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USS Nicholson (DD-982)
Encyclopedia
USS Nicholson (DD-982), a Spruance-class
Spruance class destroyer
The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace a large number of World War II-built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s....
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, was the fourth ship of 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...
to be named for a family which was prominent in early American naval history, including James Nicholson
James Nicholson (naval officer)
James Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in Chestertown, Maryland. James Nicholson served in the colonial Navy with the British in the assault on Havana in 1762, and was commissioned...
, the senior Continental Navy
Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War, and was formed in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively...
Captain, and Samuel Nicholson
Samuel Nicholson
Samuel Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. -Early life:...
, the first captain of USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
.
History
Nicholson was laid down on 20 February 1976 by the Ingalls ShipbuildingIngalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
, in Pascagoula, Miss.
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 11 November 1977; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 12 May 1979. She first deployed on 18 November 1980.
Nicholson was deployed for six months, in February 1990, with USS Dahlgren
USS Dahlgren (DDG-43)
USS Dahlgren was a Farragut-class destroyer launched 16 March 1960 by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and sponsored by Mrs. Katharine D. Cromwell, granddaughter of Rear Admiral John Adolphus Dahlgren. She was commissioned 8 April 1961, Commander C. E...
, as part of the Mid-East Force in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. The deployment was fairly routine except for two incidents. The first was a pair of armed Iranian F-4s that overflew the ship in the Straits of Hormuz, and the second was that Nicholson and Dahlgren left the Persian Gulf for home just a week before Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Nicholson was deployed for six months, in January 1992, as part of NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic. NICHOLSON joined the NATO task force in the Puerto Rican Opareas and detached in Den Helder, Netherlands. Port Visits included Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; St. Maarten, DVI; Boston, MA; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Tromso, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Den Helder, Neth; Antwerp, Belgium; Oporto, Portugal; Rosyth, Scotland; Frederikshavn, Denmark; Aarhus, Denmark; and St Johns, Newfoundland. NICHOLSON served as flagship for the second half of the deployment under a US Admiral, RADM Dwyer, USN. During the first half the force was under the command of a Dutch Admiral. Other ships in the task force were Norway - Frigate - HNoMS Oslo (first half); Canada - Frigate - HMCS Skeena (entire cruise); Portugal - Frigate - NRP Vasco da Gama (first half); Britain - Frigates - HMS Brave (first half) and HMS Exeter (second half); Netherlands - Frigate - HNLMS Jacob Van Heemskerck (first half) and HNLMS Bloys van Treslong (second half); Denmark - Frigate - HDMS Olfert Fischer (second half); Germany - Frigates - FGS Niedersachsen (first half) and FGS Rheinland Pfaltz (second half).
Nicholson was deployed, in early 1994, with USS Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-60)
USS Saratoga , was one of four Forrestal- class supercarriers built for the US Navy in the 1950s. Saratoga was the sixth US Navy ship, and the second aircraft carrier, to be named for the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.Commissioned in 1956, she spent most of her career in...
, as part of Task Force 60 in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
in support of operations "Deny Flight," "Provide Promise" and "Sharp Guard".
As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
's surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons and a new Western Hemisphere Group, Nicholson was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 18. The reorganization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect on 31 August, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998.
Nicholson departed the Charleston Naval Shipyard for sea trials, on 29 September 1995, following completion of an overhaul. Nicholson carried with it the distinction of being the last ship overhauled in the 94-year history of the shipyard as the Charleston Naval Shipyard
Charleston Naval Shipyard
Charleston Naval Shipyard was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston...
was closing as a result of the base realignment and closure process of 1993. The ship did not return to the shipyard at the end of sea trials but proceeded to a new home port of Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The shipyard's official closing took place on 1 April 1996. Nicholson arrived at her new home port of Norfolk on 6 October 1995.
On 10 December 1996, Nicholson departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled six-month deployment to the Middle East Force. She, along with the USS Halyburton
USS Halyburton (FFG-40)
USS Halyburton , an , is a ship of the United States Navy named for Pharmacist's Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, Jr....
, relieved Norfolk-based USS Stump
USS Stump (DD-978)
USS Stump , named after Admiral Felix Budwell Stump USN, was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. The USS Stump was decommissioned and stricken on 22 October 2004.-History:...
and Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
-based USS Steven W. Groves, then deployed in the Persian Gulf.
Nicholson took part, with the USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise , formerly CVA-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At , she is the longest naval vessel in the world...
carrier battle group
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
in a Sink Exercise (SINKEX) near Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
on 9 August 1998, resulting in the sinking of the former USS Richmond K. Turner
USS Richmond K. Turner (CG-20)
USS Richmond K. Turner was a Leahy class destroyer leader in the United States Navy. The ship was named for Admiral Richmond K. Turner, who served during World War II....
. The SINKEX developed the battle group's coordination of combined air and surface assaults, verified the performance of several weapons systems and enhanced the integration of joint units into naval battle scenarios. During the exercise, the USS Philippine Sea
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58)
USS Philippine Sea is a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser on active service in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II and is the second ship to bear the name. The Philippine Sea was the first U.S. or allied vessel to launch...
, USS Thorn
USS Thorn (DD-988)
USS Thorn , a Spruance-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Jonathan Thorn , who took part in Decatur's expedition to destroy the captured frigate Philadelphia in 1804....
