USS Oldendorf (DD-972)
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| Missing image USS_Oldendorf_DD-972.jpg USS Oldendorf (DD-972) | |
| Career | 
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| Ordered: | 26 January 1972 |
| Laid down: | 27 December 1974 |
| Launched: | 21 October 1975 |
| Commissioned: | 4 March 1978 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 June 2003 |
| Fate: | Placed in reserve at Bremerton in Washington. |
| Struck: | 6 April 2004 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 8,040 tons full load. |
| Length: | 529 feet waterline; 563 feet overall. |
| Beam: | 55 feet. |
| Draught: | 29 feet. |
| Propulsion: | 4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines; 80,000 shp (60 MW); 2 x shafts. |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots |
| Range: | 6,000 nautical miles at 20 knots; 3,300 nautical miles at 30 knots (56 km/h). |
| Complement: | 19 officers, 315 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft: | 2 x SH-60B Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. |
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| Motto: | "Ad Proelium Victoriamque Futuram" (To the Fight and Victory Ahead) |
USS Oldendorf (DD-972), named for Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf USN, was a Spruance class destroyer built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula in Mississippi.
Ship's history
- History from 1978 to 1994 goes here
Oldendorf took part in the surface exercise Eager Sentry, as part of the larger Exercise Native Fury '94. Involving Kuwaiti and British military members, the exercise was the largest naval exercise ever conducted in Kuwait. It was conducted from 4 April through 25 April, to demonstrates U.S. resolve to support the peace in the Persian Gulf region after ousting Iraq from Kuwait three years prior. Native Fury comprised several exercises under one umbrella. In the namesake exercises, two Maritime Prepositioning Ships sailed from their homeport of Diego Garcia and discharged more than 1,000 tanks, artillery pieces and vehicles at the port of Shuaibah, starting 5 April. Approximately 2,000 marines and sailors from I Marine Expeditionary Force, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Force Service Support Group and Naval Beach Group One arrived by air, off-loaded and convoyed the equipment to a training range north of Kuwait City. There, they trained with the Kuwaiti Army and British Royal Marines, perfecting tactics which would delay, and perhaps turn back, any repeat of the invasion of Kuwait. Other elements of Native Fury involved the surface exercise Eager Sentry; Eager Archer, an aerial exercise; and Eager Express with explosive ordnance disposal units training on the southern Kuwaiti beaches.
As part of a reorganization by the Pacific Fleet's surface ships into six core battle groups and eight destroyer squadrons, with the reorganization scheduled to be completed by 1 October, 1995, and homeport changes to be completed within the folowing, year, Oldendorf was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 23.
Oldendorf departed on 1 December 1995, as part of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Battle Group for a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment.
In March 1996, and in response to the announcement of missile tests and military live-fire exercises to be conducted by the Chinese in the waters surrounding the island of Taiwan, the United States dispatched forward deployed naval assets, including a carrier and other combatants to the area to monitor the situation. USS Independence (CV-62) and other units in its battle group, operating in international waters, were on the scene from the beginning of the exercises. However, to augment the monitoring efforts, and further demonstrate U.S. commitment to peace and stability in the region, Nimitz and elements of its battle group, including the Oldendorf, were ordered to sail from the Persian Gulf to the Western Pacific earlier than planned, after two months in the Persian Gulf for Operation Southern Watch.
Oldendorf toook part, from 13 April through 24 April in Pacific Joint Task Force Exercise 98-1 (PAC JTFEX 98-1) off the Southern California Coast. The aim of the exercise was to prepare naval forces to participate in joint operations with other U.S. forces. Naval operations included Maritime Interception Operations (MIO), Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO), various air strike and support missions, operational testing of various weapons systems, Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD), logistics support, search and rescue, and command and control. An amphibious landing at Camp Pendleton, California, on 21 April, involved Navy surface and helicopter assault forces, U.S. Air Force aircraft, as well as units from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Oldendorf deployed on 9 November 1998, for a six month overseas assignment, as part of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) battle group. Joining the Carl Vinson was the USS Boxer (LHD-4) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). The Carl Vinson battle group and the Boxer ARG were to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) battle group and the USS Essex (LHD-2) ARG, which had been forward deployed for the previous five months to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
Oldendorf arrived on station in the Persian Gulf with the Carl Vinson battle group and took part in Operation Desert Fox in December 1998. The operation was designed to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to deliver chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and wage war against his neighbors. It also took part in Operation Southern Watch. The Carl Vinson battle group, led by Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) Eleven departed the Persian Gulf on 18 March 1999, after spending three intense months supporting Operations Southern Watch and Desert Fox in Southern Iraq. The ships returned home in May.
