercises in South America while acting as flagship in UNITAS 2000 Caribbean phase. On 26 June 2000, ''Hué City'' sailed to New York City, as the reviewing ship for President Clinton and his family, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and COMCRUDESGRU 12 in the [[International Naval Review]] 2000.<ref name="Command History" />

As part of the {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73|2}} CVBG, and in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, ''Hué City'' set sail in support of defense and humanitarian efforts off the coast of New York.<ref name="Command History" />

Ships and aircraft of the ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG commenced use of the [[Vieques Island]] inner range beginning 24 September 2001, in conjunction with their Composite Unit Training Exercises (COMPUTEX). The exercise, which began the week prior, also utilized the northern and southern [[Puerto Rico]] operating areas, and involved complex battle group training events, naval surface fire-support training and air-to-ground bombing.<ref name="Command History" />

''Hué City'' then took part in Underway No. 10, one in a series of tests leading to the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Operation Evaluation (OPEVAL) scheduled for Spring 2001. The CEC system provides the capability to cooperatively engage targets by a warship using data from other CEC-equipped ships, aircraft, and land-based sensors, even in an electronic-jamming environment. It also provides a common, consistent and highly accurate air picture, allowing battle group defenses to act as one seamless system. The test, off [[Wallops Island]], [[Virginia]], simulated missile firings from some of the Navy's most technically advanced ships against unmanned drones.<ref name="Command History" />

As part of the ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG, ''Hué City'' took part Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1, with Phase I of the exercise running from January 19 through 26, 2002 and Phase II running 7–14 February 2002.<ref name="Command History" />

In March 2002, ''Hué City'' was part of ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG at it relieved the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' CVBG, in support of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]].<ref name="Command History" />

In May 2002, during a three-day Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) exercise off the coast of Djibouti, Africa, ''Hué City'' fired hundreds of 5-inch rounds in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise 2002 (MEUEX '02) more than 60 targets that included tanks, bunkers, and various military vehicles. ''Hué City'' joined the {{USS|Wasp|LHD-1|2}} [[Amphibious Ready Group]] (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to conduct this first of its kind exercise in this little-known region of northeast Africa.<ref name="Command History" />

=== 2010s ===
Prior to 2014, she successfully completed consecutive deployments to the [[Persian Gulf]] and North Arabian Sea.

On 14 April 2014, Monday evening, a fire broke out at just after 6:20 p.m. local time while ''Hué City'' was steaming about 200 nautical miles northeast of [[Bermuda]]. The crew fought and defeated a major fire in one of the main engineering spaces without suffering any injuries.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/military/2014/04/15/fire-aboard-uss-hue-city/7739429/ |title= USS Hue City crew douses major fire at sea |website= First Coast News |access-date= 2014-04-17 |archive-date= 2014-04-17 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20140417055215/http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/military/2014/04/15/fire-aboard-uss-hue-city/7739429/ |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{in lang|vi}} {{cite web |url= http://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm2/templates/viewarticlesNVO.aspx?articleid=186428&zoneid=1#.U09pc_ldWGV |title= Chiến hạm 'Hue City' của Mỹ cháy phòng máy khi đang công tác |website= nguoi-viet.com |access-date= 2014-04-17 |archive-date= 2014-04-19 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140419013554/http://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm2/templates/viewarticlesNVO.aspx?articleid=186428&zoneid=1#.U09pc_ldWGV |url-status= dead }}]</ref> The ship's executive officer was relieved by the head of Carrier Strike Group 8 in June 2014 for "failing to ensure his crew properly stowed hazardous materials" which subsequently caught fire.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/02/24/hue-city-fire-at-sea/23747141/ |title= Hué City XO ousted after report on ship fire |newspaper= Navy Times |date= 2014-06-26 |access-date= 2014-06-26 }}</ref> According to the investigation report, bales of rags caught fire after they had been improperly stored in an exhaust uptake trunk. The fire caused over $23 million in damage and required over 9 months of repairs. It also caused ''Hué City'' to miss the planned deployment to Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/02/24/hue-city-fire-at-sea/23747141/ |title= Report: Cruiser's frightening blaze caused by rags |newspaper= Navy Times |first= David |last= Larter |date= 2015-02-24 |access-date= 2015-02-24 }}</ref>

===2020s===
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/1/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF|title=Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels|publisher=Office of the Chief of Naval Operations|date=9 December 2020|access-date=2 February 2021|page=16}}</ref>

On 23 September 2022, the Navy held a [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioning]] ceremony for ''Hué City'' at [[Naval Station Norfolk]].<ref name="Decommissioned"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.usni.org/2022/09/23/anzio-hue-city-leave-the-fleet-as-navy-cruiser-decommissionings-continue/|title=Anzio, Hué City Leave the Fleet as Navy Cruiser Decommissionings Continue|publisher=USNI News|date=23 September 2022|access-date=24 September 2022}}</ref>

== Awards ==
''Hué City'' has received the following awards:

* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]], as part of TG 20.15 from 8 May 2000 to 14 May 2001<ref name="Awards">{{cite web |url= https://awards.navy.mil |title= Unit Awards Query |website= awards.navy.mil |access-date= 25 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041014224730/https://awards.navy.mil/ |archive-date= 14 October 2004 }}</ref>
* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]], as part of TF 60 from 1 April 2002 to 30 September 2002<ref name="Awards" />
* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]], as part of COMCARSTRKGRU 8 from 1 October 2011 to 3 July 2013<ref name="Awards" />
* [[Armed Forces Service Medal]] for a number of periods relating to Bosnia from March to July 1993, June to September 1995 and June to August 1997.<ref name="Awards" />
* [[Navy E Ribbon]], 13 awards. 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.<ref name="Awards" />

== References ==
*{{USNAVY|article=Command History|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041014234754/http://www.hue-city.navy.mil/command.htm}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register|hull=CG-66}}
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|USS Hué City (CG-66)}}
*{{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20150323095427/http://www.hue-city.navy.mil/}} (archived March 2015)
*{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CG66|title=Naval Vessel Register CG-66}}

{{Ticonderoga class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hue City (CG-66)}}
[[Category:Ticonderoga-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:1990 ships]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the United States]]

USS Thresher (SS-200)

2025-09-22T03:09:10Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221:

{{Short description|Tambor class submarine}}
{{other ships|USS Thresher}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Thresher (SS-200).jpg
|Ship caption=''Thresher'' as she appeared prewar, with [[Hull classification symbol|hull number]] prominently displayed. Note also her [[conning tower]] has the large slab silhouette which would be rapidly reduced with wartime experience,
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]], [[Groton, Connecticut]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book
| last = Friedman
| first = Norman
| title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
| publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
| year = 1995
| location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
| pages = 285–304
| isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=27 April 1939<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=27 March 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=27 August 1940<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=13 December 1945<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
| Ship honors = * [[File:Silver-service-star-3d.png|20px]] 15 × [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle stars]]
* [[Image:U.S. Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Navy Unit Commendation]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship recommissioned=6 February 1946<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=12 July 1946<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=23 December 1947<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap, 18 March 1948<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Tambor|submarine|4}} [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register 275–280"/>
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1475|long ton|t|lk=on}} standard, surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305–311</ref>
*{{convert|2370|long ton|t}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship length={{convert|307|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|14|ft|7+1/2|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-early-GM-4-GE}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20.4|kn|km/h|0}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*{{convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|km}} at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship endurance=48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship test depth={{convert|250|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Fleet-boat-armament-3-inch}}
|Ship notes= 6th patrol and later: 3 inch gun replaced with [[5"/51 caliber gun]]
}}
|}

'''{{USS|Thresher|SS-200}}''' was the [[Most decorated US Naval vessels of World War II|most decorated]] [[United States Navy]] [[submarine]] of [[World War II]], with 15 [[battle star]]s and a [[Navy Unit Commendation]]. ''Thresher'' was the third of twelve [[Tambor class submarine|''Tambor''-class]] submarines that were commissioned. All twelve fought in the war, and she was one of five to survive it.

==Construction and commissioning==
''Thresher'''s [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] on 27 May 1939 at the [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]] of [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]], [[Connecticut]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 27 March 1940, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Cox Jones, wife of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Claud Ashton Jones|Claud A. Jones]] and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 27 August 1940, with [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[William Lovett Anderson]] in command.<ref name=DANFS>{{cite web |title=Thresher I (SS-200) 1940-1947 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=United States Navy |date=July 1, 2019 |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/thresher-i.html |accessdate=2021-11-17}}</ref>

== August 1940–December 1941 ==
Following training and sea trials, ''Thresher'' got underway from [[New London, Connecticut]] on 25 October 1940 for engineering trials in [[Gravesend Bay, New York]], and shakedown off the [[Dry Tortugas]].

She operated along the [[United States East Coast]] into 1941. She departed on 1 May 1941 for the [[Caribbean Sea]], transiting the [[Panama Canal]] on 9 May, stopping in [[San Diego]], [[California]], through 21 May, and arriving at [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], on 31 May. She operated from the [[Hawaiian Islands]] into the fall of 1941, as tensions rose in the [[Far East]] and the [[United States]] prepared for war in both the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Atlantic Ocean]]s.

''Thresher'' and her [[sister ship]] {{USS|Tautog|SS-199}} departed Submarine Base Pearl Harbor on 31 October 1941 on a simulated war patrol north of [[Midway Atoll]] in the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]]. Both carried live [[torpedo]]es. ''Tautog'' returned first, and on 7 December 1941 ''Thresher'' neared the main Hawaiian Islands to end her cruise. Escorted by the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Litchfield|DD-336}} through Hawaiian waters lest she be mistaken for a hostile submarine, ''Thresher'' received word at 08:10 that Pearl Harbor was [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|under attack]] by Japanese aircraft.

