USS ''Davidson'' (FF-1045) was a

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

, and later a

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 ...

, 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 ...

. She was named for Vice Admiral

Lyal A. Davidson Lyal Ament Davidson (2 December 1886 – 29 December 1950) was a Vice admiral of the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. He was a two time recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He ...

. ''Davidson'' was commissioned with the US Navy from 1965 to 1988 and served with the Brazilian Navy from 1989 to 2002. ''Davidson'' sank while under tow to be scrapped in India circa in 2005.

History

The keel for USS ''Davidson'' was laid down 30 September 1963 at

Avondale Shipyards Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. In 2011, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard was part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It c ...

. The ship was launched and christened 2 October 1964, with Mrs. Lyal A. Davidson, widow of the ship's namesake, as

ship sponsor A ship sponsor, by tradition, is a female civilian who is invited to "sponsor" a vessel, presumably to bestow good luck and divine protection over the seagoing vessel and all that sail aboard. In the United States Navy and the United States Coast ...

. ''Davidson'' was commissioned on 7 December 1965 in Charleston, South Carolina. She was homeported in Pearl Harbor. She deployed to the Western Pacific in support of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. She was redesignated, along with the rest of her class, as a frigate in 1975 with the new hull number FF-1045. ''Davidson'' deployed from Pearl Harbor on her first Western Pacific cruise on 18 April 1967. The ship made port calls to Yokosuka, Japan,

Chinhae Jinhae-gu (Hangul: 진해구, Hanja: 鎭海區) is a district in Changwon City, South Korea. This region is served by the Korean National Railroad, and is famous for its annual cherry blossom festival every spring. The city front is on a shelt ...

, Korea, Sasebo, Japan, Subic Bay, Philippines, Hong Kong, Bang Saen, Thailand and

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Thailand. The ship served in the waters off Vietnam supporting aircraft carriers at

Yankee Station Yankee Station (officially Point Yankee) was a fixed coordinate off the coast of Vietnam where U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and support ships operated in open waters over a nine-year period during the Vietnam War. The location was used primari ...

and providing naval gunfire support elsewhere off the coast. ''Davidson'' returned to Pearl Harbor 23 October 1967. ''Davidson'' departed Pearl Harbor on 23 July 1982. The ship made port calls to

Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Pref ...

, Japan,

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

, Japan, Pusan, Korea, Subic Bay, Philippines,

Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban ( war, Syudad han Tacloban; fil, Lungsod ng Tacloban), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, a ...

, Philippines, Sattihip, Thailand, Hong Kong and

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

, Japan. ''Davidson'' returned to Pearl harbor 28 January 1983.

Military awards and honors

Brazilian service

On 8 December 1988, ''Davidson'' was decommissioned. She was transferred to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and commissioned 25 July 1989 as ''Paraiba'' (D28). She was decommissioned from the

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...

on 26 July 2002. She sank as she was being towed to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to be scrapped, along with the former .

References

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External links

USS Davidson Reunion siteVideo of her wreck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson (FF-1045) Garcia-class frigates Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana 1964 ships Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Vietnam War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Garcia-class frigates of the Brazilian Navy Pará-class destroyers (1989) Shipwrecks