As of early 2000, developmental tests were in progress on Oldendorf as part of the SPQ-9B Radar Improvement Program. The program aimed at using COTS systems and NDI to improve the performance of the SPQ-9 Radar in the Mk 86 Gun Fire Control System (GFCS), which would be integrated into the Mk 1 Ship Self-Defense System.
In August 2000, Oldendorf was directed to the scene of a crash into the Persian Gulf, on 23 August, by a comercial passenger jet, in order to assist in the recovery of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. The jet, a twin-engine Airbus A320 operated by Gulf Air, which originated in Cairo, plunged into shallow water about 3 to 4 miles north of Bahrain International Airport while making its approach. The bodies of all 143 people aboard the aircraft were recovered.
Oldendorf took part in the first Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) of 2001 during the month of February. Together with the Special Operations Capable certification (SOCCERT), the JTFEX aimed at providing progressive and realistic pre-deployment training for a carrier battle group, an amphibious ready group, a Marine Expeditionary Unit and other deployers. The name Joint Task Force Exercise reflects the focus on preparing naval forces to participate fully in joint operations with other U.S. forces and the armed forces of allied countries. Naval operations included Maritime Interception Operations (MIO), Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO), various air strike and support missions, operational testing of various weapons systems, Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD), logistics support, search and rescue and command and control. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces were joined in the exercise by U.S. Air Force aircraft as well as units from Canada.
The U.S. Navy Surface Force was scheduled to begin, in the summer of 2002, an initiative to test the effectiveness of deploying a single ship for 18-months while swapping out crews at six-month intervals. Called Sea Swap, this initial two-phased initiative would involve three Spruance class destroyers (DDs) -- USS Fletcher (DD-992), USS Kinkaid (DD-965) and Oldendorf, and three Arleigh Burke class destroyers (DDGs) -- USS Higgins (DDG-76), USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) and USS Benfold (DDG-65). For the DD phase, Fletcher and her crew would deploy with their battle group this summer, but after six months, only the crew would return. The ship would remain deployed and be manned by the crew from Kinkaid. After completing their training cycle and decommissioning Kinkaid, these sailors would fly to a port in either Australia or Singapore to assume ownership of Fletcher and steam her back on-station. After six months, they would be replaced by the crew from Oldendorf who would have completed the same training and decommissioning schedule with their ship before flying out to relieve the Kinkaid crew. After four more months on station, the Oldendorf crew would then bring Fletcher back to the United States where it too would be decommissioned. Additionally, by executing this plan, the Navy would be able to eliminate the deployment of USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) because the additional on-station time generated by swapping out the crews meant a ship would already be in theater meeting that requirement.
Oldendorf was decommissioned 20 June 2003 and berthed at Bremerton, Washington NISMF. She was stricken 6 April 2004.
Ship's crest
DD972crest.gif
The vertical blue bar, alluding to a narrow passage or waterway, refers to Surigao Strait, and the eight red and white sections of the background represents the total losses of the enemy in terms of the number of ships sunk, damaged or crippled. The blue chief at the top crossing of the "T" battle plan, with upper section simulating red sky over the night battle of Surigao Strait. The four stars denote Admiral Oldendorf's highest rank. The crest symbolizes the award of the Navy Cross, The Navy's highest decoration, awarded to Admiral oldendorf for exceptional leadership and heroism in the Battle of Surigao Strait. The trident signifies authority and power and the annulet with red center suggest the muzzle of a gun in action. The two wavy bars are indicative of World War II and the Pacific area. The ship's motto, "Ad Proelium Victoriamque Futuram" (To the Fight and Victory Ahead) is the Latin translation of a line taken from Admiral Oldendorf's memoirs regarding his charge to his forces on the eve of the decisive Battle of Surigao Strait.
External Links
- Naval Vessel Register entry for Oldendorf (http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/DD972.htm)
- navsource.org: USS Oldendorf (http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/972.htm)
- united-states-navy.com: USS Oldendorf (http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd972.htm)