==Patrols==

===First and second===

''Litchfield'' promptly set off to join American light forces departing from the harbor, leaving ''Thresher'' alone to conduct her first real war patrol. However, the destroyer was ordered back to escort; radio contact was established, and a rendezvous arranged, with ''Thresher''. At the pre-appointed time, ''Thresher'' poked up her periscope to have a look, and noticed a destroyer—similar to ''Litchfield''—approaching bows-on. Instead of a warm reception from friends, she got a hot reception from the destroyer's forward gunners, who opened fire on her as soon as her black conning tower broke the surface. ''Thresher'' immediately went deep to avoid. She again tried to enter the harbor on 8 December, but was driven off by depth-bombs from a patrol plane, before {{USS|Thornton|AVD-11|3}} finally arrived to provide safe conduct for the boat at midday.

Departing Pearl Harbor on 30 December 1941, ''Thresher'' headed for the [[Marshall Islands|Marshall]] and [[Mariana Islands]]. Reconnoitering [[Majuro Atoll|Majuro]], [[Arno Atoll|Arno]], and [[Mili Atoll|Mili]] atolls from 9 to 13 January 1942, she shifted to waters off Japanese-held [[Guam]] in the early morning darkness of 4 February. A little before daybreak, a small freighter was sighted {{convert|7|mi}} north of Agana Harbor and ''Thresher'' closed for the attack. She loosed a three-torpedo spread, holing the ship and sending it down by the bow and dead in the water. ''Thresher'' then fired another spread of torpedoes, but all missed. Upon returning to the scene one-half-hour later the ship was gone and ''Thresher'' thought she had scored a kill; [[JANAC|postwar accounting]] did not substantiate it.

While ''en route'' home to Pearl Harbor on 24 February, an overzealous Navy plane attacked ''Thresher'' but did no damage and the sub safely returned to port on 26 February.

=== Third and fourth ===

After refit, ''Thresher'' departed 23 March 1942 for a patrol area near the Japanese home islands. There, she was to gather weather data off [[Honshū]] for use by Admiral [[William Halsey]]'s task force (the carriers {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|3}} and {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|3}}, then approaching Japan. Embarked in ''Hornet'' were 16 [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[B-25 Mitchell]] medium bombers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel [[Jimmy Doolittle|James H. Doolittle]], intended to attack Tokyo on 18 April.

Warned by [[codebreaking|ULTRA]] of four Japanese submarines operating off Tokyo Bay, ''Thresher'' was detected by one of them and fired on, without damage.<ref name="Blair, p.214">{{cite book |last=Blair Jr. |first=Clay |authorlink=Clay Blair |title=Silent Victory |location=Philadelphia |publisher=Lippincott |date=1975 |page=214 |oclc=830892006}}</ref>

On the morning of 10 April, ''Thresher'' sighted a large Japanese freighter. A three-torpedo spread was fired and all missed as the target escaped in the mist. When the target emerged from the murk, ''Thresher'' was not in a position to launch another attack and proceeded on her way.

A second target was sighted later that day, and this time the hunting was better. One torpedo broke the back of freighter ''Sado Maru'' (3,000 tons) off [[Yokohama]], sending it to the bottom in less than three minutes. The subsequent [[depth charge]] attack was delivered by three or four patrol vessels (one of the most severe of the war) caused ''Thresher'' to lose depth control and she plunged to {{convert|400|ft}}, which was below her test depth, before control was regained. She then disobeyed orders and remained to assist Halsey.<ref name="Blair, p.214"/>

On 13 April, running on the surface to recharge her batteries, ''Thresher'' took a wave over her conning tower. Water cascaded down the open hatch and rushed into the boat, shorting many electrical circuits. For a short time, there was a significant danger that chlorine gas would be released, but quick thinking and damage control prevented any hazard. Eventually, all shorts were repaired and the boat pumped out.

The next day, ''Thresher'' departed her assigned patrol area and turned her attention to gathering weather data. She conducted periscope patrols in the advance screen of Halsey's task force, searching for any enemy craft that could warn the Japanese homeland. She was detached from this duty on 16 April and, after evading two Japanese patrol planes, returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 April.

On 26 June 1942, ''Thresher'' commenced her fourth war patrol heading for waters between the [[Palau Islands|Palau]] and the Marshall Islands. On 6 July one torpedo struck home during an attack on a tanker off Enijun Pass. The two surface escorts were soon joined by aircraft and, after a three-hour depth charging, ''Thresher'' was able to resume her search for other targets.

Three days later, midway between [[Kwajalein]] and [[Wotje]] atolls, ''Thresher'' fired two torpedoes at a 4,836 ton torpedo boat tender which caused tremendous explosions as the tender sank beneath the waves. ''Thresher'' withdrew from expected countermeasures. Within an hour, two depth charges shook the boat, and ten minutes later, a banging and clanking alerted her to the fact the Japanese were apparently bringing a large grapnel into play in an attempt to capture the boat.<ref name="End of the Line">{{cite web |title=End of the Line |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2185201/ |publisher=IMDb |access-date=30 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="youtube.com">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qAWH8ev-yxs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331005902/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAWH8ev-yxs&list=PL6ZuUwjUfenYk_e7nKFQuhoqVQoo9sKiW&index=7 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=End of the Line |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAWH8ev-yxs |website=YouTube |access-date=30 June 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

After applying full right rudder, ''Thresher'' made a 10‑minute high-speed run which shook her free from the giant hook.<ref name="End of the Line"/><ref name="youtube.com"/> Then, as a depth charge exploded near her conning tower, the boat went deeper. Bending on rudder, ''Thresher'' left the enemy behind, with some 30-odd depth charges exploding in her wake. Shaken but not seriously damaged, ''Thresher'' made minor repairs as she headed for [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] to reconnoiter the passes leading into this enemy naval bastion.

Missing a freighter with torpedoes on the night of 20 July, ''Thresher'' surfaced in a rain squall before daybreak the next morning. The boat's sonar picked up the sound of screws, close and closing. Soon an enemy patrol craft came into view, on a collision course. Surprisingly, the Japanese chose not to ram, but instead turned hard right, and came to a parallel course some {{convert|50|yd|m}} away. ''Thresher'' went deep, while the enemy's guns fired close but ineffective salvoes into the water ahead of the disappearing boat.

After escaping to the Palaus, ''Thresher'' tangled with an enemy [[Q-ship]] off [[Ambon Island|Ambon]] in the former [[Netherlands East Indies]]. The two torpedoes she fired at the enemy failed to explode,<ref>A persistent problem for the [[Mark 14 torpedo]]'s [[Mark 6 exploder]].</ref> and the [[Q-ship]] subjected ''Thresher'' to a salvo of eight depth charges before giving up the attack. Since she had been reassigned to the Southwest Pacific Submarine Force, ''Thresher'' sailed away from this encounter ''en route'' to Australian waters and terminated her fourth war patrol at [[Fremantle]] on 15 August.

=== Fifth and sixth ===

After refit, ''Thresher'' loaded [[naval mine|mine]]s and departed [[Fremantle]] on 15 September 1942, bound for the [[Gulf of Siam]]. She fired torpedoes at two freighters north of [[Lombok Strait]] on 19 September but was unable to determine the results of her attacks. On the night of 25 September, luck again failed to smile on her as a single torpedo streaked beneath a large, high-speed target in the [[Sulu Sea]].

''Thresher'' later surfaced at 23:00 and proceeded on a course which took her north to Pearl Bank. There, in the northernmost reaches of the [[Gulf of Siam]], she made one of the first mine plants by a submarine in the Pacific War. These strategic [[mine field]]s laid by ''Thresher'' and her sisters in subsequent patrols, covered Japanese shipping lanes in areas of the Southwest Pacific Command previously unpatrolled by submarines. Later, these minefields filled the gap between patrol zones along the coastal waters of [[British Malaya|Malaya]], [[Siam]], and [[Indochina]], when many boats were diverted to participate in the [[Solomon Islands]] campaign.

While reconnoitering off [[Balikpapan]], [[Borneo]], and the [[Sulawesi|Celebes]] coast, ''Thresher'' sighted a tanker aground on a reef off Kapoposang Island in the [[Java Sea]]. She soon surfaced for a deck gun attack and left the enemy ship with decks awash. The boat then returned to Fremantle on 12 November for refit.

Underway from Fremantle on 16 December 1942, she arrived off [[Soerabaya]], [[Java (island)|Java]], on 25 December. She intercepted a convoy of freighters, escorted by two destroyers, several subchasers, and two aircraft. Slipping past the escorts, ''Thresher'' sent five torpedoes towards the leading three ships. Two successive explosions followed. Rising to [[periscope depth]], the boat observed the second ship in the column down by the bow, with her stern up in the air and her screws, still revolving, out of the water. A second ship lay dead in the water, enveloped in smoke. Escaping unscathed from this tangle with a coastal convoy, ''Thresher'' sighted an enemy [[aircraft carrier]] the next night, but was picked up by escorts and held at bay for more than an hour while the tempting target faded into the night.

On the night of 29 December 1942, ''Thresher'' (now in the hands of [[William J. Millican|William J. "Moke" Millican]], Class of 1928) made contact with a 3,000-ton freighter. Just before midnight, she fired a spread of torpedoes at the cargo ship, but all missed or ran too deep. Undaunted, she waited for the moonrise and then surfaced to use her deck gun. Outmaneuvering the enemy, who tried to ram her, ''Thresher'' scored eight hits in succession with her {{convert|5|in|mm}} [[5"/51 caliber gun|main gun]], where her target probably sank in the shallow water, one of the few sunk entirely by deck guns.<ref>Japanese records do not show this loss, though [[JANAC]] credits Moke Millican with a 2,700-tonner for this patrol. Also, Blair, pp.350 & 922, records all torpedoes expended before this attack.</ref>

=== Seventh ===
After arriving back in Fremantle on 10 January 1943, the boat got underway 15 days later for her seventh war patrol, with four torpedoes short of a normal load.<ref>Thanks to production shortages at [[Newport Torpedo Station]]. Blair, p.391.</ref> At 11:00 on 14 February, ''Thresher'' made contact with a Japanese [[Kaidai type submarine#Kaidai V (I-165 class)|''I-65'' class submarine]] east of Thwartway Island. She launched two torpedoes; one was a dud, and the other exploded on the ocean bottom. Turning north and firing deck guns, ''Thresher'''s adversary soon disappeared over the horizon.

