Commissioning
The USS Hepburn was the fourth member of the Knox class of destroyer escorts (and later, frigates). She was named after Admiral Arthur Japy Hepburn, who served in the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. It was also nicknamed the “Audrey,” after movie star Audrey Hepburn.
The order to build the Hepburn was awarded to the Todd Shipyards Corp.’s Los Angeles division, located in San Pedro, Calif., on July 22, 1964. Her keel was laid on June 1, 1966; she was launched on March 25, 1967. She was commissioned on July 3, 1969, and joined the ranks of the Pacific Fleet. She was homeported in Long Beach, Calif.
Underway
During her career, the Hepburn would deploy numerous times to the Western Pacific to join the Seventh Fleet. In 1971 and 1972, these deployments included tours of duty off the coast of Vietnam. During her tour in late 1972, the Hepburn provided gunline fire support and supported the operations of two aircraft carriers, the USS Midway and USS Kitty Hawk.
During her career, the Hepburn underwent multiple overhauls and refurbishments which improved her radar detection and offensive and defensive capabilities. Originally fitted with largely ineffective Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles, it was later armed with a Phalanx anti-aircraft gun for improved air defense. It was also equipped with the Harpoon anti-ship missile system after it came into service in the late 1970s.
The Hepburn, originally designated DE-1055, became FF-1055 on June 30, 1975, when all Knox-class destroyers were re-classified as frigates.
Decommissioning
The Hepburn was decommissioned on Dec. 20, 1991 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. It was later used as a gunnery target and was sunk on June 4, 2002.
Characteristics of the USS Hepburn (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: Todd Pacific Shipyards – Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down: June 1, 1966
Launched: March 25, 1967
Acquired: June 27, 1969
Commissioned: July 3, 1969
Decommissioned: December 20, 1991
Struck: January 11, 1995
Fate: Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise June 4, 2002
Timeline:
July 1964: USS Hepburn ordered
June 1966: Keel of USS Hepburn laid
March 1967: USS Hepburn launched
July 1969: USS Hepburn commissioned
1971-72: USS Hepburn serves tours off the coast of Vietnam
July 1975: USS Hepburn re-classified as frigate FF-1055
December 1991: USS Hepburn decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Hepburn:
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_1055
Shane Bertsch (served July 1985-May 1989): “West Pac’s on the mighty Hepburn. To the dedicated shipmates I served with – Thanks for the memories!”
Robert Moore (served September 1985-March 1988): “Never will forget the many unwilling people that were taped to the pole. Loved the shop “you know what” log! Many great entries by literary unknowns! I still have the crossing the line video from Westpac 86-87…converting to DVD now.”
James Bischof (served August 1985-February 1990):”Good memories and great fun. I’ll miss her. Love the WESTPAC’s.”
Paul Glass (served March 1985-December 1989): “I am honored to have served with so many good men on the Hepburn. 3 west pacs and many memories.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/history.do?id=201025&historyId=769048
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hepburn_(FF-1055)
http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=FF_1055
