USS Ford (FFG-54)
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USS ''Ford'' (FFG-54) was a in service with 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 ...
from 1985 to 2013. She was sunk as a target in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
near
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
in 2019.


Namesake

Patrick Osborne Ford was born on 2 May 1942 in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, California. He enlisted in the Navy at
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
on 24 July 1959. He completed basic training at the Naval Training Center, San Diego, California, and received orders to report to Naval Station Adak
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. He reported aboard the destroyer where he served as a
Gunner's Mate The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard occupational rating of gunner's mate (GM) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted sailors who either satisfactorily complete initial Gunner's Mate "A" schoo ...
until the end of his enlistment in 1963. Reenlisting on 11 February 1965 he served at the NS Long Beach, California. In 1966, he was transferred to the
Danang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is o ...
, South Vietnam, where he was ordered to report aboard . Following completion of his tour aboard ''MacKenzie'', Ford was subsequently transferred to where he remained until the end of his second enlistment in 1967. Later that year Ford reenlisted for the second time at the Naval Receiving Station, San Francisco, California. He was ordered to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado for River Patrol Craft Training. Following completion of training in 1968, GMG2 Ford was directed to report to Saigon, Republic of Vietnam. He was assigned to Task Force 116, River Squadron 5, River Section 535 in 1968. For the next five months, he served as a
Patrol Boat, River Patrol Boat, Riverine, or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the ...
(PBR) sailor, monitoring the traffic of the many rivers and coastal waterways of the area. On 21 June 1968, GMG2 Ford was serving as the aft machine-gunner aboard ''PBR 750'' as part of a two-boat patrol operating in the upper My Tho River near the town of
Cái Bè Cái Bè is a township () and capital of Cái Bè District, Tiền Giang Province, Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern ...
. The boats were maneuvering down the river when they spotted a sampan fleeing into a nearby canal. The two patrol boats gave chase and captured the sampan one hundred meters further up the canal. As the PBR returned to the river with the captured sampan in tow, it was ambushed by a
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
(VC) patrol that unleashed an overwhelming barrage of heavy machine-gunfire and rockets. Two B-40 rockets struck Ford's boat, immediately killing the patrol leader, William E. Dennis, and Boatswain's Mate First Class Scott C. Delph. Within seconds, the boat was ablaze and out of control, heading directly for the VC positions. Even as the boat was hit by four additional rockets and after suffering serious injuries, Ford maintained a steady volume of return fire from his aft machine-gunner's station. In the face of enemy gunfire and with his clothing on fire, Ford assisted three seriously wounded shipmates into the water. Ford told the last of the men to swim to the rescue boat while he maintained cover fire. He did not make it off the boat and despite search efforts was not found until the next morning on the beach of the river. However, his actions saved the lives of two of his shipmates. In recognition of his bravery, the US Navy posthumously awarded him the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
. A description of Gunner's Mate Ford's actions can be found here.


Construction and commissioning

''Ford'' was laid down by
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 11 July 1983. It was launched on 23 June 1984; sponsored by Jonda McFarlane, wife of
National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...
Robert C. McFarlane; and commissioned 29 June 1985. Ford was decommissioned 31 October 2013.


Service history

''Ford'' deployed on 28 November 1985, stopping first in San Diego to pick up Helicopter Anti-Submarine (Light) HSL 45 Detachment ONE, the embarking SH-60F Sea Hawk Detachment. After a five-hour stop ''Ford'' was underway to rendezvous with the Battle Group under the command of Rear Admiral Lyle Bien, Commander, Carrier Group 7. The battle group then transited the Pacific Ocean from 2–20 December en route for
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
. ''Ford'' participated in two ASW exercises with a US and a new state-of-the-art Diesel submarine of the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
. ''Ford'' remained part of the Carrier Group 7 battlegroup during the events of the Third Taiwan Straits Crisis. The guided missile frigate completed her first deployment during a voyage to the Western Pacific and Middle East Force (17 August 1987 – 17 February 1988). She 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 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 ...
, 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 Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tank ...
. During a deployment to the Western Pacific, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean (13 November 1990 – 13 May 1991), Ford fought in Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm (28 January–18 March 1991). She alternated plane guard and "shotgun" duties for aircraft carriers , , and during 34 continuous days of flight operations, and interdicted more than 90 merchant ships suspected of smuggling. From 13 December 1995 to 3 May 1996 ''Ford'' was assigned to the ''Nimitz'' Battle Group. Along with the aircraft carrier USS ''Nimitz'', ''Ford'' deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. In March 1996, it patrolled the waters off
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
amid missile tests conducted by the Chinese in the area. It also cruised the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch prior to returning from deployment on 20 May 1996. On 16 February 2007, ''Ford'' was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award. ''Ford'' completed a
Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Exercise CARAT) is a series of annual bilateral military exercises conducted by the United States Pacific Fleet with several member nations of ASEAN in Southeast Asia. Currently, the navies of Bangla ...
(CARAT) deployment starting 4 May 2007 and returning home on 20 September 2007. ''Ford'' made port visits to Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Saipan, and Guam. Inactivated on 19 August 2013, ''Ford'' was decommissioned 31 October 2013. As of September 2016, the ship was in reserve at Bremerton and was slated to be disposed of as a target. 1 October 2019 it was used as a target during a SINKEX near Guam. A MK-48 ADCAP torpedo was used to sink the Ford.


Awards

*
Navy Unit Citation 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 Cor ...
with star * Meritorious Unit Commendation with star *
Navy E Ribbon The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The service ribbon replaced t ...
(four awards) *
Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or ...
*
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...
with three stars * Southwest Asia Service Medal


References


External links

* *
navysite.de: USS ''Ford''




{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford (FFG-54) Ships built in Los Angeles 1984 ships Gulf War ships of the United States Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy Ships sunk as targets