USS ''Richmond K. Turner'' (DLG-20 / CG-20) was a

destroyer leader Destroyer leader (DL) was the United States Navy designation for large destroyers from 9 February 1951 through the early years of the Cold War. United States ships with hull classification symbol DL were officially frigates from 1 January 1955Blac ...

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 ...

. The ship was named for Admiral

Richmond K. Turner Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner (May 27, 1885 – February 12, 1961), commonly known as Admiral Kelly Turner, served in the United States Navy during World War II, and is best known for commanding the Amphibious Force during the campaign across ...

, who served during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The keel of ''Richmond K. Turner'' was laid on 9 January 1961 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. She was one of nine ''Leahy''-class "double-ended" guided missile destroyers. Launched 6 April 1963; sponsored by Mrs. Claude V. Ricketts; and commissioned 13 June 1964.

History

Initial operations

The ship departed

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

10 August 1964 for her homeport of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, stopping briefly at Yorktown and Norfolk, Virginia, and then Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She crossed through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

, and after a port call in Acapulco, Mexico, arrived in San Diego on 11 September 1964. ''Richmond K. Turner'' departed San Diego on 4 June 1965 for her first deployment to the Western Pacific. The vessel joined Task Force 77 in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

area and served as missile support ship for the aircraft carriers , , and .

Vietnam

''Richmond K. Turner'' was reassigned to the Search and Rescue Destroyer Unit in the

Tonkin Gulf The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...

in September 1965. After participating in missions in which eight aviators were rescued, the vessel departed

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Sub ...

and arrived at San Diego on 18 December. The ship stood out of San Diego on 15 October 1966, bound a second time for Southeast Asian waters, returning to her homeport on 28 March 1967 and making a midshipman training cruise to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

. ''Richmond K. Turner'' departed for her third tour off

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 edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

on 10 June 1968, and contributed to Fleet readiness in Asian waters until returning to San Diego in December 1968. ''Richmond K. Turner'' assumed the duty as

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

(ASW) school ship in the southern California operating areas. In February, she conducted a SecNav guest cruise, and on 1 March, she commenced an extensive updating of her shipboard missile systems at the Naval Station San Diego. She then underwent training and further preparations for her fourth WestPac deployment, which commenced in January 1970. ''Richmond K. Turner'' arrived in

Yokosuka, Japan is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, 4 March 1970 and spent two months operating in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

. The warship operated off the coast of Vietnam from June until July 1970 and returned to San Diego in August after stopping at

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 ...

and Pearl Harbor.

Refit and Fleet Operations

On 22 March 1971, ''Richmond K. Turner'' embarked for

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its ...

and arrived at the

Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest ...

on 27 April 1971. There, she was decommissioned 5 May, under a Navy-wide program to enhance the anti-air warfare capability of major guided-missile ships. The ship was recommissioned at Bath Iron Works on 27 April 1972. For seven months, ''Richmond K. Turner'' engaged in various trials, exercises, and refresher training along the east coast of the United States and in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. The vessel returned to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, 22 November 1972 and remained there until 9 January 1973, when the destroyer leader entered Boston Naval Shipyard for a two-month yard period. Leaving Boston in March, she continued normal operations out of Newport along the Atlantic seaboard and in the Caribbean mid-December 1973. In July 1973, ''Richmond K. Turner'' departed for a 5-month deployment as the flagship for UNITAS XIV, returning in mid-December 1973. In early 1974, ''Richmond K. Turner''s homeport was moved to Norfolk after the Newport Naval Base reassigned most ships there to other locations. After a lengthy stay in Norfolk, ''Richmond K. Turner'' deployed on a Mediterranean cruise in November 1974, returning to Norfolk in May 1975. ''Richmond K. Turner'' was re-designated CG-20 in July 1975 and participated in Operation 200 which included the International Naval Review in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

for the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

celebration on 4 July 1976. In September 1978, after an overhaul at the

Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...

, ''Richmond K. Turner'' reported to Fleet Training Center, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) for Refresher Training (REFTRA). The day after arrival ''Richmond K. Turner'' was directed to intercept and conduct surveillance of Soviet Naval units operating in the West Indies. With that task completed, the ship was then directed to transit the Panama Canal and conduct surveillance operations off the west coast of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. Embarking REFTRA instructors, ''Richmond K. Turner'' completed all her training requirements while deployed in an operational status. The ship received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for these operations in March 1979. From March to September 1979, conducted fleet and independent operations with the Sixth Fleet, ''Richmond K. Turner'' made port visits to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome) and Alassio, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Constanta, Romania on the Black Sea. "Turner" was selected to represent the United States in St. Tropez at the 35th Anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France. In July 1979, "Turner" successfully launched a

Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal ...

missile in the Gulf of Sidra, destroying the target ship at a range of . This was the first firing of a Harpoon missile from a deployed US Navy ship. In May 1980 ''Richmond K. Turner'' participated in Boston's OPSAIL 80 and may have been awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation for conducting two special operations, but this award is not listed in the US Navy Unit award website. ''Richmond K. Turner'' completed four highly successful Mediterranean deployments as part of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, prior to an extensive baseline overhaul at Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, South Carolina from January to December 1982. During this overhaul ''Richmond K. Turner'' received numerous updates to modernize her combat systems suite. She was also fitted with the Vulcan Phalanx Close in Weapons System (

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of l ...

