USS Briscoe (DD-977)
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USS ''Briscoe'' (DD-977), named after
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Robert Pearce Briscoe
USN 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 of ...
, was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was laid down 21 July 1975, launched 28 December 1976 and commissioned 3 June 1978. The ship operated from
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
during her entire 25-year career. When decommissioned, she was part of
Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22, often abbreviated as DESRON 22, is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Two. The squadron was formed in March 1943, and later was one of the first two squa ...
.


History

''Briscoe'' conducted firing trials in 1981–1982 in support of th
SALGP
(Semi-Active Laser Guided Projectile) off the coast of Vieques, Puerto Rico. These projectiles were fired from the 5 inch (127 mm) gun at a range in excess of . While in flight, an optical sensor would detect the signature of a laser-painted target on shore and convert the shell to an actively homing rocket for pinpoint destruction of moving and stationary targets on shore. Participated in
Operation Urgent Fury The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
, the liberation of
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
, and in the Multi-National Peacekeeping Forces off the coast of Lebanon, and in Baltic Operations 1990. ''Briscoe'' also participated as a member of
Middle East Force United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...
s deploying twice to the North Red Sea conducting Maritime Interception Operations in support of U.N. sanctions against Iraq. ''Briscoe'' established a U.S. record of 275 merchant vessel boardings in the North Red Sea during the first of her two deployments to the area. In her second North Red Sea deployment in March 1994, ''Briscoe'' responded to a distress call on 19 May 1994 from an Egyptian passenger ferry, the Al-Qamar Al-Saudi Al-Misri. Briscoe acted as the On-Scene Commander for the ensuing rescue efforts for the over 500 passengers, coordinating the actions of the numerous vessels in the area. In 1996, ''Briscoe'' deployed to the Mediterranean and Black Sea for a six-month period. Deployed with Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 44 (Detachment 5), ''Briscoe'' in Exercise Atlas Hinge with the Tunisian navy and Exercise Shark Hunt and Jaws, an undersea warfare exercise against U.S.
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean Sea. ''Briscoe'' took part in Exercise Classica 96, from 31 August through 9 September, in the spirit of Partnership for Peace. Ships from the
U.S. 6th Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...
, Black Sea and Mediterranean littoral nations (including Italy, Ukraine, Greece. In 1999, at President Bill Clinton's orders, warships of the U.S. Navy assisted in the search for the crashed plane of John F. Kennedy Jr. With the permission of
Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
William Cohen, a public memorial service for Kennedy was held aboard the ''Briscoe''. Kennedy's body was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
. Routine deployment workups were interrupted in 2001, as ''Briscoe'' responded to help provide aerial defense of the U.S. East Coast after the
9/11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
. In 2002, ''Briscoe'' deployed as part of the Harry S. Truman Battle Group in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. ''Briscoe'' was one of the first ships to fire
Tomahawk cruise missiles The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. Under contract fr ...
on targets in Iraq, firing in total 25 missiles. ''Briscoe'' was decommissioned 2 October 2003. She was disposed of as a
target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
in support of a fleet training exercise on 25 August 2005. She lies at at a depth of .


Awards

*
Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
- (Oct 1997-Apr 1998, Jan-May 2003) * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - (1 Aug 1998) *
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 ...
- (1980, 1992, 1995) * Navy Expeditionary Medal - (Jul-Sep 1980) *
Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members ...
- (Aug-Oct 1992) *
Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (includi ...
- (18-20 May 1994)


Ship's crest

The ship's coat of arms is a reflection of the naval career of Admiral Robert Pearce Briscoe. Standing boldly at the base of the shield is the Lion of St. Mark, which refers to the Admiral's leadership as Commander in Chief of Allied Southern Forces Europe. The fess and wavy bar, immediately above the Lion of St. Mark, suggest flowing water passing warships and small land areas. This is reminiscent of the Northern Solomon Islands where Admiral Briscoe commanded the in World War II several important engagements. The shield is completed by four stars, symbolic of Admiral Briscoe's leadership achievement and rank. Atop the shield is a crest symbolic of further achievement in a long and successful career. The trident, symbol of
Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...
, ruler of the seas, refers to the United States Naval Academy where the Admiral served as a student, instructor and department head. The flash represents Prometheus' gift of science to mankind and alludes to Admiral Briscoe as one of the pioneers of modern electronics development in the Navy. The cross refers to the Navy Cross Admiral Briscoe received for his actions in the North Solomon Campaign. The crest is completed by the Taegeuk which denotes the Admiral's Far East Naval Command. The coat of arms is summed up by the ship's motto "Efficiency and Valor", given to the ship by former Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral
Robert Carney Robert Bostwick Carney (March 26, 1895 – June 25, 1990) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as commander-in-chief of the NATO forces in Southern Europe (1951–1953) and then as Chief of Naval Operations (1953–1954) duri ...
, as a tribute to his close friend.


Gallery

File:USS Briscoe (DD-977) aerial port bow view underway.jpg, USS ''Briscoe'' on 1 April 1982 File:USS Briscoe (DD-977) underway, circa in 1987.jpg, USS ''Briscoe'' in 1987 File:USS Briscoe (DD-977) underway in 1996.jpg, USS ''Briscoe'' in 1996 File:US Navy 030423-N-3235P-513 The nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Spruance class destroyer USS Briscoe (DD 977) underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.jpg, USS ''Briscoe'' and
USS Harry S. Truman USS ''Harry S. Truman'' (CVN-75) is the eighth of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. She is currently homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. ''Harry S. Truman'' was launched ...
on 23 April 2003


References


External links

*
navsource.org: USS ''Briscoe''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Briscoe (DD-977) Spruance-class destroyers Cold War destroyers of the United States 1976 ships Ships sunk as targets