Commissioning
The USS Marvin Shields was the 15th member of the Knox class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates). She was named in honor of the only Seabee to win the Medal of Honor. Shields, who was killed in action on June 10, 1965, was also the first Navy sailor to win the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
The order to build the Marvin Shields was awarded to the Todd Pacific Shipyards of Seattle on June 22, 1964. Her keel was laid on April 12, 1968; she was launched on Oct. 23, 1969. She was commissioned on April 10, 1971.
Underway
The Shields’ only deployment to a combat zone came in 1990-91, when it was deployed to the Persian Gulf. There, it joined a large naval task force that was part of Operation Desert Shield, a response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990. Desert Shield became Desert Storm on Jan. 17, 1991, when the liberation of Kuwait began. The crew of the Shields received the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the ship was awarded the Navy Unit Citation.
Though it was commissioned as a destroyer escort, the Marvin Shields retired from U.S. service as a frigate. The Shields, along with all other members of the Knox class, was re-classified as a frigate on June 30, 1975. Its designation was then changed from DE-1066 to FF-1066.
Decommissioning
The Shields was decommissioned on July 2, 1992 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. It was later sold to Mexico Navy, where it continues to serve as the ARM Abasolo.
Characteristics of the USS Marvin Shields (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: July 22, 1964
Laid down: April 12, 1968
Launched: October 23, 1969
Acquired: April 1, 1971
Commissioned: April 10, 1971
Decommissioned: July 2, 1992
Struck: 11 January 1995
Motto: Can Do
Fate: Sold to Mexico
Timeline:
July 1964: USS Marvin Shields ordered
April 1968: Keel of USS Marvin Shields laid
October 1969: USS Marvin Shields launched
April 1971: USS Marvin Shields commissioned
1990-91: USS Marvin Shields deployed to Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
July 1992: USS Marvin Shields decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Marvin Shields:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Marvin Shields 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_1066
Ron Duke (served 1976): “fast paced crew, great BBQ on the fantail.
Steve Chapin (served August 1976—August 1979): “Discharged in Seattle on an early out after ’79 overhaul. Good times in those days….mss the PI but then again it is closed now so I am sure all sailors do. Moved back to Michigan and been here ever since.”
Gary Broad (served January 1976-January 1979): “Had a great time on the Mighty Marv. Moved to Arizona. Enjoying Life.”
Gil Polanco (served January 1976-July 1979): “The best ship in the Navy!”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=FF_1066
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Marvin Shields_(FF-1066)
http://navysite.de/ff/ff1066.htm
