USS ''Boone'' (FFG-28) was the twentieth ship in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
's of
guided missile frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s.
The frigate was named for Vice Admiral
Joel Thompson Boone
Joel Thompson Boone (August 29, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I.
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Boone received the Army's Distinguished Service Cross ...
, M.D. (1889–1974). FFG-28, the first U.S. ship to bear the admiral's name, was ordered 23 January 1978,
launched 16 January 1980 by
Todd Pacific Shipyards
Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...
, and
commissioned 15 May 1982. She has since earned numerous awards and commendations.
History
On 30 November 2006, the rudder fell off Mayport-based frigate ''Boone'' while on deployment in the western Mediterranean. The mishap forced the ship to send out a call for help to which Canadian
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
responded, providing divers who inspected the ship's underside. Within 24 hours, ''Boone'' was being towed to
Rota for repairs by the German Navy's replenishment oiler
''Spessart''. The ship was not adrift or totally dead in the water because its two 350-horsepower auxiliary propulsion units provided a "limited amount of maneuverability." The lost rudder was replaced 27 December and, after a day of operational testing, ''Boone'' got underway again on 28 December.
''Boone'' was assigned to
Destroyer Squadron 14
Destroyer Squadron 14, now Naval Surface Squadron Fourteen (CNSS 14, or SURFRON 14), is the administrative Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC) for ships that are homeported at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.
CNSS 14 was establi ...
and was the recipient of the 2005 DESRON 14
Battle "E" The Battle Effectiveness Award (formerly the Battle Efficiency Award, commonly known as the Battle "E"), is awarded annually to the small number of United States Navy ships, submarines, aviation, and other units that win their battle effectiveness c ...
. On 16 February 2007, she was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.
''Boone'' was homeported in
Mayport, Florida Mayport is a small community located between Naval Station Mayport and the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. The only public road to Mayport is State Road A1A, which crosses the St. Johns ...
, and was a member of the
Navy Reserve. In March 2010, she was assigned to the
United States Fifth Fleet
The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headq ...
fighting
Somali piracy
Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. ...
.
The last commanding officer of ''Boone'' was LCDR Robert Speight.
''Boone'' was decommissioned on 23 February 2012.
Sinking
On 18 August 2022, ''Boone'' was towed to
Campbeltown
Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
to be sunk as part of a
SINKEX
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammuniti ...
involving
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the t ...
missiles fired by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
Type 23 frigate , to test a new US targeting satellite. The SINKEX took place on 7 September 2022 with the participation of both US and UK forces. From the sea, she was struck by two Harpoon anti-ship missiles fired by HMS ''Westminster'' and an
SM-6
The RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), or Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), is a missile in current production for the United States Navy. It was designed for extended-range anti-air warfare (ER-AAW) purposes, providing capability ...
from . Meanwhile, from the air, she was struck by two Paveway IV laser-guided bombs from Royal Air Force
Typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
fighters, two
JDAM
The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs", into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Pos ...
s from US Air Force
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
s, a
Martlet missile from ''Westminster's''
Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
helicopter and a Harpoon anti-ship missile from a US Navy
P-8 Poseidon
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN).
Th ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
USS ''Boone'' Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boone (FFG-28)
1980 ships
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy
Ships built in Seattle
Ships sunk as targets