Jump to content

USS Reeves (DLG-24)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 63.73.213.5 (talk) at 19:57, 2 August 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

USS Reeves underway in the Indian Ocean (circa 1985)
Career USN Jack
Ordered
Laid Down 1 July 1960
Launched 12 May 1962
Commissioned 15 May 1964
Decommissioned 12 November 1993
Stricken 12 November 1993
Fate HULKEX 31 May 2001
General Characteristics
Displacement
  • 4,650 tons (light)
  • 5,670 tons (standard)
  • 8,203 tons (full load)
Length 535 ft
Beam 53 ft
Draft 26 ft
Complement

413

  • 32 officers
  • 381 enlisted
Flag Accomodations

18

  • 6 officers
  • 12 enlisted
Mottos
  • The Only Cruiser in Town
  • Reeves Ironmen
Aircraft
None Helicopter landing area aft for VERTREPS with limited support facilities; no hanger
Armament
SAM 2x Mk 10 Mod 5 missile launchers, one forward and one aft, for RIM-67-B (SM2-ER) "Terrier" missles. Reeves carried a total of 88 Terriers in two magazines.
ASM 8x RGM-84A Harpoon missiles in two Mk 141 quad launchers
ASW 8x Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) launcher in a Mk 16 Mod 7 box launcher
Torpedoes 6x Mk 46 torpedo in two Mk 32 12.75" triple tube launchers
Guns
  • 2x 20mm/76 Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx 6-barreled CIWS
  • 2x twin 3" 76mm 50 cal anti-aircraft gun mounts
  • 2x 40 mm saluting guns (fitted)
Countermeasures
EW
Electronics
Combat Information Processing Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS)
Communication
  • OE-82 satellite communication antenna
  • SSR-1 receiver
  • 3x WSC-3 transceivers
Fire Control
SAM 4x Mk 76 Terrier FCS
ASW Mk 114
Weapons Direction System Mk 14 WDS
Propulsion
Main Engines 2x Allis-Chalmers geared steam turbines; 85,000 shp; 2 shafts
Boilers 4x Foster-Wheeler 1,200 psi boilers
Speed 32.7 knots
Fuel 1,800 tons
Range 8,000 miles at 20 knots
Radar
3D Air Search Radar (Bearing, range and height) AN/SPS-48E
2D Air Search Radar (Bearing and range) AN/SPS-43
Surface Search AN/SPS-10F
Fire Control 4x AN/SPG-55B
Navigation CRP-2900 (Pathfinder)
Sonar
  SQQ 23 series bow-mounted

The second USS Reeves, named for Vice Adm. Joseph Mason "Bull" Reeves, was a Leahy-class cruiser built by the the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA.

Reeves began her history as a Leahy-class destroyer leader (DLG-24) when her keel was laid down on 1 July 1960. She was launched on 12 May 1962 and commissioned on 15 May 1964. Mrs. Joseph M. Reeves, Jr., daughter-in-law of Vice Adm. Reeves, was the ship's sponsor.

Reeves was later reclassified as a guided missile cruiser (CG-24) on 30 June 1975. On 12 November 1993, Reeves was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy Register at Pearl Harbor Naval Base. Reeves remained in mothballs until she was sunk as a target ship on 31 May 2001.

Reeves in the 1960s

Following an extended trial and shakedown period, Reeves was homeported at Long Beach where she underwent availability and further training. On 10 April 1965, she departed for her first tour with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific (WESTPAC). Deployed for just over six months, she operated primarily in support of Allied operations off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam, serving as an anti-air warefare (AAW) picket, first with TG 77.3 built around aircraft carrier Oriskany (CVA-34), then with TG 77.6 centered on aircraft carrier Midway (CVA-41). Returning to Long Beach on 3 November 1965, she conducted local operations for the remainder of the year and into 1966. On 26 May 1966, she got underway for Japan and a two-year nonrotated tour with the 7th Fleet. Arriving at her new homeport of Yokosuka on 16 June, she departed shortly thereafter and on 7 July and anchored at Da Nang, R.V.N. to begin another tour off the embattled coast. For the next two years, she regularly sailed south from Japan for combat air-sea rescue (CSAR) tours off Vietnam, compiling a total of 493 days underway, 312 of which were spent in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Reeves rotated back to the United States in August 1968 and operated out of Long Beach for the remainder of the year, participating in local operations, as well testing and evaluating radar systems. In early 1969, Reeves was ordered to Maine for overhaul and modernization at Bath Iron Works. Arriving on 31 March, she was placed out of commission (special) on 10 April and the extensive modification work began.

