Commissioning
The USS Paul was a member of the Knox Class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates) of the US Navy. She was named in honor of Marine Lance Corporal and Medal of Honor recipient Joe C. Paul, who was killed in action in Vietnam.
The contract to build the Paul was awarded to the Avondale Shipyard of Westwego, La., on Aug. 25, 1966. Her keel was laid on Sept. 12, 1969; she was launched on June 20, 1970. She was commissioned on Aug. 14, 1971.
Underway
In 1972, the Paul was deployed to the Western Pacific and served off the coast of Vietnam in late November and late January and early February of 1973. During this time, she would take part in numerous gunfire support missions for Marines ashore. Twelve years later, as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force, the Paul would perform a similar mission off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon.
In September 1984, the Paul made international headlines when she attempted to intercept a Soviet merchant vessel bound for Nicaragua in the waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean to determine whether any Russian-made fighter aircraft or attack helicopters were aboard. The merchant ship, however, evaded the Paul and safely made its way into the territorial waters of Nicaragua before the Paul could pull alongside.
In March 1986, the Paul was assigned to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Between March 23 and March 31, four Libyan missile boats attempted to attack U.S. ships in the Gulf of Sidra; all four were destroyed. For its part in the deployment the Paul was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation.
A year later, the Paul was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of a battle group led by the USS Iowa to deter Iranian attacks on merchant ships during the height of the Iran-Iraq war. In late 1987 and early 1988, the Paul would take part in anti-drug operations in the South Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The Paul’s final taste of action would come in 1990-91, when she was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. She would provide assistance for the United Nations embargo against Iraqi shipping and received two Joint Naval Unit Citations.
Though the Paul entered service as an escort destroyer, she would retire as a frigate. On June 30, 1975, the Paul, along with all other members of the Knox class, was re-classified. The Paul was then re-designated as FF-1080.
Decommissioning
The Paul was decommissioned on Aug. 14, 1992 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. The vessel was later transferred to the Turkish fleet, where it continued to serve into the 21st century.
Characteristics
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Propulsion system: 2 – 1200 psi boilers; 1 geared turbine, 1 shaft; 35,000 shaft horsepower
Length: 438 feet (133.5 meters)
Beam: 47 feet (14.4 meters)
Draft: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 4,200 tons full load
Speed: 27 knots
Armament: one Mk-16 missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles, one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun, Mk-46 torpedoes from single tube launchers, one Mk-25 BPDMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles
Aircraft: one SH-2F (LAMPS I) helicopter
Career
Namesake: Named in honor of Medal of Honor winner Marine Lance Corporal Joe C. Paul, killed in Vietnam.
Ordered: August 25, 1966
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: September 12, 1969
Launched: June 20, 1970
Acquired: July 23, 1971
Commissioned: August 14, 1971
Decommissioned: August 14, 1992
Struck: January 11, 1995
Motto: Power, Pride
Fate: Transferred to Turkey January 09, 2000
Timeline
August 1966: USS Paul ordered
September 1969: Keel of USS Paul laid
June 1970: USS Paul launched
August 1971: USS Paul commissioned
1972-73: USS Paul serves two tours off the coast of Vietnam
1983-84: USS Paul serves as part of multi-national peacekeeping force off the coast of Lebanon
March 1986: USS Paul serves as part of task force that sinks four Libyan ships in Gulf of Sidra
1990-91: USS Paul helps enforce embargo on Iraq as part of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
August 1992: USS Paul decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Paul
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Paul 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_1080
David Buckner (served October 1984—October 1986): “Had some good times during my 2 years aboard. Who can forget chasing our helo around the Med after it landed on that freighter. To the dirty dozen of 1st div during the 85-86 cruise.”
Steven McCulley (served July 1984—August 1987): “The time I spent on the Paul was great. I remember the crew and the deployments. We did it all!!!”
Matt Waters (served February 1984—May 1988): “Went mess cooking 5 times. Onboard during the USO Bombing and yeah I remember the Roast Beef Video, we called it “Beef on the High Seas” Only original was thrown overboard by the XO. I still have some individual clips from it, in rough shape”
Sources
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://navysite.de
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Paul_(FF-1080)
http://www.ciwscentral.com/paul.htm
