Commissioning
The USS Davidson was the fifth member of the Garcia class of destroyer escorts (and later, frigates). The Davidson was named in honor of Vice Admiral Lyal A. Davidson, who served during World War II.
The Davidson was ordered on Jan. 3, 1962, from the Avondale Shipyards of Westwego, La. The Davidson’s keel was laid on Sept. 30, 1963; she was launched on Oct. 2, 1964. She was commissioned on Dec. 7, 1965, and joined the ranks of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. She was homeported at Pearl Harbor.
Underway
The Davidson spent much of her early career in the waters of the Western Pacific, serving in the Vietnam War. From 1967-72, the Davidson was a frequent presence in the Gulf of Tonkin, serving in gunfire support, aircraft recovery and carrier escort roles. She would receive two Meritorious Unit Commendations, in 1969 and 1972, for her actions in the region. The Davidson also won the Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation twice in 1969.
On April 26, 1972, the Davidson received a combat action ribbon after a firing 1200 rounds during an overnight combat support mission. She also receive the nickname “Biggest little destroyer in WESTPAC (Western Pacific).”
The Davidson was redeployed to the waters off of North Korea in April 1969 after that nation captured the USS Pueblo in late 1968. The American sailors were later released, some 11 months after their capture.
In 1980, the Davidson was deployed to the Middle East after the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran by Iranian extremists; she nearly sank during the deployment. In June, she suffered a major fire in the boiler room while in the Arabia Sea. The incident occurred during a refueling alongside the USS Sacramento after a fuel oil/salt water compensating system failed and released 100,000 gallons of fuel and saltwater. Though the fire was eventually contained, the Davidson had to be towed to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and underwent more than a month of repairs.
Though the Davidson started her career as a destroyer escort, she would retire as a frigate. The Davidson, along with the rest of the Knox class, was re-classified as a frigate on June 30, 1975. She was re-designated as FF-1045.
Decommissioning
The Davidson was decommissioned on Dec. 8, 1988. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 24, 2001 after service in the Brazilian Navy. She was later sold for scrap, but sank in 2005 while being towed to India.
Characteristics of the USS Davidson (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Garcia class frigate
(Formerly destroyer escort)
Displacement: 2,624 tons (light)
Length: 414 ft 6 in (126.3 m)
Beam: 44 ft 1 in (13.4 m)
Draught: 24 ft 6 in (7.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 1 Westinghouse turbine, 35,000 shp, single screw Speed: 27 knots
Complement: 16 officers, 231 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems: AN/SPS-40 air search radar
AN/SPS-10 surface search radar
AN/SQS-26 bow mounted sonar
Armament: 2 x 5″/38 Mk 30(2×1)
1 8-tube ASROC Mk16 launcher (16 missiles)
6 x 12.75 in (324mm) Mk 32 (2×3) torpedo tubes, Mk 46 torpedoes
2 x MK 37 torpedo tubes (fixed, stern) (removed later)
Aircraft carried: 1 x SH-2F Seasprite LAMPS I
Career:
Name: USS Davidson (DE-1045)
Awarded: Jan. 3, 1962
Builder: Avondale Shipyards
Laid down: Sept. 30, 1963
Launched: Oct. 2, 1964
Acquired: Nov. 16, 1965
Commissioned: Dec. 1, 1965
Decommissioned: Dec. 8, 1988
Struck: Jan. 24, 2001
Fate: Transferred to Brazil, sank in early 2005
Timeline:
January 1962: USS Davidson ordered
September 1963: Keel of USS Davidson laid
October 1964: USS Davidson launched
December 1965: USS Davidson commissioned
1967—1972: USS Davidson serves multiple deployments in the Gulf of Tonkin
April 1972: USS Davidson wins combat action ribbon
1980: USS Davidson deployed to Middle East
December 1988: USS Davidson decommissioned
2005: USS Davidson sinks
Crewmembers of the USS Davidson:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Davidson 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_1045
Patrick Swaggert (served February 1971—August 1972): “Was in sonar 3rd division; however, both cruises was loaned out to 2nd division and spent most time in gunnery. Made some friends for a life time and had some unique experiences both good and bad. I liked being overseas it was interesting.”
Mike Hodgkin (served September 1972—August 1974): “Great ship and crew. I had a blast. And to think, I got paid to do it, too!”
Mark Borofsky (served May 1972—May 1975): “I was on watch when the Newport News blew-up. It was the middle gun turret. The guys form the 72 cruise were the best.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://navysite.de/ff/ff1045.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Davidson_(FF-1045)
http://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ff_1045
http://www.ussdavidson.com/history.shtml