Proceeding to the [[Flores Sea]], ''Thresher'' intercepted a three-ship convoy escorted by two anti-submarine vessels on 21 February. One of the sub's two torpedoes hit the stern of a transport. ''Thresher'' then evaded 13 depth charges before returning to periscope depth a little more than an hour later. She observed her target lying dead in the water while barges [[Lighter (barge)|lighter]]ed troops to an undamaged mate. As escorts searched the waters nearby, ''Thresher'' closed and torpedoed the second transport, which had stopped to transfer survivors. Two loud explosions reverberated in the background as the boat dived to avoid possible countermeasures.

The following day, ''Thresher'' returned to celebrate [[Presidents' Day (United States)|Washington's Birthday]] by finishing off the first transport which jack-knifed into a "<code>V</code>" shape and sank within three minutes.

''Thresher'' prowled for more game and came upon a tanker and a freighter on 2 March. A single torpedo hit on the 5,232-ton tanker and it sank. The freighter, sighting torpedo wakes, took evasive action to avoid being hit. Then, a nearby escort arrived on the scene and kept ''Thresher'' at bay while the target escaped. The boat subsequently concluded this patrol arriving at Fremantle on 10 March.

On her return to base, her skipper roundly criticized the torpedoes, especially the failure to sink the I-boat. Admiral [[Ralph Waldo Christie|Ralph W. Christie]]<ref>Who had been a member of the Mark XIV's design team.</ref> denied it and relieved him.

=== Eighth and ninth ===

Her eighth war patrol (commanded by Harry Hull, Class of 1932), lasting 4 April to 23 May 1943, was uneventful, but her ninth saw the boat score another kill. Off [[Balikpapan]], [[Borneo]], she sighted a three-ship convoy, escorted by a sole destroyer ([[Japanese destroyer Hokaze|''Hokaze'']]) on the night of 30 June 1943. After an unrewarding try with a trio of torpedoes, ''Thresher'' dodged the escort's depth charging attack and returned for another attempt. Tracking with radar, ''Thresher'' set a tanker ablaze from stem to stern and scored hits on a 5,274-ton passenger freighter in the [[Makassar Strait]].

Heading for Tambu Bay on the morning of 5 July, ''Thresher'' tracked a tanker. Chasing her quarry along the [[Sulawesi]] (Celebes) coast, the submarine lurked nearby until the escort left. ''Thresher'' then closed, loosed three torpedoes, and scored one hit on the bow of the enemy vessel. This blow failed to stop the tanker, which fired her guns to keep ''Thresher'' at bay as she escaped at high speed.

Four days later, ''Thresher'' arrived off Catmou Point, [[Negros Island]]. Under cover of darkness, the boat surfaced and delivered {{convert|500|lb|kg}} of stores and 40,000 rounds of ammunition to [[Philippine resistance against Japan|Filipino guerrilla]]s. Receiving intelligence documents in return, ''Thresher'' got underway for a resumption of her patrol shortly before midnight on 9 July. She soon departed the Philippines and sailed ''via'' Midway Island and Pearl Harbor to the west coast for a major overhaul at the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]], [[Vallejo, California]].

=== Tenth ===
[[File:USS Thresher (SS-200)-October1943.jpg|thumb|right|USS Thresher following refitting in the summer of 1943.]]
Newly refitted and again commanded by Harry Hull, ''Thresher'' departed the west coast on 8 October 1943 and arrived at Pearl Harbor one week later; she commenced her tenth war patrol on 1 November, bound for the waters north of the [[Caroline Islands]]. Prowling north of Truk, ''Thresher'' commenced tracking a five-ship convoy on the morning of 12 November and slipped past two escorts shortly before midnight.

She fired three torpedoes into a 4,862-ton transport. The next attack, another three torpedo spread, missed their mark. Escorting antisubmarine craft hunted in vain for the American attacker, dropping 20 depth charges in a harassing barrage.

=== Eleventh and twelfth ===

''Thresher’s'' 11th war patrol (this one under command of Duncan C. MacMillan, Class of 1926<ref>Former exec on {{USS|Argonaut|SS-166|2}}, he was the oldest regular submarine officer then commanding a fleet boat. Blair, p.538.</ref>) took her to the [[South China Sea]] south of Formosa. While cruising on the surface on 10 January 1944, ''Thresher'' sighted a pair of masts, low on the horizon, and quickly dove to avoid possible detection. Coming to periscope depth soon thereafter, she approached cautiously, keeping in mind the ship may have been the advance screen of a convoy. The contact proved to be a 150-ton trawler. ''Thresher'' battle-surfaced, commencing fire at {{convert|6000|yd|m}}; the trawler sank after ''Thresher'' expended 45 {{convert|5|in|mm}} shells, 1,000 rounds of [[M2 Browning|.50 cal (12.7 mm)]]; and 770 {{convert|20|mm|in}} rounds.

''Thresher'' next set course for the [[Luzon Strait]], between [[Batan Island]] and [[Luzon]], in the [[Philippines]]. At 11:43 on 15 January, she came to the surface and spotted a Japanese aircraft carrier with an escorting destroyer soon thereafter. The boat submerged to periscope depth in time to observe two enemy destroyers rapidly approaching. With insufficient time to maneuver for a "down the throat" shot, ''Thresher'' went deep and rigged for [[Silent running (submarine)|silent running]]. The destroyer churned overhead and dropped four depth charges, none close. After remaining overhead two hours, dropping between ten and fifteen more depth charges,<ref name="Blair, p.538">Blair, p.538.</ref> the enemy finally turned away, leaving ''Thresher'' unscathed.

Again coming to periscope depth at 17:00, ''Thresher'' soon sighted a four-ship convoy at {{convert|12000|yd|m}} with a single sub-chaser as escort. Surfacing at 19:11, ''Thresher'' began the chase, tracking the convoy by [[radar]]. The three leading targets steamed in column, with the escort between the third and fourth merchantmen. ''Thresher'' maneuvered to the west to silhouette the targets against the rising moon. The convoy changed course at 21:55, giving ''Thresher'' an excellent setup for her stern tubes. At 22:07, the boat let fly from {{convert|1800|yd}} with four torpedoes at the lead ship, a 6,960 ton freighter. ''Thresher'' observed two hits, and the vessel, its bow in the air, was observed in a sinking condition.

''Thresher'' next fired three bow tubes at the second target, a 4,092 ton freighter. Three torpedoes struck the freighter<ref name="Blair, p.538"/> and literally blew her to pieces. The cargo of oil burst into flames and illuminated the night as brightly as day.

The third ship started firing on ''Thresher'' with deck guns, passing down the port side at {{convert|800|yd}}. With the submarine now readily visible, and her stern tubes dry, ''Thresher'' dove as bullets from the approaching escort splashed nearby. ''Thresher'' counted some 20 explosions from depth charges before the patrol craft left an hour later. Upon surfacing, ''Thresher'' was again alone and set off to patrol along the Singapore-to-Japan trade route.

On 26 January, ''Thresher'' made radar contact with a small [[convoy]] and soon spotted two ships steaming along beneath the overcast night skies. At 00:11, ''Thresher'' fired three bow torpedoes at a 1,266-ton freighter, then cleared the area. Her "fish" scored a bullseye, and the quarry disappeared within a minute. A second spread, 35 seconds after the first, claimed a 2,205-ton freighter. A third target made off to the south at high speed, "spraying the ocean with five-inch ammunition". Resuming the approach at 00:20, ''Thresher'' doggedly tailed the Japanese ship for four hours before reaching a favorable attack position. Firing her last torpedoes at 04:46, ''Thresher'' began to build up speed and had just commenced a turn when one torpedo struck the enemy ship, causing a tremendous explosion. The blast slowed the freighter, but its tremendous concussion stopped ''Thresher'' dead in the water. All four main engine overspeed trips were actuated; cork insulation flew; lights broke; clocks stopped; and water poured down the antenna trunk. By the time ''Thresher'' regained battle readiness, the enemy was too far away to encourage further pursuit. Well within the range of shore-based aircraft, ''Thresher'' quit the chase. Escorts, alerted to the fact an American submarine was prowling in the vicinity, arrived on the scene and conducted a three-hour-long, futile, depth-charging.

On 28 and 29 January, ''Thresher'' patrolled the [[Taiwan|Formosa]]-to-Palau route, in the [[Luzon Strait]], before returning ''via'' [[Midway Island]] to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 18 February. There, Lieutenant Commander MacMillan was awarded the [[Navy Cross]] for his aggressive action during the patrol.<ref name=MacMillan /><ref>[http://americanhistory.si.edu/subs/history/subsbeforenuc/ww2/index.html# picture of a January 1944 victim of the "Thresher"]</ref>

''Thresher'' went to sea again on 18 March 1944, departing [[Pearl Harbor]] for the central [[Caroline Islands]]. She remained on air-sea rescue ("lifeguard") station during American carrier strikes on [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]], bombarded [[Oroluk Atoll]] on 11 April, and photographed islands in that group. The boat played "hide and seek" with numerous enemy aircraft and witnessed several American bombing raids on [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]]. She sighted only two enemy ships and was unable to attack either, before she returned to Pearl Harbor on 8 May.

=== Thirteenth ===

On 14 June 1944, ''Thresher'' headed out for her 13th war patrol, again commanded by MacMillan. On 25 June, she joined a "[[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]" that also included {{USS|Apogon|SS-308|3}}, {{USS|Guardfish|SS-217|3}}, and {{USS|Piranha|SS-389|3}}. Nicknamed the "Mickey Finns" and under the overall command of Captain [[William V. O'Regan|William V. "Mickey" O'Regan]]<ref>Commander of SubDiv 42. Blair, p.677.</ref> (flying his flag in ''Guardfish''), the group picked up "ditching signals" from a downed aircraft that afternoon and changed course to investigate. Arriving in the vicinity on 27 June, they found only a drop tank and no trace of plane or pilot.