) for self-defense against cruise missiles. After this overhaul ''Richmond K. Turner'' completed two more Mediterranean deployments. The ship received both

Navy Expeditionary Medal The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936. Award criteria The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded, to ...

and Meritorious Unit Commendation during this employment. During the Action in the Gulf of Sidra against the Libyan navy, the ''Turner'' disabled a Libyan patrol boat with a

missile.

Persian Gulf

''Richmond K. Turner'' also completed a 1988 deployment to 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 ...

and was a participant of

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 ...

. Upon her return to the United States, ''Richmond K. Turner'' was overhauled in Ingalls Shipyard at

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

, where she received the

New Threat Upgrade New Threat Upgrade (NTU) was a United States Navy program to improve and modernize the capability of existing cruisers and destroyers equipped with Terrier and Tartar anti-aircraft systems, keeping them in service longer. The Program was select ...

(NTU) to her Combat Direction System as well as many engineering improvements. In response to the crisis in the

caused by

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 ...

's invasion of

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 ...

, ''Richmond K. Turner'' deployed early as a primary AAW unit in the battle group, which arrived in the theater just before hostilities broke out. During 60 days in the Persian Gulf, ''Richmond K. Turner'' provided protection to four carriers and served as an advance picket ship in the mine-infested waters off Kuwait. Following the cease fire, ''Richmond K. Turner'' relocated to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

where she participated in the continuing maritime interception operations in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. Escorting the aircraft carrier USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'' through the Suez Canal in late April 1991, ''Richmond K. Turner'' participated in

Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern I ...

, a massive relief effort to help tens of thousands of

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

refugees who fled the turmoil of Iraq following that country's defeat in the war. During this time ''Richmond K. Turner'' became the Anti-Air Warfare Commander for the Aircraft Carrier Striking Force, U.S. Sixth Fleet. For her operations during Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort, the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

awarded ''Richmond K. Turner'' the

Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...

, the Navy Unit Commendation, the National Defense Medal and the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the

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 ...

. In January 1993, petty officer 2nd class Joseph Gardner of ''Richmond K. Turner'' was the subject of a nationwide manhunt. He was eventually placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and was arrested in Philadelphia, October 1994. He was convicted of the 30 December 1993 gang rape and murder of Melissa McLaughlan and was sentenced to death. He was executed in 2008.

Bosnia

''Richmond K. Turner'' made a final deployment to the Mediterranean as a part of the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' battle group and served as an anti-air warfare command during

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...

over Bosnia-Herzegovina. ''Richmond K. Turner'' received the

Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who e ...

for service relating to Bosnia. Prior to her decommissioning on 31 March 1995, ''Richmond K. Turner'' served as the test platform for the Navy's

Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile The Lightweight Exo-atmospheric Projectile (LEAP) is a lightweight miniaturized kinetic kill vehicle designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles both inside or outside the Earth's atmosphere.Paul Baker, Buster Kelley, Anne Avetissian, ''Li ...

(LEAP) Program, firing the first LEAP shot ever and launching the Navy into the future of missile technology.

End of career

''Richmond K. Turner'' was decommissioned on 13 April 1995 and struck from the Navy list that same day. On 9 August 1998, ex-''Richmond K. Turner'' was sunk 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, f ...

near

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. The SINKEX was conducted by the USS ''Enterprise'' battle group including the cruiser , destroyers , and Carrier Air Wing 3. The Air Force also dropped three 2,000-pound bombs. ''Richmond K. Turner'' sank in nearly of water.

Awards

''Richmond K. Turner'' earned eight battle stars for Vietnam service. List of awards from Navy unit awards site. *

, for 19 February 1991 to 24 February 1991,

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, for 5 April 1991 to 16 July 1991 (Awards site says "Fiery", but this may have been for

instead) * Navy Unit Commendation, for 20 October 1983 to 3 March 1984, Grenada / Operation Urgent Fury and Lebanon time period * Navy Unit Commendation, for 23 March 1986 to 29 March 1986,

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) In the Action in the Gulf of Sidra, codenamed Operation Prairie Fire, the United States Navy deployed aircraft carrier groups in the disputed Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea. Libya had claimed that the entire Gulf was their territory, ...

* Navy Unit Commendation, for 17 January 1991 to 7 February 1991, Desert Storm *

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

, for service from 12 September 1978 to 22 October 1978 *

, for service from 1 January 1994 to 31 March 1995 *

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 ...

, for FY1981, FY1982, CY1992, CY1994 and the 27-month period 1 October 1989 to 31 December 1991 *

, for Libya during the 20 January 1986 – 27 June 1986 award period,

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

with one bronze star (two awards) *

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 ...

, for three occasions relating to Korea in the 1 October 1966 – 3 June 1974 award period *

, for operations relating to Vietnam in the 1 July 1958 – 3 July 1965 award period *

, for 4 occasions relating to Lebanon in the 1 June 1983 – 1 August 1984 award period *

, for Grenada during the 23 October 1983 – 21 November 1983 award period *

, for the Persian Gulf during the 24 July 1987 – 1 August 1990 award period *

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

, for several time periods between 1965 and 1970 * Southwest Asia Service Medal, for 14 January 1991 to 20 April 1991, Desert Storm *

, for two occasions relating to Bosnia in 1993

References

External links

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships – USS ''Richmond K. Turner'' (CG-20)
*
USS ''Richmond K. Turner'' (DLG/CG-20) Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond K. Turner (Cg-20) Leahy-class cruisers Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation 1963 ships Cold War cruisers of the United States Vietnam War cruisers of the United States Ships sunk as targets Maritime incidents in 1998