Commissioning
The USS Harold E. Holt, (DE/FF-1074: frigate), was named for Australian Prime Minister Harold Edward Holt, a fervent campaigner against communism and a stalwart ally of the United States. Harold E. Holt was part of the United States Navy’s Knox class of frigates, the twenty-third boat in the class. Todd Pacific Shipyards of Los Angeles earned the contract in July of 1964 and laid down her keel on May 11, 1968. Harold E. Holt launched on May 3, 1969. She was commissioned on March 26, 1971, carrying two hundred sixty-seven enlisted men and eighteen officers.
Underway
During May of 1975, USS Harold E. Holt was involved in the reclamation of the American containership SS Mayagüez from communist Khmer Rouge forces off the coast of Cambodia. Her mission was to patrol the coast and intercept any potential Cambodian reinforcements while Marines boarded Mayagüez and repatriated the crew. Marines on this mission took part in the first hostile ship boarding carried out by the US Navy in almost one hundred fifty years.
In April of 1982, Harold E. Holt took fire from eight signal flares launched by the Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk. When Harold E. Holt approached Minsk within three hundred meters, Minsk hailed her and requested that she stand clear. When Harold E. Holt did not respond, Minsk fired on her. Three flares struck Harold E. Holt but no crewmen were injured.
Decommissioning
Harold E. Holt was decommissioned on July 2, 1992 as part of the phase-out of the Knox-class frigates and was stricken from the Naval Register on January 11, 1995. As part of RIMPAC 2002 exercises, the USS Paul F. Foster sank her as a practice target on July 10, 2002.
Characteristics of the USS Harold E. Holt (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Displacement: 3225 tons (4218 tons full load)
Length: 438 ft (133.5 m)
Beam: 46.75 ft (14.25 m)
Draft: 24.75 ft (7.6 m)
Propulsion: 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
1 Westinghouse geared turbine
1 shaft, 35,000 shp (26 MW)
Speed: 27 knots (50 kph)
Complement: 18 officers, 287 enlisted
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 one Phalanx CIWS
Career:
Namesake: Harold E. Holt, Prime Minister of Australia
Ordered: 22 July 1964
Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards
Laid down: 11 May 1968
Launched: 3 May 1969
Commissioned: 26 March 1971
Struck: 11 January 1995
Fate: Sunk as a practice target during RIMPAC 2002 exercises
Timeline:
May 1968 – USS Harold E. Holt keel laid down
May 1969 – USS Harold E. Holt launched
March 1971 – USS Harold E. Holt commissioned
May 1975 – USS Harold E. Holt participated in reclamation of SS Mayagüez and rescue of her crew from Khmer Rouge forces
April 1982 – USS Harold E. Holt takes fire from signal flares launched by Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk
July 1992 – USS Harold E. Holt decommissioned
January 1995 – USS Harold E. Holt stricken from Naval Vessel Register
July 2002 — USS Harold E. Holt sunk as practice target by USS Paul F. Foster during RIMPAC 2002 exercises
Crewmembers of the USS Harold E. Holt:
An unofficial list of crewmembers that served on the USS Harold E. Holt 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/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=555.
Ken Ward: (Served from April 1991 – June 1991) “I was a slick sleeve Stinger team guy. I loved the Holt and as my first sea duty it holds a special place in my memory. I enjoyed my time aboard”
Alfonso Gray: (Served from December 1991 – July 1992) “wasn’t on the Holt long.. came over from the Stoddert DDG 22. was a short timer so they sent me there for the 6mos i had left”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Harold E. Holt_(FF-1074)
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=555
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/06021074.htm