Over the succeeding days, the boats observed several planes but contacted only a few fishing vessels and small patrol craft. This drought of targets continued until 11 July, when ''Thresher'' made radar contact with a group of six ships steaming on the Formosa-Luzon route. As she changed course to intercept, she dispatched contact reports to the other boats. ''Guardfish'' and ''Apogon'' picked up the contact, but ''Piranha'' could not. ''Thresher'' deployed to a position {{convert|15000|yd}} astern of the convoy, to trail the enemy group and be ready to pick off stragglers. ''Guardfish'' took the enemy's port flank, and ''Apogon'' maneuvered to the convoy's starboard quarter.

A Japanese escort latched on to ''Thresher'', however, and trailed her, depriving her of a chance to attack the convoy. Meanwhile, ''Piranha'' managed to sink a 6,504-ton passenger/cargo ship. ''Apogon'' was rammed and forced to return to base for repairs.

Rendezvousing on 13 July, the remaining boats resumed the hunt. At 16:00 on 16 July, ''Thresher'' sighted smoke on the horizon. She surfaced and dispatched a contact report. After a cat-and-mouse period of some two hours, she noted the convoy consisted of six ships: a large tanker, three freighters, and two escorts.

''Thresher'' closed beneath a clear and dark night sky. At 23:29, with the range to the near escort at {{convert|2000|yd}}, she commenced fire. Three torpedoes sped from the forward tubes toward the lead escort, three to the first freighter. ''Thresher'' then turned and emptied all four stern tubes at the second freighter. Four explosions were sighted and as ''Thresher'' departed at high speed, another six soon after.

Commencing a reload of her tubes at midnight (00.00 or 24.00), ''Thresher'' returned to the area and continued the attack on the convoy which consisted now of only three ships: a freighter, the oiler, and an escort. At 01:18, ''Thresher'' fired two bow tubes at the escort and three at the leading freighter; the sub then fired her stern tubes at the oiler. Soon thereafter, ''Thresher'' heard at least six explosions. The escort promptly began a depth charge barrage. Returning to periscope depth, ''Thresher'' found the convoy had remained stubbornly afloat. She began reloading her tubes again at 01.22 and returned to the chase.

While tube number six was still being reloaded, ''Thresher'' fired two other bow tubes at the freighter, two more at the oiler, and the remaining full one at the escort; she then swung about and fired one stern tube at the latter. Two torpedoes exploded at 02:46, and the cargo ship sank immediately. One minute later, two "fish" struck the oiler. A tremendous explosion lighted the entire sky, and the ship sank within 15 seconds.

While it could not be ascertained whether or not the last escort went down, the effect of two torpedo hits made it likely he had been heavily damaged. All torpedoes expended, ''Thresher'' headed for Midway. The boat claimed to have destroyed the entire convoy, but a post-war assessment confirmed only two cargo vessels, ''Sainei Maru'' (4,916 tons) and ''Shozan Maru'' (2,838 tons), and no escort.<ref>Moreover, Japanese records show no tanker sunk there on this date, while MacMillan shared credit with Bub Ward, who was awarded ''Jinzan Maru'' (5,200 tons), ''Mantai Maru'' (5,900 tons), and ''Hiyama Maru'' (2,800 tons) by JANAC. Blair, p.677.</ref> ''Thresher'' did, however, receive the [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for the patrol, and MacMillan received his second [[Navy Cross]].<ref name=MacMillan>{{cite news |title=Duncan MacMillan - recipient |url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/20649 |work=Military Times |publisher=Sightline Media Group |accessdate=2022-01-07}} See also {{cite web |title=Duncan Calvin MacMillan RADM |url=https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=LegacySBV&type=Person&ID=530777 |accessdate=2022-01-07}}</ref>

=== Fourteenth ===
Upon completion of voyage repairs (and with John R. Middleton Jr., Class of 1935, now at the helm<ref>Blair, p.955.</ref>), ''Thresher'' stood out of Midway on 23 August 1944, bound for the [[Yellow Sea]] and [[East China Sea]] on her fourteenth war patrol. Six days later, while cruising on the surface, ''Thresher'' was battered by heavy seas which caused the boat to roll some 53 degrees from the vertical and produced waves up to {{convert|50|ft}} high.

Rounding the southern tip of [[Kyūshū]], ''Thresher'' sighted several small craft before making contact with a minelayer and two subchasers on 10 September. Clearing the vicinity at high speed, ''Thresher'' headed for a new patrol area.

''Thresher'' was twice frustrated on 13 September, when a large oiler passed far out of reach and a freighter, attacked with four torpedoes, refused to sink. An escorting aircraft harried the boat and prevented any further attacks.

At 15:31 on 18 September, ''Thresher'' sighted the masts, funnel and bridge of a ship on the horizon. After determining the enemy's base course and zigzag plan, ''Thresher'' surfaced and locked on the freighter with radar at 19:23. Another pip, an escort vessel, soon appeared on radar.

By 21:00, ''Thresher'' had maneuvered into position off the enemy's port bow and waited for the Japanese ships to make a zig which would place her at a desirable point for the attack. ''Thresher'' closed in for the kill and loosed four torpedoes as the group turned to the right. The Japanese, however, did not meet her prediction, and the first spread ran wide of its targets. Still undetected, ''Thresher'' quickly came about and fired four stern "fish" from {{convert|1200|yd}}. The second spread ran true, hitting 6,854-ton freighter [[SS Gyōkū Maru|''Gyōkū Maru'']]. The explosions broke the cargoman's back, and she quickly slipped from sight.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} ''Thresher'' retired at high speed when she detected the presence of three additional ships closing rapidly.

''Thresher'' reloaded and turned upon her pursuers, loosing a spread of torpedoes which barely missed. She evaded her hunters and shifted to waters off [[Manchuria]]. The boat sighted only fishing craft until 26 August, when a large cargo vessel hove into sight at 09:44. ''Thresher'' surfaced at 13:15 and headed for the nearest point on the enemy's zigzag course. An hour later, the submarine spotted a floatplane on patrol, and hurriedly dived. As she went deep, one depth charge exploded nearby.

Staying under until 16:00, ''Thresher'' came to the surface and reacquired her target at 18:15. Tracking until sunset, she postulated the enemy vessel was bound for [[Daecheongdo|Daisei Gunto]] and an intercept course was plotted accordingly. Attacking from the bright moon side, ''Thresher'' fired two bow tubes, aiming one torpedo at the hull near the mainmast and one at the foremast. Both struck home, and the 1,468-ton freighter broke up and sank within a minute.

The following day, 26 September, ''Thresher'' came upon a 5,000-ton{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} oiler and cut loose with four stern tubes from a range of {{convert|4000|yd}}. Those on the bridge saw the target disappear within a minute. Tubes dry, ''Thresher'' headed for Midway. ''En route'', on 3 October, she sighted, tracked, and approached a small trawler. After sunset, ''Thresher'' surfaced and manned her deck guns. After firing 27 rounds of five-inch ammunition, the boat soon received close return fire which forced her to back off. Too dark to see the target, ''Thresher'' resumed her passage to Midway.

After fueling at Midway on 8 October, ''Thresher'' sailed for the Hawaiian Islands and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 12 October 1944. Following a lengthy refit, ''Thresher'' got underway on 31 January 1945 for the Marianas, in company with {{USS|Tilefish|SS-307|3}}, {{USS|Shad|SS-235|3}}, and {{USS|Peto|SS-265|3}}. Remaining at [[Saipan]] overnight on 12–13 February, the impromptu wolf pack pushed on toward its assigned patrol areas north of Luzon. However, only two of ''Thresher''{{'}}s contacts developed into attacks. One failed due to the target's shallow draft; and the second contact evaded. ''Thresher'' did, however, conduct air-sea guard patrols; and conducted a shore bombardment of Basco Harbor, [[Batan Island]], on 28 March. The latter part of this patrol was conducted in company with ''Piranha'' and {{USS|Puffer|SS-268|3}}.

== End of active duty ==

Clearing her patrol station, ''Thresher'' nested alongside {{USS|Fulton|AS-11|3}} for voyage repairs before pushing on for [[Oahu]] on 4 April 1945. Arriving at [[Pearl Harbor]] 20 days later, ''Thresher'' ended her active combat service, after fifteen war patrols. Undergoing a routine refit and voyage repairs, ''Thresher'' subsequently rendered target training services out of [[Pearl Harbor]] and [[Eniwetok]]. She was operating out of the latter base on 15 August 1945 when the war in the Pacific ended.

''Thresher'' cleared [[Eniwetok]] on 15 September, arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 22 September, and stood out to sea on 26 September. Making port at San Francisco, on 4 October, the boat subsequently left the West Coast on 31 October. She transited the [[Panama Canal]] on 10 November and arrived at [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], on 18 November. She was decommissioned there on 13 December 1945.

''Thresher'' was recommissioned on 6 February 1946 to be used as a target during atomic bomb test at [[Bikini Atoll]] in the Pacific. However, during the refurbishing, it was decided she had deteriorated beyond economical repair, and work was stopped. ''Thresher'' was decommissioned for the final time on 12 July 1946. She was stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 23 December 1947, and on 18 March 1948 sold for scrap to Max Siegel of [[Everett, Massachusetts]].

==Honors and awards==
*[[File:U.S. Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|106px]] [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for World War II service<ref name=DANFS />
*{{ribbon devices|number=15|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with 15 [[battle star]]s for World War II service<ref name=DANFS />

''Thresher'' was the most decorated U.S. submarine and among the [[Most decorated US Naval vessels of World War II|most decorated U.S. ships of World War II]].

==In culture==

''Thresher'' is the subject of the third episode of the first season of [[Television syndication|syndicated]] [[television]] [[anthology series]] ''The Silent Service''. The episode, entitled "The End of the Line," aired 5 Apr 1957. It portrayed the Japanese attempt to grab Thresher with a grappling hook when she was off Kwajalein in July 1942.<ref name="End of the Line"/><ref name="youtube.com"/>

''Thresher'' was also the subject of the sixth episode of the second season of [[Television syndication|syndicated]] [[television]] [[anthology series]] ''The Silent Service''. The episode, entitled "The Thresher Story," recounts the events of firing her 3" gun on her Fifth war patrol and being subsequently refitted with "an old relic," a 5"/51 (which had entered service in 1911).

