USS England (CG-22): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS England was a member of the Leahy-class of destroyer leaders. She was named in honor of Ensign John C. England, who was saved the lives of several of his shipmates on board the USS Oklahoma before losing his life during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The England was the second ship in U.S. Navy history to bear the name.

Built by Todd Shipbuilding of San Pedro, Calif., the keel of the England was laid down on Oct. 4, 1960. She was launched on March 6, 1962 and commissioned on Dec. 7, 1963, with Capt. William J. Caspari commanding. Her commissioning is delayed by a fire and explosion that injures 18 workmen on March 30, 1962.

Underway

As part of the Pacific Fleet, the England would see substantial service in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. She would serve four tours in the Gulf, in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1972. She would serve in numerous capacities, including part of aircraft carrier battle groups, a radar picket and as a search and rescue vessel for American pilots who had bailed out over the gulf. She would receive the Navy Unit Commendation in 1966, the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1972 and the Republic of Vietnam’s Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1966 and 1967 for her outstanding performance during the conflict.

In 1979, the England was ordered to the Indian Ocean and Northern Arabian Sea in response to the Iranian seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. She would return to the Persian Gulf region in 1990, serving as one of the first ships in Operation Desert Shield, the defense of Saudi Arabia after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2. She would remain in the area until early November and received a second Meritorious Unit Commendation for her performance.

Decommissioning

The England was decommissioned on Jan. 21, 1994, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. She would spend most of the next decade as part of the “Ghost Fleet” in California’s Suisun Bay before being scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, in 2004.

Characteristics of the USS England
Class and type: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronstein_class_frigate
Displacement: 5912 tons
Length: 533 ft
Beam: 55 ft
Draft: 21 ft
Propulsion: 2 shaft; gear turbines; 4 boilers; 85,000 shp
Speed: 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
Range: 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Complement: 37 officers and 408 enlisted
Armament: 2 × Mark 10 Terrier SAM; 1 × ASROC ASW system; 4 × 3 in(76 mm)guns (removed in favour of the Harpoons during 1980s); 6 × 12.75 in(324 mm)ASW TT

Career:

Name: England
Namesake: John C. England
Builder: San Pedro, California
Laid down: 1960
Launched: 1962
Acquired: 1971
Commissioned: 1963
Decommissioned: 1994
Struck: 1994
Fate: scrapped, HYPERLINK 2004

Timeline:

October 1960: Keel of USS England laid down
March 1962: USS England launched
March 1962: Fire and explosion on board USS England injuries 18 workers
December 1963: USS England commissioned
1966-72: USS England serves four highly decorated tours in the Gulf of Tonkin
1979: USS England serves in Indian Ocean in response to Iranian hostage crisis
1990: USS England takes part in Operation Desert Shield
January 1994: USS England decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS England:

An http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ff_1097 unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS England 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=cg_22

Robert Rohbock (served May 1979—September 1983): “Best ship in the Navy, best crew, hardest steaming, best Engineering Dept. Good memories, Great CPO Mess.”
Ronald Joseph (served July 1979—January 1982): “Best time in my life , i still dream about being on a ship.”
Daniel Hayden (served December 1979—November 1981): “First MA assigned to England. Enjoyed my tour and still think of old shipmates. Retired just befor Westpac 81-82.”

Links:
http://cg22.ussengland.org/
http://navysite.de/cg/cg22.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_England _(CG-22)

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