Commissioning
The USS Brewton was a member of the Knox class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates). She was named in honor of Navy Lt. John Brewton, a SEAL who was awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars for heroism in combat but died from wounds sustained in combat during the Vietnam War.
The yet-unnamed Brewton was ordered on Aug. 25, 1966. The contract to build her was awarded to the Avondale Shipyards of Westwego, La. Her keel was laid on Oct. 2, 1970; she was launched on July 24, 1971. She was commissioned on July 8, 1972, and joined the Pacific Fleet.
Underway
During her career, the Brewton would make nine deployments to the Western Pacific, visiting more than 30 countries in the process. In 1984, she would receive the solemn honor of carrying the remains of the Unknown Soldier from the Vietnam War from Pearl Harbor to NAS Alameda, Calif. The remains of the Unknown Soldier were interred in Arlington National Cemetery, but were later identified as those of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. Blassie’s remains have since been re-buried in St. Louis, Mo.
The Brewton would make one deployment to the Persian Gulf, in 1990. She served as part of the naval blockade against Iraq as part of Operation Desert Shield. Tasked with enforcing the United Nations embargo against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait, the Brewton would be awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for its service during this time period.
The Brewton would win two Battle Efficiency “E”s for outstanding combat preparedness in her career, in 1989 and 1990.
Though the Brewton started her career as a destroyer escort, she would retire as a frigate. The Brewton, along with the rest of the Knox class, was re-classified as a frigate on June 30, 1975. She was re-designated as FF-1086.
Decommissioning
The Beary was decommissioned on July 2, 1992 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. She was later sold to Taiwan, where the ship continued to serve into the 21st Century.
Characteristics of the USS Brewton (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Displacement: 3,305 tons (4,295 full load)
Length: 438 ft (134 m)
Beam: 46 ft 9 in (14.2 m)
Draught: 24 ft 9 in (7.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
1 Westinghouse geared turbine
1 shaft, 35,000 SHP (26 MW)
Speed: over 27 knots
Range: 4,500 nautical miles @ 20 knots
Complement: 18 officers, 267 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems: AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar
AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
AN/SQS-26 Sonar
AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonar system
Mk68 Gun Fire Control System
Electronic warfare and decoys: AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System
Armament: one Mk-16 8 cell missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles
one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun
Mark 46 torpedoes from four single tube launchers)
one Mk-25 BPDMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles, later replaced by Phalanx CIWS Aircraft carried: one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter
Career:
Ordered: Aug. 25, 1966
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: Oct. 2, 1970
Launched: July 24, 1971
Acquired: June 18, 1972
Commissioned: July 8, 1972
Decommissioned: July 2, 1992
Struck: Jan. 11, 1995
Motto: Dedicated Determined Prepared
Fate: Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale to Taiwan Sept. 29, 1999
Timeline:
August 1966: USS Brewton ordered
October 1970: Keel of USS Brewton laid
October 1971: USS Brewton launched
July 1972: USS Brewton commissioned
1984: USS Brewton carries remains of Vietnam Unknown Soldier from Pearl Harbor to California
1990: USS Brewton takes part in Operation Desert Shield
July 1992: USS Brewton decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Brewton:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Brewton 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://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ff_1086
Dick Oliver (served June 1980—October 1983): “I loved Pearl Harbor and serving onboard with all my shipmates. The radio gang was the best ever. I wish more shipmates were on this listing. I married my true love in Hawaii. I retired as an RMCM with 28 years. Currently living in Norfolk, Va.”
James Toombs (served May 1980—June 1982): “Worked in E/A division.”
John Humphries (served January 1980—December 1982): “I have so many great memories from my time on the Brewton. Hard sometimes to believe it has been 23 years since I last requested permission to go ashore.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://navysite.de/ff/ff1086.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Brewton_(FF-1086)
http://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ff_1086