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
{{Refend}}
'''Attribution:'''
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/thresher-i.html}}

{{Tambor_class_submarine}}
{{December 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{February 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thresher (Ss-200)}}
[[Category:Tambor-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1941]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1942]]

USS Valley Forge (CG-50)

2025-09-22T01:04:03Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Awards */

{{short description|Ticonderoga-class cruiser}}
{{Other ships|USS Valley Forge}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS Valley Forge (CG 50) passes by the San Diego skyline.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Valley Forge'' in [[San Diego]] on 2 November 2002
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|2004}}
|Ship name=''Valley Forge''
|Ship namesake= [[Valley Forge]]
|Ship ordered=28 August 1981
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=14 April 1983
|Ship launched=23 June 1984
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=29 September 1984
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=18 January 1986
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=30 August 2004
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=30 August 2004
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NVFP
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Victor}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}{{ICS|Papa}}
*[[Pennant number]]: CG-50
|Ship motto=''First In War - First In Peace''
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=[[Target ship|Sunk as target]], 2 November 2006
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:USS Valley Forge CG-50 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{Ticonderoga class cruiser displacement}}
|Ship length={{Ticonderoga class cruiser length}}
|Ship beam={{Ticonderoga class cruiser beam}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draft={{Ticonderoga class cruiser draft}}
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion={{Ticonderoga class cruiser propulsion}}
|Ship speed={{Ticonderoga class cruiser speed}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement={{Ticonderoga class cruiser complement}}
|Ship sensors={{Ticonderoga class cruiser sensors}}
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Ticonderoga class cruiser armament mark 26}}
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft={{Ticonderoga class cruiser aircraft}}
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Valley Forge'' (CG-50)''' was a {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}} in the [[United States Navy]]. She was named for [[Valley Forge]], where the [[Continental Army]] camped during one winter in the [[American Revolution]].

== Construction and commissioning ==
The ship was built by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and was launched on 29 September 1984, by her sponsor Julia Vadala Taft, wife of [[Deputy Secretary of Defense]] [[William Howard Taft IV|William H. Taft IV]].

==Service history==
During the 1986 [[RIMPAC]] naval exercise, she acted as the plane guard for the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}}.

She saw action during Desert Storm in the USS Ranger battle group and served as the overall Anti-Air warfare commander for the gulf (Bravo Zulu AAWC).

In March 2003, ''Valley Forge'' was assigned to [[Destroyer Squadron 21]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/usa/surface.htm|title=World Navies Today: US Navy Aircraft Carriers & Surface Combatants|last=Toppan|first=Andrew|date=10 March 2003|publisher=Hazegray.org|access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref>

The ship was decommissioned on 31 August 2004, at [[San Diego Naval Station]], the first ship with the [[Aegis combat system]] withdrawn from service. ''Valley Forge'' was sunk on 2 November 2006, as part of target practice on a test range near [[Kauai]], Hawaii.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.navytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2366000.php|title=Aegis ship sunk on target range|last=Cavas|first=Christopher P.|date=17 November 2006|work=Navy Times|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904141948/http://www.navytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2366000.php#selection-331.0-300.12|archive-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>

===Awards===
{{uncited-section|date= February 2025|reason=Where did this info come from? Cite source used.}}
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan=3|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Combat Action Ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Joint Meritorious Unit Award (USMC and USN frame).svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=U.S. Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Battle Effectiveness Award ribbon, 3rd award.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Southwest Asia Service Medal ribbon (1991–2016), 3rd award.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=6|type=service-star|ribbon=Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=U.S. Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) ribbon.svg|width=103}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|}
* [[Combat Action Ribbon]] - (16-28 Feb 1991)
* [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] - (Dec 1992-May 1993)
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] - (Jan-Feb 1991, Jan-May 2003)
* Navy [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] - (Dec 1994-May 1995, Jun-Dec 1998)
* [[Navy E Ribbon]] - (1989, 1995, 1998)
* [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]] - (Jun-Jul 1987)
* [[Special Operations Service Ribbon]] - (Apr-May 1993)

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Naval Vessel Register|hull=CG-50}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg50.html ''USS Valley Forge'' webpage]

{{Ticonderoga class cruiser}}
{{2006 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valley Forge (CG-50)}}
[[Category:Ticonderoga-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:1984 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Valley Forge|USS Valley Forge (CG-50)]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]

{{US-mil-ship-stub}}

Lance L. Smith

2025-09-21T23:17:04Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Major awards and decorations */

{{short description|United States Air Force general}}

{{BLP sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Lance L. Smith
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1946|9|18}}
|death_date=
|birth_place=[[Akron, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|placeofburial_label=Place of burial
|image=Lance L Smith.jpg
|caption=General Lance L. Smith
|nickname=
|allegiance=[[United States|United States of America]]
|branch=[[United States Air Force]]
|serviceyears=1970-2008
|rank=[[General officer|General]]
|commands=U.S. Joint Forces Command NATO Supreme Allied Command for Transformation 7th Air Force Air Force Doctrine Center 4th Fighter Wing 27th Fighter Wing
|unit=
|battles=[[Vietnam War]]
|awards=[[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]] (3) [[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Silver Star]] (3) [[Legion of Merit]] (2) [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] (3) [[Purple Heart]] [[Air Medal]] (10)
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
'''Lance L. Smith''' (born September 18, 1946)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_senate_hearings&docid=f:34348.wais|title = - S. HRG. 109-847 NOMINATIONS BEFORE THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, FIRST SESSION, 109TH CONGRESS}}</ref> is a retired [[United States Air Force]] [[General (United States)|general]] who last served as the Commander, [[United States Joint Forces Command|U.S. Joint Forces Command]], [[Norfolk, Virginia]], and NATO [[Allied Command Transformation|Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation]] from November 10, 2005, to November 9, 2007. A highly decorated combat veteran, the general retired from active duty on January 1, 2008.

Smith entered the United States Air Force in 1970 after graduating from [[Virginia Tech]] and completing [[Officer Training School]]. He served two tours at [[The Pentagon]] and was [[Commandant]] of the NATO School at [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]], Commandant of [[Air War College]], and Vice Commander of [[Air University (United States)|Air University]]. He commanded two fighter wings and led two air expeditionary force deployments to [[Southwest Asia]]: AEF III and the 4th Air Expeditionary Wing. He flew more than 165 [[Military operation|combat missions]] in Southeast and Southwest Asia in the [[A-1 Skyraider]] and the [[F-15E Strike Eagle]]. A [[command pilot]], he has more than 3,000 hours in various military aircraft.

==Education==
*1969 Bachelor of Arts degree in business management, [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute]], Blacksburg, Virginia
*1978 Master of Arts degree in business management, [[Central Michigan University]], Mount Pleasant
*1982 Air Command and Staff College, [[Maxwell Air Force Base]], Alabama
*1990 [[United States Army War College|Army War College]], [[Carlisle Barracks]], Pennsylvania
*1994 Advanced Executive Program, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, [[Northwestern University]], Evanston, Illinois

==Assignments==
*June 1970 - June 1971, student, undergraduate pilot training, [[Columbus AFB]], Mississippi
*June 1971 - September 1971, A-1 combat crew training, [[Hurlburt Field]], Florida
*October 1971 - October 1972, A-1 pilot, 1st Special Operations Squadron, [[Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AFB]], Thailand
*October 1972 - July 1973, instructor pilot training, [[Randolph AFB]], Texas
*July 1973 - September 1977, instructor pilot and chief, check section, 96th Flying Training Squadron, [[Williams AFB]], Arizona
*September 1977 - January 1979, staff officer, Air Staff Training Program, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
*January 1979 - August 1981, student, A-7 Corsair conversion training, A-7D aircraft commander, flight commander and assistant operations officer, 76th Tactical Fighter Squadron, [[England AFB]], Louisiana
*August 1981 - June 1982, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
*June 1982 - July 1986, Air Staff officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations; Project Checkmate analyst for interdiction, Europe and Southwest Asia; Air Force team chief, Joint Assessment and Initiative Office, and executive officer to the Air Force Director of Operations, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
*July 1986 - July 1989, Chief of Safety, later, Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations, 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, [[Myrtle Beach Air Force Base|Myrtle Beach AFB]], South Carolina
*July 1989 - June 1990, student, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
*June 1990 - August 1992, Commandant, NATO School, SHAPE, Oberammergau, Germany
*August 1992 - September 1993, Vice Commander, later, Commander, 27th Fighter Wing, [[Cannon AFB]], New Mexico
*September 1993 - June 1995, Assistant Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Combat Command, [[Langley AFB]], Virginia
*June 1995 - July 1997, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, [[Seymour Johnson AFB]], North Carolina
*July 1997 - August 1998, Vice Commander, 7th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Korea, and Chief of Staff, Combined Republic of Korea and U.S. Air Component Command, [[Osan Air Base]], South Korea
*September 1998 - December 1999, Commandant, Air War College, and Vice Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
*December 1999 - November 2001, Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
*November 2001 - October 2003, Deputy Commander, United Nations Command; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea; Commander, Air Component Command, Republic of Korea and U.S. Combined Forces Command; and Commander, 7th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Osan AB, South Korea
*October 2003 - November 2005, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, [[MacDill AFB]], Florida
*November 2005 - November 2007, Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, and NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, Norfolk, Virginia

==Flight information==
*Rating: Command pilot
*Flight hours: More than 3,000
*Aircraft flown: [[T-33]], [[T-37 Tweet|T-37]], [[Northrop T-38 Talon|T-38]], [[A-1 Skyraider|A-1]], [[A-7 Corsair II|A-7]], [[A-10]], [[F-111F]], [[F-15E]] and [[F-16]]

