USS ''Jarrett'' (FFG-33), was the twenty-fifth ship of the
guided missile frigates, was named for Vice Admiral
Harry B. Jarrett
Harry Bean Jarrett (12 October 1898 – 9 April 1974) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. A veteran of several campaigns in Pacific during World War II, he distinguished himself during the Ba ...
(1898–1974).
Ordered from
Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division
Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division was a shipyard in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. Before applying its last corporate name, the shipyard had been called Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company and Todd Shipyards, Los Angele ...
,
San Pedro,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
on 23 January 1978 as part of the FY78 program, ''Jarrett'' was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
on 11 February 1981,
launched on 17 October 1981,
commissioned on 2 July 1983, and decommissioned on 21 April 2011.
''Jarrett'' was the first US Navy warship to be commanded by a woman, Commander
Kathleen A. McGrath
Kathleen Anne McGrath (June 4, 1952 – September 26, 2002) was the first woman to command a United States Navy warship.
Early life
On June 4, 1952, McGrath was born in Columbus, Ohio. McGrath's father is Colonel James H. McGrath. McGrath's mot ...
, from 18 December 1998 until 4 September 2000.
Service history
12 May—12 November 1987
During a deployment to the
Western Pacific,
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, and
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
, ''Jarrett'',
Commander Leslie S. Blankinship in command, took part in
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988) was the American military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest nav ...
, an operation to maintain freedom of navigation within the Persian Gulf, that included renaming and reflagging 11
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
i tankers. During the "
Tanker War
The Tanker War was a protracted series of armed skirmishes between Iran and Iraq against merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from 1984 to 1988. The conflict was a part of the larger Iran–Iraq War.
Background
Prior to ...
" between the
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ians and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
is, the Iranians utilized 1,662 ton former
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n
roll-on, roll-off vessel , Lt. Cmdr. Parviz
ohammadFarshchiyan in command, to lay
mines to cut the sea lanes to Iraq.
''Iran Ajr'' stopped overnight on 21 September 1987, at a two-towered
rig named ''Rashadat'' in the Rastam gas-oil separation platform (GOSP) complex, 120 miles east of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. The rig had been shut down for almost two years following Iraqi discovery that the Iranians used ''Rashadat'' for radar tracking of ships and for launching small boats. ''Iran Ajr'' turned toward the tanker routes, but just before midnight three
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
helicopters, consisting of a
Boeing MH-6 "Little Bird" and a pair of
AH-6 "Sea Bats" of the
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have include ...
, at least one of the helos flew from ''Jarrett'', surprised the minelayer 50 miles northeast of Bahrain.
President Ronald W. Reagan later announced that ''Iran Ajr'' posed "a direct threat to the safety of U.S. warships and other U.S.-flag vessels." The Iranian ship began to lay mines in an area where
Middle East Force (MEF) flagship sailed, and when reporters afterwards queried
Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, Commander MEF, about the Iranians' intent to sink the flagship he replied, "Absolutely." At 2302 therefore, the Army helos announced "inbound hot" and attacked the Iranian ship into the mid-watch, damaging her with
2.75 in (70 mm) rockets and
7.62 mm (0.30 in) M134 Minigun
The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...
fire, and killing at least four crewmen.
''La Salle'', amphibious assault ship , guided-missile cruisers and , guided-missile destroyer , and guided-missile frigates and ''Jarrett'' made for the area. Men of
Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) Team 2, Commander Marc Thomas officer-in-charge, backed-up by two
Marine helos, boarded and captured the ship from a landing craft during the morning watch. The boarders gathered 24 survivors on board or from the water (one later died), impounded the minelayer, photographed evidence, and located at least nine remaining mines. The prisoners were later returned to Iran.
7 December 1990 – 6 June 1991
During a deployment to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf, Jarrett, Commander
William L. Snyder in command, with two
Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawks of
Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (Light) (HSL)-45 Detachment 2 embarked, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas M. Cirillo, officer-in-charge, took part in the
Persian Gulf War I. During the coalition air attacks in Operation Desert Storm, many Iraqi jets fled to Iran. Following ''Jarrett''s arrival in the Persian Gulf on 25 January 1991, she consequently operated as an antiair picket off the Iranian coast (3–11 February).
The ship then embarked two Army
Bell OH-58D "Kiowas" and 13 soldiers of B Troop,
4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Air) (Reconnaissance),
18th Aviation Brigade (Corps) (Airborne), Captain
Robert M. Cumbie, USA, in command. On 16 February 1991, the "Kiowas" flew a night coastal reconnaissance flight, and ''Jarrett'' re-directed them approximately 40 miles north to assess bomb damage on an Iraqi
HY-2G "Silkworm" (CSS-C-2 Sea Eagle-2)
surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...
site. Navy
Grumman A-6E "Intruders" bombed the site, but the helos discovered that the "Intruders" failed to destroy the Silkworms, and carrier jets bombed them again.
The two helicopters refueled on board ''Jarrett'' and lifted off, equipped with
AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles
An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common prop ...
