Commissioning
The USS Aylwin was the 29th member of the Knox class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates) of the US Navy. She was the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Lt. John Cushing Aylwin, who served as the sail master on the USS Constitution during the War of 1812.
The contract to build the Aylwin was awarded to Avondale Shipyards of Westwego, La. on Aug. 25, 1966. Her keel was laid on Nov. 13, 1969; she was launched on Aug. 29, 1970. She was commissioned on Sept. 18, 1971, and joined the Atlantic Fleet.
Underway
Based in Norfolk, Va., the Aylwin began her first long-term deployment on Dec. 1, 1972, when she was sent to join the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. During the deployment, the Aylwin took part in NATO exercise “National Week” with ships from the navies of Britain, Italy and Turkey. In February 1974, the Aylwin was deployed to the Perisan Gulf and Indian Ocean, a trip that took them around the Cape of Good Hope and included stops in the Comoro Islands, Oman, Bahrain and Iran.
In 1977, the Aylwin’s home port was transferred to Charleston, S.C., where she became a member of Dystroyer Squadron 20. In 1978, the Aylwin returned to the Mediterranean, taking part in NATO exercise “Dawn Patrol” in May.
In August 1979, the Aylwin was ordered to the Persian Gulf. After passing through the Suez Canal, she docked in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 19. After passing through the Strait of Hormuz and entering the Persian Gulf in early September, the Aylwin took part in a joint exercise with the Saudi Navy. The Aylwin was in port in Bahrain on Nov. 4 when Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took the American citizens inside hostage. The Aylwin left port immediately and re-entered the Persian Gulf, performing surveillance and patrol duties for another month before starting the trip back to the United States.
For just over a year (April 28, 1980 – April 29, 1981), the Aylwin was in drydock at Charleston for a major overhaul. Her next major overseas deployment came in the summer of 1982, when she served as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force overseeing the evacuation of PLO refugees from Lebanon after the Israeli invasion of that country forced them to flee. She returned to the area in September, when religious violence in Lebanon spurred the re-institution of the peace-keeping force, which eventually became embroiled in combat itself. The Aylwin remained in Lebanese waters until mid-November.
In May 1983, the Aylwin was deployed to the Baltic Sea to take part in Operation United Effort/Ocean Safari ’83. In April 1984, the Aylwin was deployed to the Mediterranean for a six-month tour, which included two NATO exercises and anti-submarine warfare patrols. In April 1986, the Aylwin was back in the Mediterranean serving as part of the battle group protecting the aircraft carrier USS America when that vessel took part in a joint U.S. Air Force/U.S. Navy airstrike on Libya. The April 15 attacks, known as Operation El Dorado Canyon, were in retaliation for Libya’s involvement in terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens in West Berlin, Rome and Vienna.
Though the Aylwin entered service as an escort destroyer, she would retire as a frigate. On June 30, 1975, the Aylwin, along with all other members of the Knox class, was re-classified. The Aylwin was then re-designated as FF-1081.
Decommissioning
The Aylwin was decommissioned on May 15, 1992 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. The vessel was later transferred to Taiwanese Navy in 1998, where it continued to serve into the 21st century.
Characteristics of the USS Aylwin (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Propulsion system: 2 – 1200 psi boilers; 1 geared turbine, 1 shaft; 35,000 shaft horsepower
Length: 438 feet (133.5 meters)
Beam: 47 feet (14.4 meters)
Draft: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 4,200 tons full load
Speed: 27 knots
Armament: one Mk-16 missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles, one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun, Mk-46 torpedoes from single tube launchers, one Mk-25 BPDMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles
Aircraft: one SH-2F (LAMPS I) helicopter
Career:
Ordered: Aug. 25, 1966
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: Nov. 13, 1969
Launched: Aug. 29, 1970
Acquired: March 3, 1971
Commissioned: Sept. 18, 1971
Decommissioned: May 15, 1992
Struck: Jan. 11, 1995
Motto: Courage Conquers the Impossible
Fate: Transferred to Taiwan 29 April 1998 as Ni Yang (F 938)
Timeline:
August 1966: USS Aylwin ordered
November 1969: Keel of USS Aylwin laid
August 1970: USS Aylwin launched
September 1971: USS Aylwin commissioned
November 1979: USS Aylwin provides support off the coast of Iran after seizure of U.S. Embassy in Tehran
1983: USS Aylwin takes part in multi-national peacekeeping force off the coast of Lebanon
April 1986: USS Aylwin takes part in Operation El Dorado Canyon
May 1992: USS Aylwin decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Aylwin
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Aylwin can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=560
Bill Davis (served April 1986—September 1988): “Some of the best times of my “young” life think about them quite often. Miss those late night Helo Ops the most.”
Albert Girlamo (served March 1986—May 1988): “Just turned 18 when I boarded in Italy and we went straight to Libya. Great times, some defining years and a great group of guys I will never forget; Louie, Rich, Ed and JJ. Hope all you guys are well.”
Micah Kidd (served February 1986—June 1989): “Great crew, loved the time with all engineering.”
Links:
http://navysite.de
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Aylwin_(FF-1081)