==Major awards and decorations==
{|
|[[File:COMMAND PILOT WINGS.png|150px]]
|[[United States Aviator Badge|Air Force Command Pilot Badge]]
|-
|[[File:USJFCOM SEAL.gif|50px]]
|[[United States Joint Forces Command]] Badge
|-
|[[File:Emblem_of_Allied_Command_Transformation.svg|50px]]
|[[Allied Command Transformation]] Badge
|}
{|
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Defense Distinguished Service ribbon|width=60}}[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]] with two bronze [[oak leaf cluster]]s
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Force Distinguished Service ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Silver Star Medal ribbon|width=60}}[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Silver Star]] with two oak leaf clusters
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Defense Superior Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=Legion of Merit ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Legion of Merit]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon|width=60}}[[File:"V" device, brass.svg|12px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] with two bronze oak leaf clusters and [["V" Device|Valor V]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Purple Heart ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Purple Heart]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Meritorious Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]] with three oak leaf clusters
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Medal ribbon|width=60}}[[File:Silver oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Air Medal]] (10 awards in total)
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Air Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=Aerial Achievement Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Aerial Achievement Medal]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Force Commendation Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Commendation Medal#Air Force|Air Force Commendation Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Army Commendation Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Commendation Medal#Army|Army Commendation Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=AF Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.png|width=60}}
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Air Force Presidential Unit Citation]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Joint Meritorious Unit Award (USMC and USN frame)|width=60}}
|[[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Outstanding Unit ribbon|width=60}}[[File:"V" device, brass.svg|12px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Outstanding Unit Award|Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]] with two oak leaf clusters and Valor V
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Organizational Excellence ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Organizational Excellence Award|Air Force Organizational Excellence Award]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Combat Readiness Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Combat Readiness Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=National Defense Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|11px]][[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|11px]]
|[[National Defense Service Medal]] with two bronze [[service star]]s
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed Forces Expedtionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] with service star
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|11px]][[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|11px]][[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|11px]]
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]] with three service stars
|-
|[[File:Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|[[Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Korea Defense Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Korea Defense Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=Armed Forces Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Armed Forces Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Humanitarian Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Humanitarian Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air and Space Campaign ribbon|width=60}}
|[[Air and Space Campaign Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=AF OS Short Tour Ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Overseas Service Ribbon#Air Force|Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=U.S. Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Overseas Service Ribbon#Air Force|Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Air Force Longevity Service ribbon.svg|width=60}}[[File:Silver oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]][[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|14px]]
|[[Air Force Longevity Service Award]] with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=USAF Marksmanship ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Marksmanship Ribbon|Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Air Force Training Ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Air Force Training Ribbon]]
|-
|[[File:GER Bundeswehr Honour Cross Silver ribbon.svg|60px]]
|[[Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr|Bundeswehr Cross of Honor in Silver]] (Republic of Germany)
|-
|[[File:Gugseon Security Medal Ribbon.png|60px]]
|[[Order of National Security Merit (Korea)]], Gugseon Medal
|-
|[[File:Cheon-Su Security Medal Ribbon.png|60px]]
|[[Order of National Security Merit (Korea)]], Cheon-Su Medal
|-
|[[File:CAN Meritorious Service Cross (military division) ribbon.svg|60px]]
|[[Meritorious Service Cross]], Military Division (Canada)
|-
|[[File:SVK Commemorative Medal Min-of-Def 1st BAR.svg|60px]]
|Commemorative Medal of the Slovak Defense Ministry of the First Degree (Slovak Republic)
|-
|[[File:Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg|60px]]
|[[Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross|Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation]]
|-
|[[File:NATO Meritorious Service Medal bar.svg|60px]]
|[[NATO Meritorious Service Medal]]
|-
|[[File:Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|60px]]
|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|}

==Promotions==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Promotions
! Insignia !! Rank !! Date
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O10 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100x100px]]
| [[General (United States)|General]]
| 87 Nov 2005
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O9 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]]
| 1 Jan 2002
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O8 shoulderboard rotated (1949–1994).svg|100px]]
| [[Major general (United States)|Major General]]
| 1 Apr 1998
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O7 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]
| 1 Jul 1995
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O6 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]
| 1 Jul 1989
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O5 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]]
| 1 Feb 1982
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O4 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Major (United States)|Major]]
| 4 Dec 1978
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O3 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Captain (United States)|Captain]]
| 18 Oct 1973
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O2 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[First Lieutenant (United States)|First Lieutenant]]
| 11 Nov 1971
|-
| [[File:US Air Force O1 shoulderboard rotated.svg|100px]]
| [[Second lieutenant#United States|Second Lieutenant]]
| 18 May 1970
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192810/http://www.defense.gov/bios/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=96 General Lance L. Smith's Official DoD Bio]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060510104032/http://www.jfcom.mil/about/smith.htm U.S. Joint Forces Command Biography]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Michael P. DeLong]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Deputy Commander of the [[United States Central Command]]|years=2003–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David C. Nichols]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{USGovernment|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090613181028/http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7181|archive-date=2009-06-13|url=http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7181|agency=United States Air Force}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lance L.}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Akron, Ohio]]
[[Category:United States Air Force generals]]
[[Category:United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:Order of National Security Merit members]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NATO Meritorious Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech alumni]]
[[Category:United States Army War College alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal]]

Forrest Sherman

2025-09-21T07:44:44Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Decorations and medals */

{{Short description|United States Navy admiral}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|image= Forrest P SHerman.jpg{{!}}border
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption=
|nickname=
|birth_name=Forrest Percival Sherman
|birth_date= {{birth date|1896|10|30}}
|birth_place= [[Merrimack, New Hampshire]], U.S.
|death_date= {{death date and age|1951|7|22|1896|10|30}}
|death_place= [[Naples]], Italy
|placeofburial= [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
|allegiance= 
|branch= [[United States Navy]]
|serviceyears= 1917–1951
|rank= [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]
|unit=
|commands= [[Chief of Naval Operations]] [[United States Sixth Fleet]] {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}} [[VFA-14 (U.S. Navy)|Fighter Squadron VF-1B]] [[VA-54 (U.S. Navy)|Scouting Squadron VS-2B]] {{USS|Barry|DD-248|6}}
|battles= [[World War I]] [[World War II]]
|awards= [[Navy Cross]] [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Legion of Merit]] [[Purple Heart]]
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
'''Forrest Percival Sherman''' (October 30, 1896 – July 22, 1951) was an [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] in the [[United States Navy]] and the youngest person to serve as [[Chief of Naval Operations]] until Admiral [[Elmo Zumwalt]] in 1970. The {{Sclass|Forrest Sherman|destroyer|2}} and the airfield at Naval Air Station Pensacola (Forrest Sherman Field) were named for him.

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Merrimack, New Hampshire]], Sherman was a member of the [[United States Naval Academy]] class of 1918, graduating in June 1917 due to America's entry into [[World War I]].

==Naval career==
During and shortly after World War I, Sherman served in European waters as an officer of the [[gunboat]] {{USS|Nashville|PG-7|6}} and [[destroyer]] {{USS|Murray|DD-97|6}}. In 1919–21, Sherman was assigned to the [[battleship]] {{USS|Utah|BB-31|6}} and destroyers {{USS|Reid|DD-292|6}} and {{USS|Barry|DD-248|6}}, serving as commanding officer of the latter.

Following duty as Flag Lieutenant to Commander Control Force, [[United States Atlantic Fleet|Atlantic Fleet]], he received flight training at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]], Florida. Designated a Naval Aviator in December 1922, Lieutenant Sherman was assigned to [[VF-6|Fighter Squadron VF-2B]] until 1924, when he returned to Pensacola as an instructor. Study at the [[Naval War College]] was followed in 1927 by service in the [[aircraft carrier]]s {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|6}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|6}}. While in the latter ship, he commanded [[VA-54 (U.S. Navy)|Scouting Squadron VS-2B]] and was Flag Secretary to Commander Aircraft Squadrons, [[Battle Fleet]].

Promoted to the ranks of lieutenant commander in 1930 and commander in 1937, during that decade Sherman served at the Naval Academy, commanded [[VFA-14 (U.S. Navy)|Fighter Squadron VF-1B]], had charge of the Aviation Ordnance Section of the [[Bureau of Ordnance]], was Navigator of the aircraft carrier {{USS|Ranger|CV-4|6}}, and had duty on a number of flag staffs. In 1941–42, he served with the Office of the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] and was a member of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, Canada-United States.

Commander Sherman worked closely with then US Army Major [[Albert C. Wedemeyer]], author of the "Victory Plan of 1941", "the blueprint... for the mobilization of the United States Army for World War 2". Wedemeyer, while working in the War Plans Department, was commissioned to write the "Victory Plan by General George C. Marshall."
{{Blockquote|The Victory Plan predicted the future organization for an army that did not yet exist, outlined combat missions for a war not yet declared, and computed war production requirements for industries that were still committed to peacetime manufacture." Captain Forrest Sherman's personal relationship with Major Albert Wedemeyer "ensured a community of planning effort between the two services and pointed to a future in which the services would acknowledge that mobilization planning was a joint responsibility that one service alone could not conduct adequately.|source=Charles E. Kirkpatrick, ''Writing the Victory Plan of 1941''}}

[[File:Forrest Sherman 1918.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Midshipman Forrest Sherman]]
In May 1942, after reaching the rank of captain, Sherman took command of the carrier {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}}, taking the ship through the first month of the [[Solomon Islands campaign]].

After ''Wasp'' was sunk by a Japanese [[submarine]] on September 15, 1942, Sherman was awarded the [[Navy Cross]] for his extraordinary heroism in command of the carrier during the opening days of the [[South Pacific Area|South Pacific]] operations. Sherman then became Chief of Staff to Commander Air Force, [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]]. In November 1943, Rear Admiral Sherman was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral [[Chester W. Nimitz]]. He held that position for the remainder of World War II, playing a critical role in planning the offensives that brought victory in the Pacific, and was present when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. Following a short tour as a carrier division commander, in December 1945 Vice Admiral Sherman became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. During 1946 and 1947 he had a vital role in the negotiations for the unification process leading to the [[1947 National Security Act]].

Sherman's next assignment, beginning in January 1948, was to command the navy's operating forces in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. He was recalled to [[Washington, D.C.]], at the end of October 1949 to become Chief of Naval Operations, with the rank of admiral. During the next sixteen months, he helped the navy recover from a period of intense political controversy (as in the so-called "[[Revolt of the Admirals]]"). Sherman's absence from the recent controversy, and his role in the unification negotiations made him the logical candidate. <ref> Palmer, Michael A., Origins of the Maritime Strategy. The Development of American Naval Strategy 1945-1955 </ref> As Chief of Naval Operations, he oversaw the responses to the twin challenges of a [[Korean War|hot war]] in Korea and an intensifying [[Cold War|cold war]] elsewhere in the world.