.
Battleship operated an
AAI RQ-2 Pioneer
The AAI RQ-2 Pioneer is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that had been used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Army, and deployed at sea and on land from 1986 until 2007. Initially tested aboard USS ''Iowa'', the RQ-2 Pioneer was place ...
remotely piloted vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human Aircraft pilot, pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an #Terminology, unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes add ...
(RPV) subsequently designated an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that helped the battleship direct her naval gunfire support of the troops fighting ashore. Crewmen launched the Pioneer with the assistance of a
rocket-powered booster and recovered the aircraft by utilizing a net strung between two cables on the fantail. The vehicle transmitted images to shipboard TV monitors that enabled men to "walk" rounds onto their targets. The Pioneer revealed that at least one Iraqi missile survived the second bombing, and one of the "Kiowas" launched a Hellfire that destroyed the Silkworm.
''Jarrett'' passed through areas swept clear of mines off the
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
i coast and joined
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
destroyer and
frigate while they protected ''Missouri'' as the battleship shelled enemy troops ashore. An Iraqi battery at
al-Finţās fired two Silkworms at the formation of allied ships, at 0452 on 25 February 1991. One of the Silkworms misfired and crashed into the sea shortly after the Iraqis launched it, but the other missile hurtled toward ''Missouri'' at 605 knots and a height of 375 feet above the water. The U.S. and British ships tracked the incoming missile on their radar. From the bridge of the Jarrett, Lt. Craig Isaacson ordered
chaff,
torchs, and
ducks to be launched to confound the missile's guidance.
''Missouri'' also fired its
SRBOC chaff at this time. The
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS (often spoken as "sea-wiz") is a gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the Gen ...
system on ''Jarrett'', operating in the automatic target-acquisition mode, fixed on ''Missouri''s chaff, releasing a burst of rounds. From this burst, four rounds hit ''Missouri'' which was from ''Jarrett'' at the time. There were no injuries. ''Gloucester'' shot down the missile with two
Sea Dart
Sea Dart, or GWS.30 was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers (United Kingdom and Argentina), Type 82 destroyer and s of the Royal Navy. Originally ...
surface-to-air missiles.
Later, ''Missouri'' launched a Pioneer RPV that discovered the Iraqi Silkworm battery and the battleship fired 30 16-inch rounds and knocked out the battery. After the cease-fire, ''Jarrett'' escorted merchant ships through "mine danger areas" (1 March–14 April).
31 January 2000
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was an Alaska Airlines flight of a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean on January 31, 2000, roughly north of Anacapa Island, California, following a catastrophic loss of pitch control, ...
, a
McDonnell Douglas MD-83
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...
airliner, crashed into the Pacific north of
Anacapa Island
Anacapa Island (Chumash: ''Anyapax'', meaning "mirage, illusion") is a small volcanic island located about off the coast of Port Hueneme, California, in Ventura County. The island is composed of a series of narrow islets long, oriented ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, killing all 88 people on board, on 31 January 2000. A
Lockheed NP-3D Orion from
Point Mugu, California
Point Mugu (, Chumash: ''Muwu'') is a cape or promontory within Point Mugu State Park on the Pacific Coast in Ventura County, near the city of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian te ...
, two Sikorsky HH-60H Seahawks from
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HCS) 5 from Point Mugu, and
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
helos and a
Lockheed HC-130H Hercules responded.
Aircraft carrier supported rescue crews, and Navy mapping with underwater
side scanning sonar and video enabled the searchers to recover pieces of wreckage. Reinforcements included
amphibious transport dock
An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform dock (LPD), is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently opera ...
, destroyer and ''Jarrett'', these ships embarked HH-60 and SH-60 Seahawks, and a
Lockheed S-3B Viking
The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a four-crew, twin-engine turbofan-powered jet aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Corporation. Because of its characteristic sound, it was nicknamed the "War Hoover" after ...
from
Naval Air Station North Island
Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...
.
The ship may have been assigned to a
Destroyer squadron
A destroyer squadron is a naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be used for larger ...
that formed part of
Carrier Strike Group Three
Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the group's current flagship. Other units ...
after 2004.
11 May–19 October 2009
The ship, with
HSL-49 Detachment 3 and
Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment 101 embarked (followed by 107), sailed on a
counter-narcotics deployment to the Eastern Pacific. Her operations resulted in the seizure or disruption of the smuggling of over nine tons of
narcotics with an estimated street value of $266 million.
Current status
On 21 April 2011, ''Jarrett'' was decommissioned at
Naval Base San Diego after 15 deployments, and was transported to the
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...
as its final destination, becoming part of the
Mothball Fleet. The ship's most recent deployment was a six-month counter-illicit trafficking deployment, supporting U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.
''Jarrett'' was the first ship of that name in the US Navy.
References
*
*
External links
*
*
USS Jarrett FFG-33@ MaritimeQuest
@ GlobalSecurity.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrett (FFG-33)
1981 ships
Gulf War ships of the United States
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy
Ships built in Los Angeles
Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States