USS Halyburton (FFG-40)

USS Halyburton (FFG-40)
History
United States
Name: Halyburton
Namesake: Pharmacist's Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, Jr.
Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Laid down: 26 September 1980
Launched: 13 October 1981
Commissioned: 7 January 1984
Decommissioned:
  • 6 September 2014 (ceremonial)
  • 8 September 2014 (NVR)
Homeport: Mayport, Florida
Identification:
Motto:
  • "Non sibi, sed Patriae"
  • (Not for self, but for Country)
Status: Stricken, to be disposed of
Badge:
General characteristics
Class & type: Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement: 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length: 453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam: 45 feet (14 m)
Draft: 22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement: 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 AN/SLQ-32
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters

USS Halyburton (FFG-40), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, is a ship of the United States Navy named for Pharmacist's Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, Jr. (1924–1945). Halyburton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism while serving with the 5th Marines, during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

Construction

Halyburton was laid down on 26 September 1980 by the Todd Pacific Shipyards Co., Seattle Division, Seattle, Washington; launched on 13 October 1981, sponsored by Mrs. William David Halyburton, Sr., mother of PhM2 Halyburton; and commissioned on 7 January 1984, Commander Robert K. Peters in command.

Operations

Halyburton replenishes from the battleship USS Iowa during Ocean Safari 85

Over its commissioned service, Halyburton earned numerous Battle 'E' awards for combat readiness. Halyburton was also one of the escorts for USS Constitution on 21 July 1997 as "Old Ironsides" celebrated her 200th birthday and her first unassisted sail in 116 years.

Maersk Alabama incident

On 8 April 2009, Somalia pirates captured U.S.-flagged motor vessel Maersk Alabama and her 22 crewmembers, 300 miles from the Somali coast. The crew recaptured their ship along with one of the pirates, but the three surviving pirates held the vessel’s master, Capt. Richard Phillips, hostage on a lifeboat. Halyburton was part of a U.S. Navy rescue mission, along with amphibious assault ship Boxer (LHD-4), guided missile destroyer Bainbridge (DDG-96), off the Horn of Africa. A ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system provided timely intelligence during the confrontation. U.S. Navy SEALs, on board Bainbridge, brought the standoff to an end by simultaneously shooting and killing all three pirates in the lifeboat, then being towed by Halyburton, and rescued Phillips on 12 April. The fourth pirate was on board USS Bainbridge at the time of the shooting, negotiating the hostage's release, and was taken into custody.[1][2]

Constable's Dues ritual

On 16 July 2009, Halyburton visited the Port of London, mooring in South Dock, West India Quay for three nights. On Saturday 18 July, she became the first non-British ship to take part in the Tower of London's Constable's Dues ritual. Dating back to the 14th century, the ceremony involved the crew being challenged for entry into the British capital, mirroring an ancient custom in which a ship had to unload some of its cargo for the sovereign to enter the city. Commander Michael P Huck and Ship's Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tony Mortimer led the crew to the Tower's West Gate, where after being challenged for entry by the Yeoman Gaoler armed with his axe, they were marched to Tower Green accompanied by Beefeaters, where they delivered a keg of Castillo Silver Rum, representing the dues, to the Tower's Constable, Sir Roger Wheeler.[3]

2014

Halyburton departed her homeport of Naval Station Mayport in January 2014, for her final deployment. She was scheduled to be decommissioned in late 2014.[4]

On 6 February 2014, a Panamanian helicopter crashed while working with Halyburton on illicit trafficking operations. The Bell 412 helicopter had nine people aboard, one of whom died in the crash.[5]

Halyburton was ceremonially decommissioned on 6 September 2014 at Naval Station Mayport.[6][7] Halyburton was formally decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register, 8 September 2014. Ex-Halyburton was listed as being berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[8] She may be transferred to the Turkish Navy in 2015.[9] In 2013, a bill to transfer Halyburton to Turkey in 2015 passed the US House of Representatives. However, the Senate did not take action on the bill and it did not become law.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "American captain rescued, pirates killed, U.S. official says". CNN. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  2. ↑ Evans, Mark L. (14 July 2015). "Halyburton (FFG-40)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "US ship in ancient Tower ceremony". BBC News. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  4. ↑ "USS Halyburton Deploys". Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Day, LT Mark (6 February 2014). "USS Halyburton Assists in Rescue of Panamanian Crashed Helicopter". Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Santarelli, LTJG Stephanie (8 September 2014). "Halyburton is Decommissioned". US Navy News Service. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Frigate Halyburton decommissioned after 30 years of service". Navy Times. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Halyburton". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Farewell, Halyburton,American's First Combat Drone Carrier". War is Boring,. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "H.R. 6649 (112th): Naval Vessels Transfer Act of 2012". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Congress rejects surplus U.S. frigates for Turkey". World Tribune. 15 April 2013.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here. This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Halyburton (FFG-40).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.