On July 22, 1951, while on a military and diplomatic trip to Europe, Admiral Forrest Sherman died in [[Naples]], Italy, following a sudden series of heart attacks. He was buried at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on July 27, 1951.

==Legacy==
{{USS|Forrest Sherman|DD-931}}, lead ship of the {{Sclass|Forrest Sherman|destroyer}}s was named in his honor, followed by {{USS|Forrest Sherman|DDG-98}}, an {{Sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|0}} [[guided missile destroyer]].

Also named in his honor was [[Sherman Island (Antarctica)|Sherman Island]], [[Antarctica]]; Forrest Sherman Field at [[NAS Pensacola]], home of the [[Blue Angels]]; and Forrest Sherman Field at Hospital Point at the [[US Naval Academy]]. The US Department of Defense school in Naples, Italy was formerly called [[Naples American High School|Forrest Sherman High School]].

==Decorations and medals==
Admiral Sherman's decorations include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussforrestsherman.org/the_admiral.htm |title=The Admiral |publisher=Ussforrestsherman.org |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227035735/http://www.ussforrestsherman.org/the_admiral.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Naval Aviator Badge.jpg|width=256|alt=}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Cross ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Legion_of_Merit_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=award-star|ribbon=Purple_Heart_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|other_device=|ribbon=World_War_I_Victory_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|other_device=|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army_of_Occupation_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber_rib.svg|width=106}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="3"|[[United States Aviator Badge|Naval Aviator Badge]]
|-
|[[Navy Cross]]
|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
|[[Legion of Merit]]
|-
|[[Purple Heart]] (award for wounds received aboard the USS ''Wasp'')
|[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|Victory Medal]] with "Patrol" Clasp
|[[American Defense Service Medal]] with "Fleet" clasp
|-
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with three [[battle stars]]
|[[World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
|[[Navy Occupation Service Medal]]
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]
|[[Philippine Liberation Medal]] with one battle star
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* The quotes{{which|date=December 2020}} from the "Victory Plan of 1941" and Captain Forrest Sherman are from [https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/victoryplan-cmh-pub-93-10.pdf ''Writing the Victory Plan of 1941''], Charles E. Kirkpatrick, Center of Military History, Washington, D.C., 1942
* {{DANFS}}
* ''Some material is from the official site of USS ''Forrest Sherman'', produced by the navy and therefore in the public domain.

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Commons category|Forrest Sherman}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503232200/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-s/f-shermn.htm Material on Forest Sherman at the US Navy Historical Center]
* [https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgdzaGVybWFuEgdmb3JyZXN0/ ANC Explorer]
*[https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/man-findingaids/MS_557.EAD.xml Forrest P. Sherman Papers, 1903-1941 (bulk 1903-1917) MS 557] held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy

{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{Succession box|title={{nowrap|[[Chief of Naval Operations]]}}|before=[[Louis E. Denfeld]]|after=[[William Fechteler]]|years=1949–1951}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Forrest Percival}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Naval Operations]]
[[Category:People from Merrimack, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:United States Navy World War II admirals]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I]]

Jarvis Lynch

2025-09-21T00:09:34Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Awards */

{{short description|United States Marine Corps general}}

{{No footnotes|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Jarvis Lynch
|birth_date= {{Birth date and age|1933|2|17}}
|death_date=
|birth_place= [[Glassboro, New Jersey]], U.S.
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image= LynchJ USMC.jpg
|caption= MajGen Jarvis Lynch, USMC
|nickname=
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Marine Corps]]
|serviceyears= 1956–1991
|rank= [[Major general (United States)|Major general]]
|commands=[[2nd Marine Logistics Group|2nd Force Service Support Group]]
|unit=
|battles=[[Vietnam War]]
|awards= [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal|Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Legion of Merit]] [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]]
|laterwork=
}}
'''Jarvis D. Lynch Jr.''', USMC, (born February 17, 1933) is a [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] that served in the [[Vietnam War]]. He retired in 1991 when he was the commanding general of the [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island|Marine Corps Recruit Depot]] out of [[Parris Island, South Carolina]].

==Early years==
A native of [[Glassboro, New Jersey]], Lynch graduated from [[Glassboro High School]] in 1951.

==Military career==
He received his B.S. degree from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in June 1956, and was commissioned a [[Second Lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]. He also holds an M.S. degree in management technology from [[American University]], conferred in 1973.

Upon completion of [[The Basic School]], [[Quantico, Virginia]], in March 1957, he was assigned to the [[1st Battalion, 4th Marines]] in [[Hawaii]]. While there, he was promoted to first lieutenant in December 1957. Transferred to [[Los Angeles, California]], in May 1959, he was assigned to the Officer Selection Team as the assistant [[officer selection officer]] until May 1962. He was promoted to captain in October 1961. Lynch transferred overseas in July 1962, where he served for a year as an assistant operations officer, 3rd Marine Division, on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]. On his return to the states in August 1963, he served for two years as the senior tactics instructor and chief instructor of the 2d Infantry Training Regiment, [[Camp Pendleton, California]]. During July 1965, he returned to the [[United States Naval Academy]] as an instructor and company officer. While at Annapolis, he was promoted to major in October 1966.

From August 1967 until June 1968, he attended the [[Marine Corps Command and Staff College]] at Quantico, graduating as an honor graduate. He was transferred to [[South Vietnam]] for duty as the operations officer of [[2nd Battalion, 26th Marines]] (also Battalion Landing Team 2/26) and later with Special Landing Force Alpha. Ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps, [[Washington, D.C.]], in August 1969, Lynch served as a plans officer in the Plans and Programs Branch, G-3 Division.

In January 1972, he returned to school and received his master's degree from [[American University]] in Washington, D.C. Following completion of school in July 1973, Lynch was promoted to [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]]. He was assigned duties as instructor and chief of Combat Service Support Instruction Division, Education Center, at the Marine Corps Combat Development and Education Command, Quantico. From April 1977 until June 1978, Lynch attended the [[Naval War College]] at [[Newport, Rhode Island]], graduating with distinction. The following month, he returned to the Far East for duty as the operations officer of [[III MEF|III Marine Amphibious Force]], on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]. During December of that year, he was promoted to colonel.

Lynch reported to [[New Orleans]] and assumed duty as the deputy director, 8th Marine Corps district, in August 1979. In June 1981, he became the 18th director of the 8th Marine Corps District in New Orleans. He served in this capacity until June 1983, when he reported to Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, [[Camp H. M. Smith]], Hawaii, to assume the duties as chief of staff. While serving in this capacity, he was selected in February 1985 for promotion to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]]. He was advanced to that grade on June 18, 1985, and assigned as the assistant chief of staff for operations, Headquarters, Allied Forces, Northern European Command, near [[Oslo, Norway]] on July 15, 1985.

Lynch was assigned as the commanding general, [[2nd MLG|2nd Force Service Support Group]] (Rein), [[Camp Lejeune]], [[North Carolina]], on 18 September 1987. He was advanced to [[Major general (United States)|major general]] on 5 May 1988.

According to the book ''Making The Corps'', Lynch favored tough realistic training in Marine boot camp. His philosophy was "I don't mind bloody or broken noses". He always signed his memos "no prisoners".

==Post-military life==
In 1995, Lynch was named the U.S. Naval Institute's "Distinguished Author of the Year." A 1988 article, "Landmines, Lies and Other Phenomena", addressing the subject of the ongoing landmine controversy, appeared in the Naval Institute's ''[[Proceedings (magazine)|Proceedings]]'' magazine.

==Awards==
Lynch's decorations and medals include:
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="4"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-star|other_device=v|ribbon=Bronze Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Combat Action Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=U.S. Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-star|ribbon=Vietnamese Gallantry Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|width=106}}
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|
|colspan="2"|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
|
|-
|[[Legion of Merit]]
|[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] w/ 1 [[award star]] & [[valor device]]
|[[Combat Action Ribbon]]
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Navy Presidential Unit Citation]]
|-
|[[Navy Unit Commendation]]
|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation|Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation]]
|[[National Defense Service Medal]] w/ 1 [[service star]]
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]] w/ 4 service stars
|-
|[[Overseas Service Ribbon|Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon]]
|[[Vietnam Gallantry Cross]] w/ gold star
|[[Vietnam Gallantry Cross|Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation]]
|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|-
|}

==Further reading==
*Lynch, MajGen Jarvis L., USMC retired. [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003051156/http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/140/documentid/415/history/3,2359,2167,645,140,415 "Landmines, Lies and Other Phenomena" ] in ''U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings'', May 1998.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220041824/https://slsp.manpower.usmc.mil/GOSA/Biographies/rptBiography.asp?PERSON_ID=489&PERSON_TYPE=General USMC Biography (source)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Jarvis}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American University alumni]]
[[Category:Glassboro High School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Glassboro, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps generals]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Gloucester County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy people]]

William O. Wooldridge

2025-09-21T00:07:45Z

2603:8000:D400:C2:9D4D:324F:681E:1221: /* Awards and decorations */

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{short description|United States Army soldier and the first Sergeant Major of the Army}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2008}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= William O. Wooldridge
|image= William Wooldridge.jpg
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption= Sergeant Major of the Army William O. Wooldridge
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1922|8|12}}
|birth_place= [[Shawnee, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|death_date= {{Death date and age|2012|03|05|1922|08|12}}
|death_place= [[El Paso, Texas]], U.S.
|placeofburial= [[Fort Bliss National Cemetery]]
|allegiance= United States
|branch= [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears= 1940–1972
|rank= [[Sergeant Major of the Army]]
|unit=
|commands=
|battles= [[World War II]] [[Vietnam War]]
|awards= [[Silver Star]] (2) [[Legion of Merit]] (2) [[Bronze Star Medal]] [[Air Medal]] (6) [[Army Commendation Medal]] (2) [[Purple Heart]] [[Croix de guerre (Belgium)|Croix de guerre]] (Belgium)
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
'''William O. Wooldridge''' (August 12, 1922 – March 5, 2012) was a [[United States Army]] soldier and the first [[Sergeant Major of the Army]].

