Commissioning
The USS Connole was the fifth member of the Knox class of destroyer escorts (and later, frigates). She was named after Commander David R. Connole, captain of the USS Trigger, a submarine lost in combat in March 1945.
The order to build the Connole was awarded to the Avondale Shipyard of Westwego, La., on June 22, 1964. Her keel was laid on March 23, 1967; she was launched on July 20, 1968. She was commissioned on Aug. 30, 1969, and joined the Atlantic Fleet.
Underway
The Connole spent large portions of her career as part of the Sixth Fleet, operating in the Mediterranean Sea. Her first deployment to the Mediterranean was in 1971, where it performed anti-submarine duties for a carrier battle group. During her second deployment to the Mediterranean in 1972, the Connole was ordered out of a Greek port by her hosts during an aborted coup.
In 1974, the Connole went into the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for overhaul. When it came out, it was quickly determined that the ship’s propeller had been improperly installed and it returned to drydock, this time at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. In the process, it was equipped with new weapons and sonar systems that made it the Navy’s premier anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel. The new systems tested by the Connole became standard on all Knox-class vessels.
In 1975 and 1977, the Connole made two more deployments to the Mediterranean. Upon completing the second, the Connole was awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” and the Atlantic Fleet’s ASW trophy. By this time, the Connole had been made the centerpiece of the Atlantic Fleet’s new ASW squadron.
In a 1979 deployment to the Mediterranean, the Connole detected seven Soviet submarines and one French sub who attempted to sneak up on an American carrier task force. The Connole was back in the Mediterranean in 1981 serving a plane guard when two F-14 Tomcats from the USS Nimitz shot down two Libyan SU-22 fighters.
In 1985 and 1986, the Connole deployed several times to the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, tracking Soviet submarines. From 1988-90, the Connole won three consecutive Battle “E”s and the Meritorious Unit Commendations for its service with the USS John F. Kennedy battle group in the Mediterranean.
Decommissioning
The Connole was decommissioned on Aug. 30, 1992 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. Its career, however, was not over; renamed the Ipiros, the ship became the property of the Greek Navy and served for another decade.
The Connole was decommissioned
Characteristics of the USS Connole (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Displacement: 3020 tons standard, 4163 tons full
Length: 415′ (126m) waterline
438′ (134m) overall
Beam: 47′ (14m)
Draft: 24.75′ (7.5m)
Propulsion: 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
1 Westinghouse geared turbine
1 shaft, 35,000 SHP (26 MW) Speed: 27+ knots Range: 4,500 miles (7,242 km) Complement: 13 officers, 211 men Sensors and
processing systems: •AN/SPS-10 surface search
•AN/SPS-40 air search
•AN/SQS-26CX sonar
•AN/SQS-35 IVDS towed array sonar Electronic warfare
and decoys: AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System Armament: •1 × 5″/54 gun
•4 × 21″ torpedo tubes (4×1, fixed)
•1 × 8-tube ASROC + Harpoon launcher
•1 × 8-cell RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launcher Aircraft carried: 1 DASH drone helicopter, later 1 SH-2 LAMPS I helicopter
Career:
Ordered: July 22, 1964
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: March 23, 1967
Launched: July 20, 1968
Acquired: Aug. 22, 1969
Commissioned: Aug. 30, 1969
Decommissioned: Aug. 30, 1992
Struck: Jan. 11, 1995
Motto: Exempla Suorum Durant; The Example of our Ancestors Endures
Fate: Transferred to Greece as Ipiros (F-456)
Timeline:
July 1964: Order for USS Connole placed
March 1967: Keel for USS Connole laid
July 1968: USS Connole launched
August 1969: USS Connole commissioned
1971: USS Connole makes first Mediterranean deployment
1974-75: USS Connole receives upgrade of new anti-submarine warfare systems
1977: USS Connole wins first Battle “E”
1988-90: USS Connole wins three consecutive Battle “E”s
August 1992: USS Connole decommissioned; ship transferred to the Greek Navy
Crewmembers of the USS Connole:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Gray 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/crew.php?action=ship&ship=FF_1056
Warren Dorer (served February 1971-December 1974): “Two Med cruises and a lot of partying.”
Michael Bray (served January 1972-January 1976): “Great ship.”
Guy Schneider (served November 1972-November 1975): “What a great time. R Division rules. Philly and Portsmouth yards, one Med cruise and a Caribbean vacation. Great bunch of guys to work with in the General Workshop.”
Ron Nail (served November 1972-June 1977): “Made several MED cruises,GTMO, and Carribean cruises. We were in the MOD SQUAD and had a young Skipper. Enjoyed goung to the hot ports.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/06021056a.htm
http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=FF_1056
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Connole_(FF-1056)
