USS Parsons (DD-949)
_underway_circa_in_the_1970s.JPEG) The Parsons after their renovation |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Keel laying | June 17, 1957 |
| Launch | 17th August 1958 |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| Commissioning | October 29, 1959 |
| Decommissioning | 19th November 1982 |
| Whereabouts | Sunk in 1989 as a target ship |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
4,000 tons |
| length |
127 meters |
| width |
14 meters |
| Draft |
6.1 meters |
| crew |
256 |
| drive |
2 propellers, driven by 2 steam turbines; 70,000 hp |
| speed |
33 knots |
| Armament |
|
The USS Parsons (DD-949 / DDG-33) was a destroyer commissioned by the United States Navy in October 1959 . The ship belonged to the Forrest Sherman class and was used, among other things, during the Vietnam War . After a renovation, the Parsons formed the Decatur class from 1967 together with three sister ships . The ship was decommissioned in November 1982 and assigned to the reserve fleet. In 1989 it was sunk as a target ship .
history
The Parsons was laid down in the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard on June 17, 1957 and launched on August 17, 1957. The commissioning of the ship took place on October 29, 1959 under the command of Captain WR Loomis.
After test drives, the Parsons belonged to the United States First Fleet from February 1960, followed by exercises with the United States Seventh Fleet from October. On October 6, 1961, the ship arrived for improvement work in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard . After returning to service, exercises followed on the coast of California from January 1962 , now again as part of the First Fleet. In November 1963, the Parsons served as escort for the aircraft carriers USS Midway (CV-41) and USS Hancock (CV-19) .
In January 1966, the ship was selected as one of four units of its class, which should form the new Decatur class as missile destroyers . The other three destroyers were the eponymous USS Decatur (DD-936) as well as USS John Paul Jones (DD-932) and USS Somers (DD-947) . The re-commissioning of the Parsons under the new ID DDG-33 took place on November 3, 1967. It was henceforth a member of the United States Pacific Fleet .
Immediately after being named flagship of Destroyer Squadron 31 in September 1968, the Parsons was withdrawn for use in Vietnam. She served, among other things, as an escort ship for aircraft carriers in Yankee Station and as a training ship. In addition, the destroyer visited several countries during its stationing in Vietnam and anchored in Kaohsiung , Hong Kong and Singapore, among others .
From December 1971 to December 1972 the Parsons was again in service off Vietnam. She gave fire support during operations in the I Corps and IV Corps and for the United States Marine Corps . In addition, the ship participated in search and rescue missions for US troops in the Gulf of Tonkin and was again used as an escort for aircraft carriers.
On November 19, 1982, the 23-year-old Parsons were decommissioned and transferred to the reserve fleet. After being deleted from the Naval Vessel Register on December 1, the destroyer was sunk as a target ship on April 25, 1989.
Web links
- Entry to Parsons on navsource.org (English)
- Entry to Parsons on navysite.de (English)