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USS Leahy (DLG-16)
Encyclopedia
USS Leahy (DLG/CG-16) was the lead ship
of her class of destroyer leaders in the United States Navy
. She was named for Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy
.
Corp., Bath, Maine
, 3 December 1959; launched 1 July 1961; sponsored by Mrs. Michael J. Mansfield, wife of Senator Mansfield, Montana
, Senate Majority Leader; and commissioned 4 August 1962, Captain Robert L. Baughan, Jr., in command.
, Leahy departed Boston
19 September 1963 and reported to Charleston, South Carolina
., where Rear Adm. E. E. Grimm, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 6, selected her as his flagship. She then proceeded to the Jacksonville, Florida
operating areas for type training, and briefly put in to home port in November before returning to the Caribbean to participate in AA warfare exercises.
On 2 January 1964 the DLG was again bound for the Caribbean for missile training which ended 26 February. From 1 April to 10 April she joined in an amphibious exercise, “Quick Kick V,” and on 1 June was permanently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 6.
Leahy departed for duty with the 6th Fleet 17 July as part of a Fast Carrier Task Group which included Forrestal (CVA-59), and participated in a coordinated fleet exercise. “MEDLANDEX-64,” between the Balearic Islands
and Sardinia
. She then carried out independent training in the eastern Mediterranean before departing Naples
, Italy
, 22 September to join in NATO exercise, “FALLEX-64.” She returned to Naples 26 October, and in November participated in another fleetwide exercise, “POOPDECK-IV,” which brought some 40 ships of T.F. 60 together off the coast of Spain
.
Leahy departed Barcelona
, Spain, 2 December for replenishment, and on 14 December drew the curtain on 32750 nautical miles (60,653 km) of steaming while deployed with the 6th Fleet. She arrived Charleston 22 December and began a period of restricted availability in preparation for extensive tests to evaluate the Terrier Guidance Missile System. During these tests, which were completed in September, Leahy was briefly deployed in the Dominican Republic
Operations from 28 April to 7 May 1965 as a unit of the Strike and Covering Force.
She departed Charleston 1 December for the Mediterranean and relieved William V. Pratt (DLG-13) at Polensa, Majorca, 9 December. During this second deployment with the 6th Fleet, she operated throughout the Mediterranean participating in ASW, gunnery, and AA warfare exercises as well as major fleet tactical operations alongside other NATO ships.
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Leahy returned home to Charleston on 8 April 1966. During June and July she gave some 60 midshipmen from Annapolis valuable at-sea training, and visited ports along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean. Following this, Leahy conducted exercises with the navies of many South American countries as part of operation UNITAS VII. She sailed through the Panama Canal
in early September, thence south and through the Straits of Magellan at the end of October.
The operation was completed on 6 December and the DLG returned to Charleston on the 15th. Leahy then prepared for massive modernization at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
, arriving there 27 January 1967, and decommissioning 18 February. For over a year she received new AAW and ASW equipment, allowing her to utilize the most recent developments in the technology of naval warfare. She was placed in commission, special, on 4 May 1968 for the extensive period of testing her updated weapons systems. Leaving Philadelphia on 18 August, she arrived at her new home port, Norfolk, 3 days later.
USS Leahy was redesignated CG-16 (guided missile cruiser) on 30 June 1975, as part of the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification
. Her sister ships were also redesignated as guided missile cruisers.
(NVR) the same day. On 21 June 2004, she was towed to be part of the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Texas
.
In November 2004, International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas began dismantling the ship for scrap.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class of destroyer leaders in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was named for Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy
William D. Leahy
Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer, building his reputation through administration and staff work. As Chief of Naval Operations he was the senior officer in Navy, overseeing the preparations for war. After retiring from the Navy he was appointed by his close friend...
.
Construction
Leahy was laid down by Bath Iron WorksBath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corp., Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, 3 December 1959; launched 1 July 1961; sponsored by Mrs. Michael J. Mansfield, wife of Senator Mansfield, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Senate Majority Leader; and commissioned 4 August 1962, Captain Robert L. Baughan, Jr., in command.
History
After shakedown in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Leahy departed Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
19 September 1963 and reported to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
., where Rear Adm. E. E. Grimm, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 6, selected her as his flagship. She then proceeded to the Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
operating areas for type training, and briefly put in to home port in November before returning to the Caribbean to participate in AA warfare exercises.
On 2 January 1964 the DLG was again bound for the Caribbean for missile training which ended 26 February. From 1 April to 10 April she joined in an amphibious exercise, “Quick Kick V,” and on 1 June was permanently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 6.
Leahy departed for duty with the 6th Fleet 17 July as part of a Fast Carrier Task Group which included Forrestal (CVA-59), and participated in a coordinated fleet exercise. “MEDLANDEX-64,” between the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. She then carried out independent training in the eastern Mediterranean before departing Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 22 September to join in NATO exercise, “FALLEX-64.” She returned to Naples 26 October, and in November participated in another fleetwide exercise, “POOPDECK-IV,” which brought some 40 ships of T.F. 60 together off the coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Leahy departed Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain, 2 December for replenishment, and on 14 December drew the curtain on 32750 nautical miles (60,653 km) of steaming while deployed with the 6th Fleet. She arrived Charleston 22 December and began a period of restricted availability in preparation for extensive tests to evaluate the Terrier Guidance Missile System. During these tests, which were completed in September, Leahy was briefly deployed in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
Operations from 28 April to 7 May 1965 as a unit of the Strike and Covering Force.
She departed Charleston 1 December for the Mediterranean and relieved William V. Pratt (DLG-13) at Polensa, Majorca, 9 December. During this second deployment with the 6th Fleet, she operated throughout the Mediterranean participating in ASW, gunnery, and AA warfare exercises as well as major fleet tactical operations alongside other NATO ships.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in early September, thence south and through the Straits of Magellan at the end of October.
The operation was completed on 6 December and the DLG returned to Charleston on the 15th. Leahy then prepared for massive modernization at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
, arriving there 27 January 1967, and decommissioning 18 February. For over a year she received new AAW and ASW equipment, allowing her to utilize the most recent developments in the technology of naval warfare. She was placed in commission, special, on 4 May 1968 for the extensive period of testing her updated weapons systems. Leaving Philadelphia on 18 August, she arrived at her new home port, Norfolk, 3 days later.
USS Leahy was redesignated CG-16 (guided missile cruiser) on 30 June 1975, as part of the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification
United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification
The United States Navy reclassified many of its surface vessels in 1975, changing terminology and hull classification symbols for cruisers, frigates, and ocean escorts.- Classification prior to 1975 :...
. Her sister ships were also redesignated as guided missile cruisers.
Decommissioning
She was decommissioned on 1 October 1993 and stricken from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
(NVR) the same day. On 21 June 2004, she was towed to be part of the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
In November 2004, International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas began dismantling the ship for scrap.