, Nicholson and Carrier Air Wing Three also sent a parade of high-altitude, anti-radiation missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and an assortment of laser-guided munitions to the decommissioned cruiser. The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
participated with a trio of 2,000-pound bombs.
Nicholson deployed with the Enterprise carrier battle group, with Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW 3) embarked, for a scheduled six-month deployment on 6 November 1998, and to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is an aircraft carrier currently in service with the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1977, the ship is the second of the ten Nimitz-class supercarriers currently in service, and is the first ship named after the thirty-fourth President of the United States, Dwight D....
carrier battle group in Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Summary:Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992...
. With the Enterprise CVBG, Nicholson took part in Operation Desert Fox
Operation Desert Fox
The December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16–19, 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom...
, an operation designed to degrade Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's ability to deliver chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and wage war against his neighbors, from 16 December to 18 December 1998. During the 70-hour assault, Nicholson launched Tomahawk cruise missiles
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...
on Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i targets. Following this, and after departing the Persian Gulf on 2 January 1999, and transiting through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, Nicholson joined U.S. 6th Fleet and took part in Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, launching Tomahawks at numerous sites in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. She returned home on 6 May 2000.
Nicholson and the fast combat support ship USS Detroit
USS Detroit (AOE-4)
USS Detroit was the fourth and last built for the United States Navy. She was laid down on 29 November 1966 by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington; launched 21 June 1969; and commissioned on 28 March 1970...
were involved in a minor collision on 27 August 2000 about 100 miles east of Cape Henry
Cape Henry
Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
(east of Norfolk). The collision occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m. local time while the ships were conducting a night underway replenishment. Initial reports indicated minor damage to both ships. Two Nicholson sailors also suffered minor injuries. Both ships were still seaworthy after the incident.
Nicholson deployed with the Enterprise carrier battle group and USS Kearsarge
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3)
USS Kearsarge is the third of the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to be named in honor of the USS Kearsarge, a sloop-of-war that gained fame during the American Civil War, which was in turn named for Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.-Construction:Kearsarges keel was laid down on 6...
Amphibious Ready Group
Amphibious Ready Group
An Amphibious Readiness Group of the United States Navy consists of a Navy element—a group of warships known as an amphibious task force —and a landing force of United States Marines , in total about 5,000 people. Together, these elements and supporting units are trained, organized, and equipped...
(ARG) for a scheduled six-month deployment. This was the 17th overseas deployment for Enterprise since her maiden voyage on 12 January 1962. The Enterprise CVBG and Kearsarge ARG relieved the USS Harry Truman CVBG and USS Nassau
USS Nassau (LHA-4)
USS Nassau was a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship. She was capable of transporting more than 3,000 US United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, laid the ship's keel on August 13, 1973, she was commissioned on July 28, 1979...
ARG, which deployed in November 2000. Though the Enterprise battle group departed on 25 April 2001, Nicholson and Thorn, scheduled as late-deployers, and USS McFaul
USS McFaul (DDG-74)
USS McFaul is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named for Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul, a Navy SEAL who was killed in action on 20 December 1989, while serving in Panama...
joined the battle group after departing in June. Over the following six months, all these units conducted multi-national and joint operations with navies of various Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, and visited ports in Mediterranean and Persian Gulf nations. The ships and squadrons returned home in November 2001.
Nicholson was decommissioned 20 December 2002; stricken 6 April 2004; and sunk as a target 30 July 2004.
Ship's crest
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...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The dominant colors of the crest are blue and gold, traditional to the Navy.
The five spears and the five shields each represent the five members of the Nicholson family. The shields are red, signifying that each namesake distinguished himself in combat during his service to his country. The chevron, a symbol of strength and support, alludes to the prow of the ship. The three bomb bursts signify the threefold mission of a Spruance class destroyer
Spruance class destroyer
The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace a large number of World War II-built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s....
. The lower bomb burst symbolizes a subsurface depth charge or torpedo, while the two upper represent surface and aerial fire power. The sea lion is an ancient symbol of the sea and naval powers. The traditional Latin ship's motto, "FORTES FORTUNA ADIUVAT," translates to "Fortune Favors the Brave," or "Fortune favors the bold."
Commanding Officers
CDR Wesley Earl Jordan Jr. May 12 1979 - Jun 18 1981 (Later RADM)CDR Miles Augustus Libbey III Jun 18 1981 - Dec 26 1982
CDR Michael Howard Loy Dec 26 1982 - Jan 24 1983
CDR Robert Drake Jones Jan 24 1983 - May 17 1984
CDR James Michael Lopacinski May 17 1984 - Jul 24 1986
CDR John Prescott Morse Jul 24 1986 - Dec 16 1988
CDR James E. Booth Dec 16 1988 - Jan 18 1991
CDR Steven K. Johnson Jan 18 1991 - Sep 6 1992
CDR Lawrence Meriwether Jones Jr. Sep 6 1992 - Jun 9 1994
CDR Paul Eugene Stanton Jun 9 1994 - Mar 16 1996
CDR Craig Elroy Langman Mar 16 1996 - Nov 22 1997
CDR Alexander L. Urrutia Nov 22 1997 - Jun 19 1999
CDR James B. Brinkman Jun 19 1999 - Nov 20 2000
CDR Kenneth Joseph Harvey Nov 20 2000 - Dec 18 2002