Wooldridge served on active duty from 1940 to 1972. His military career spanned two wars and 14 campaigns, during which he was twice decorated for gallantry in action. He was sworn in as the first Sergeant Major of the Army on July 11, 1966.

==Early life==
William Wooldridge was born in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma]], and grew up in Texas. He enlisted in the [[United States Army]] at [[Fort Worth]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=First SMA Wooldridge: 'Take care of each man as though he were your own brother. He is.' |date=March 9, 2012 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/75153/first_sma_wooldridge_take_care_of_each_man_as_though_he_were_your_own_brother_he_is}}</ref> Texas on November 11, 1940.

==Military career==
Wooldridge served first with Company F, [[23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|23rd Regiment]], [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]]. In December 1941 he was assigned to detached service with the British forces in Iceland. The following year, he was released from detached service and assigned to Company K, [[26th Infantry Regiment (United States)|26th Regiment]], [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] when it arrived in England. He served with his division throughout World War II in an infantry rifle company, being promoted through the ranks to [[first sergeant]]. Wooldridge landed on [[D-Day]] as a squad leader (sergeant).

Wooldridge was awarded the [[Silver Star]] for gallantry at the [[Battle of Aachen]] in Germany in October 1944. He also received a [[Purple Heart]] for injuries in this battle. He was awarded a second Silver Star for gallantry during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in December 1944, while serving as a platoon sergeant.

Wooldridge returned to [[Fort Sam Houston]], Texas in May 1945. In October he was assigned to the Pacific Theater. After attending the 1st 3 Graders Course, Oahu Officer Troop and Staff School, at [[Schofield Barracks]], [[Hawaii]], he was assigned to Headquarters, [[U.S. Eighth Army|Eighth United States Army]], South Korea as a member of the occupation forces. In July 1948 Wooldridge was assigned as a platoon sergeant in the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, at [[Bamberg]], Germany. He was promoted to first sergeant in Company K, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, in 1950.

In May 1954, Wooldridge returned to the United States as first sergeant of Company G, [[3rd United States Infantry Regiment (TOG)|3rd Infantry]], at [[Fort McNair]] in Washington, D.C. He rejoined the 1st Infantry Division as first sergeant of Company D, 26th Infantry at [[Fort Riley]], Kansas in December 1955. On December 20, 1956, he was appointed sergeant major of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment. He left Fort Riley as sergeant major of the 2nd Battle Group, [[28th Infantry Regiment (United States)|28th Infantry Regiment]], for duty in [[West Germany]] in December 1958, and became the [[24th Infantry Division (United States)|24th Infantry Division]]'s sergeant major in March 1963.

Wooldridge returned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley as sergeant major of the 1st Brigade in February 1965. In June 1965 he was selected by the division commander, Major General [[Jonathan O. Seaman]], as the division sergeant major. The next month he deployed with the division's advance party to [[South Vietnam]]. He served as division sergeant major until his selection as the first [[Sergeant Major of the Army]] in July 1966.

===Sergeant Major of the Army===
Wooldridge was chosen for the important new position of Sergeant Major of the Army from thousands of candidates. He served as Sergeant Major of the Army until September 1968. He is credited with improving the status of the non-commissioned officers by convening the first Major Command Sergeants Major Conference and recommending the Non-commissioned Officer Candidate Course, the [[United States Army Sergeants Major Academy|Sergeants Major Academy]], the Command Sergeant Major program, and a standardized non-commissioned officer promotion process. Wooldridge and General [[Harold K. Johnson]], the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]], worked together as an effective professional team. He came to revere Johnson, calling him "the finest officer I ever served with in my life".

After serving as Sergeant Major of the Army, Wooldridge returned to South Vietnam as sergeant major of the [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]] (MACV). He is the only Sergeant Major of the Army to return to field duty after serving in the top enlisted position.

Wooldridge's appointment was recorded in the Congressional Record of the 89th Congress Vol. 112, No. 110.

===Controversy and PX scandal===
In 1969, while command sergeant major of MACV, Wooldridge was accused in a congressional inquiry of fraud and corruption related to the military club system, amounting to more than $150 million annually.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate hearings: Servicemen' Clubs, Black-Marketeering Investigated |url=https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal69-1247070 |access-date=March 21, 2015}}</ref> The inquiry found that then [[United States Army Provost Marshal General]], [[Carl C. Turner]] had ignored Wooldridge's earlier theft and [[AWOL]] offenses that were notified to him at the time of Wooldridge's appointment as first Sergeant Major of the Army was announced in late 1966.<ref name=Senate>{{cite book|title=Fraud and corruption in management of military club systems Report of the Committee on Government Operations United States Senate|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year=1971|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJHZComtllcC}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|46-7}} Turner was later accused of having covered up an attempt by Wooldridge to smuggle 8-9 cases of liquor aboard General [[Creighton Abrams]]' [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135]] jet in April 1967.<ref name=Senate/>{{rp|47-8}} In late 1967 Turner ordered the [[United States Army Criminal Investigation Division]] that Wooldridge's name be removed from the list of soldiers being investigated into irregularities at the [[Non-commissioned officer]] (NCO) club at [[Fort Benning]].<ref name=Senate/>{{rp|52}} Turner was also accused of having suppressed the ''Augsburg File'' which detailed the corruption of Wooldridge and other NCOs of the 24th Infantry Division in [[Augsburg]], West Germany in the early 1960s.<ref name=Senate/>{{rp|55}} The subcommittee concluded that Turner had given Wooldridge and his associates immunity from investigation and "was grossly negligent in the performance of his official duties."<ref name=Senate/>{{rp|293}}

Wooldridge together with American businessman [[William J. Crum]] arranged to have Sergeant William Higdon appointed as custodian of the NCO club system at [[Long Binh Post]] in November 1967.<ref name=Senate1>{{cite book|title=Fraud and corruption in management of military club systems Report of the Committee on Government Operations United States Senate|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year=1971|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFnQAAAAMAAJ}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|210}} Higdon testified that between then and July 1968 Crum paid him a total of approximately US$60,000 of [[Kickback (bribery)|kickbacks]] from the slot machine operations.<ref name=Senate1/>{{rp|76}} In August 1968 Wooldridge brokered a deal between Crum and Maredem Inc. (a company owned by Wooldridge, Higdon and Sergeant Hatcher, the custodian of the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] NCO clubs) under which Maredem would have the monopoly on snack items in the NCO clubs while Crum would have the monopoly on slot machines. Maredem wanted to take control of all operations, but it recognized that Crum was too powerful and was capable of paying larger kickbacks than Maredem.<ref name=Senate1/>{{rp|115}}

In 1973 the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] and Wooldridge reached an agreement whereby Wooldridge pleaded guilty to accepting stock equity from Maredem.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 1, 1973 |title=Former Top G.I. and 2 Others Plead Guilty in Kickback Case |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/01/archives/former-top-g-i-and-2-others-plead-guilty-in-kickback-case.html |access-date=May 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Wooldridge had earlier been awarded the [[Army Distinguished Service Medal]], but it was revoked following this episode. In [[June Collins]] and [[Robin Moore]]'s novel ''[[Khaki Mafia]]'', a fictional character in a criminal cartel is based on Wooldridge in South Vietnam.

==Later life==
Wooldridge died in El Paso, Texas, on March 5, 2012, at the age of 89.<ref name="death">{{Cite web |last=Daniel Borunda |date=March 5, 2012 |title=1st sergeant major of the Army dies at Beaumont |url=http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20117868/1st-sergeant-major-army-dies-at-beaumont |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121234738/http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20117868/1st-sergeant-major-army-dies-at-beaumont |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2012 |website=El Paso Times}}</ref> He is buried at [[Fort Bliss National Cemetery]] in Section A, Lot 56.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nationwide Gravesite Locator |url=http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html |access-date=April 8, 2014 |archive-date=June 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601190609/https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
{|
|[[File:CIB2.png|100px]] [[Combat Infantryman Badge]], 2 awards
|}
{|
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Silver Star]] with [[oak leaf cluster]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Legion of Merit]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Bronze Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Bronze Star Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=5|type=oak|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Air Medal]] with silver oak leaf cluster<ref name="AUSA">{{Cite web |title=1st SMA – William O. Wooldridge |url=http://www.ausa.org/resources/nco/sma/Pages/1stSMA-WilliamOWooldridge.aspx |access-date=October 8, 2015 |publisher=Association of the United States Army}}</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Army Commendation Medal]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Purple Heart]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=AGC_10.jpg|width=60}}
|[[Army Good Conduct Medal]] (ten awards)
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[American Defense Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Army of Occupation Medal]] with [[Army of Occupation Medal#Germany|Germany]] and [[Army of Occupation Medal#Japan|Japan]] clasps
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=60}}
|[[National Defense Service Medal]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Ribbon (With Two Bronze Stars).jpg|width=60}}
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]] with two [[service star]]s
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Oorlogskruis with Palm.jpg|width=60}}
|[[Croix de guerre (Belgium)|Belgian Croix de guerre]] with palm
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|width=60}}
|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|-
|[[File:ArmyOSB.svg|60px]]
|6 [[Overseas Service Bar]]s
|-
|[[File:Service stripe.jpg|60px]]
|10 [[Service stripe]]s
|-
|[[File:No free image.png|80px]]
|French [[Fourragère]] World War II
|}

==References==
''The Sergeants Major of the Army'', Daniel K. Elder, Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 2003. Page 67.
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www3.ausa.org/webpub/DeptNCOStuff.nsf/byid/CCRN-6CCRFG Wooldridge's Army career on the Association of the Army site]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26981|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-29A (1966)}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26983|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-30A (1966)}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl||title=[[Sergeant Major of the Army]]|years=1966–1968}}
{{s-aft|after={{nowrap|[[George W. Dunaway]]}}}}
{{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wooldridge, William O.}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Shawnee, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:Sergeants Major of the Army]]