USS Deyo

Summary

USS Deyo (DD-989), a Spruance-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Vice Admiral Morton L. Deyo (1887–1973), a veteran destroyerman and distinguished naval gunfire support task force commander of World War II.

USS Deyo (DD-989)
USS Deyo underway 10 December 1991
History
United States
NameDeyo
NamesakeMorton L. Deyo
Ordered15 January 1975
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down14 October 1977
Launched20 January 1979
Acquired25 February 1980
Commissioned22 March 1980
Decommissioned6 November 2003
Stricken6 April 2004
Identification
MottoBrave and Proud
FateSunk as target, 25 August 2005
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeSpruance-class destroyer
Displacement8,040 (long) tons full load
Length529 ft (161 m) waterline; 563 ft (172 m) overall
Beam55 ft (16.8 m)
Draft29 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW)
Speed32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range
  • 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
  • 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement19 officers, 315 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck and enclosed hangar for up to two medium-lift helicopters

Deyo was laid down on 14 October 1977 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss.; launched on 20 January 1979; and commissioned on 22 March 1980.

History edit

 
USS Iowa (BB-61), USS Deyo (DD-989), and USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974) as part of the Iowa Battleship Battle Group
 
USS Deyo operating in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 29 March 2003.
 
Deyo, foreground, steams off the port side of the Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in the waters south of Italy. Admiral Kuznetsov was en route to duty with the Soviet Northern Fleet.

Deyo took part in operations in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and the Persian Gulf. The ship first deployed in May 1981, when it was ordered to the Persian Gulf in response to rising tensions in the Middle East.

In July 1987, Deyo deployed to the Mediterranean, North Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean as part of the Iowa Battleship battle group. The ship returned to the Persian Gulf in July 1989 to support tanker escort duties during Operation Earnest Will.

After completing counter-drug operations in the Caribbean Sea in August 1990, Deyo deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in May 1991 as part of the Forrestal Carrier Battle Group. The ship visited Liverpool, England in 1993, and represented the US during the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of "The Battle of the Atlantic." The destroyer returned to the Mediterranean Sea in 1994 as a member of the George Washington Carrier Battle Group.

In June 1996, Deyo was struck by the Military Sealift Command vehicle cargo ship USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298) while moored in port at Newport News.[1] A sudden windstorm caused Gilliland to break free of her moorings and cross the harbor, colliding with Deyo and the submarine USS Tucson (SSN-770), moored ahead of Deyo. Deyo suffered the most damage, while Tucson suffered only minor damage.

In June 1998, Deyo again deployed for the Mediterranean Sea, becoming the first American ship to serve as flagship for Standing Naval Force Mediterranean.

During its final deployment in December 2002 with the Harry S Truman Carrier Battle Group, Deyo was one of the first ships to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles on Iraqi targets during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Deyo is unique for being the only Spruance-class destroyer armed with armored box launchers that were later upgraded to the Mk 41 VLS.

Fate edit

Deyo was decommissioned on 6 November 2003 at NS Norfolk, Virginia. She was stricken from the Navy list on 6 April 2004, and was sunk as a target in a fleet training exercise, 25 August 2005.

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ damagecontrolmuseums.org USS DEYO (DD 989) and USNS GILLILAND (T-AKR 298), Collision, June 1996

External links edit

  • nvr.navy.mil: USS Deyo
  • cffc.navy.mil: Deyo Decommissioned After 23 Years