USS Power (DD-839)

USS ''Power'' (DD-839) was a of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship named for First Lieutenant John V. Power, USMC (1918–1944), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Battle of Kwajalein. This ship was involved in the Project SHAD tests off Newfoundland.

Construction and career

''Power'' was laid down on 26 February 1945 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched on 30 June 1945; sponsored by Mrs. George F. Power, mother of Lt. Power; and commissioned on 13 September 1945 at Boston.

Service in the United States Navy

After shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ''Power'' sailed on 9 January 1946 on the first of many Mediterranean deployments. Returning to the east coast six months later, she remained in the western Atlantic and Caribbean until late in 1948 when she again sailed for Mediterranean waters, to patrol the coast of Palestine under the direction of the United Nations Mediation Board.

During early 1950, ''Power'' operated with units of the British Royal Navy and visited ports in Northern Europe, whence she steamed to the Mediterranean for another tour with the 6th Fleet. In the summer of 1952 ''Power'' completed a South American cruise, then returned to the east coast to resume her schedule of reservist and Midshipman training cruises, fleet and type exercises, and Mediterranean deployments.

On January 12, 1955, ''Power'' collied with USS Warrington during a night exercise near Puerto Rico.

In early 1956 during ASW exercises ''Power'' was involved in a collision with the destroyer USS_Eaton (DD-510).

Lebanon Crisis

In 1958 ''Power'' faced the Lebanon crisis with the 6th Fleet; and participated in the first Project Mercury launches after her return to the east coast.

From November 1960 to January 1962 ''Power'' received a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM I) overhaul, giving her the ASROC system and DASH capability. By September 1962 she was back in the Mediterranean.

During her 1963 overseas deployment ''Power'' served with the Middle East Force and at the end of the year, into 1964, operated off eastern Florida in connection with the Polaris program. Following another Mediterranean cruise and further east coast exercises in late 1965, she steamed in mid-Atlantic as a member of the recovery teams for Gemini 6 and 7.

Vietnam War

During 1966 and 1967, she again served with the 6th Fleet and the Middle East Force, but in August 1968 she transited the Panama Canal for a tour in the western Pacific. With the 7th Fleet from 26 September 1968, she served in the " Yankee Station" Surveillance Area and provided gunfire support and search and rescue (SAR) off South Vietnam. ''Power'' made a port call at Da Nang, South Vietnam on 13 November 1968. She arrived Mayport, Florida on 9 July 1969. Following a Med Deployment in 1973, Power was transferred to the Naval Reserve Fleet and homeport was moved to New York City at the NY State Maritime Academy pier (Fort Schuyler)

''Power'' was decommissioned in September 1977, and sold to Taiwan in October.

Service in the Republic of China Navy

The ship served in the Republic of China Navy as ROCS ''Shen Yang'' (DD-923).

Her number was changed to DDG-923 after she underwent Wu-Chin III modernization program.

''Sheng Yang'''s decommissioning ceremony was held on 26 November 2005 in Keelung Harbor, in a ceremony hosted by Admiral Bon-Chi Chen, the commander-in-chief of the ROCN. Her official decommissioning was on 1 January 2006.

The ship, then Taiwan's last ex-''Gearing''-class destroyer, will possibly become a museum ship but unfortunately plans fell through and she was scrapped in November 2013.

References

External links

*

USS ''Power'' Association website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power (DD-839
Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy
Ships built in Bath, Maine
1945 ships
World War II destroyers of the United States
Cold War destroyers of the United States
Vietnam War destroyers of the United States
Chao Yang-class destroyers