Reeves in the 1970s

Reeves was recommissioned 29 August 1970 at Bath. She spent the period from 10 September-19 November making the passage from Bath to her new home port at Pearl Harbor. The uncommonly long duration of the passage was due to frequent stops along the way at various ports for additional work to be done and by a three-week refresher training (REFTRA) period in the vicinity of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After arriving at Pearl Harbor, Reeves engaged in numerous exercises and operations in the waters around Hawaii.

June 1971 found Reeves steaming westward for another deployment in the Gulf of Tonkin. Reeves returned to Pearl Harbor on 20 December 1971 and remained in the Hawaii and west coast areas until September 1972 where she participated in various operations and exercises, notably a Midshipman cruise in July. She departed Hawaii on 18 September, headed for her second WESTPAC deployment since recommissioning, arriving at Subic Bay Naval Base, Philippine Islands 14 days later. After six months in the western Pacific, stationed off the coast of Vietnam, Reeves sailed into port at Pearl Harbor on 17 March 1973. She remained in the Hawaiian Islands into 1974. She was reclassified a guided missile cruiser (CG-24), on 30 June 1975.

REEVES earned three battle stars for Vietnam service.

Reeves in the 1980s

During most of the 1980s, Reeves was forward deployed to the WESTPAC and homeported in Yokosuka. During that time, she served as the AAW picket for Battle Group Alpha centered around Midway (CV-41).

In March 1986, she participated in a Team Spirit exercise off the coast of the Republic of Korea. Later that year, Reeves conducted REFTRA in the Phillipines which was quickly followed her involvement in special operations (SPECOPS). SPECOPS consisted of conducting surveillance operations on the Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk off the coast of Vladivostok, which was home to the Soviet Pacific Fleet. During this operation, Reeves blasted either the Bruce Springsteen song "Born in the USA" or Jefferson Starship's "Layin' It On The Line" over the ship's 1MC when in the proximity of Soviet naval vessels.

On 5 November 1986, Reeves led the Rentz (FFG-46) and Olendorf (DD-972) into the harbor of Qingdao (Tsing Tao), the People's Republic of China (PRC) for a historic six-day port visit. This would be the first time that U.S. Navy vessels had moored in China since the repair ship Dixie (AD-14) departed in 1949 in the face of the communist advance which forced the evacuation of Americans from China. The visit was hosted by soliders and sailors of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

During the port call hundreds of Navy men took advantage of several tours, arranged by their Chinese hosts, that included stops at Qingdao’s carpet, embroidery, jade and shell factories. Others made it a point to sample the beer at the city’s world-reknowned Tsingtao brewery. A fortunate few were able to leave the port city on tours to Qufu, birthplace of Confucius, the capital city of Beijing, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.

The port visit was important because it provided visible evidence of growing Sino-American cooperation. Adm. James Lyons, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was embarked in Reeves during the visit. Shortly after arriving in Qingdao, he said there are "three pillars" in the US.-China military relationship-high level visits, military exchanges and a limited amount of military technology cooperation. "I see this port visit as strengthening all three pillars," he said.

Throughout their stay, the crews of the visiting ships held lectures and discussion sessions on Navy shipboard organization, management, training, propulsion, logistics and weapons systems for their Chinese hosts. At the time such navy-to-navy orientations were conducted with many countries. However, this was the Navy’s first opportunity for such an exchange with China.

During May 1987, Reeves found herself involved with yet another Team Spirit exercise. Reeves was deployed to the Persian Gulf from July to December 1987 where she participated in the first of nine Operation Earnest Will tanker reflagging operations beginning on 23 July. Her primary duty was to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. In March 1988 she was involved again with the Team Spirit exercises.

On 26 June 1989, Reeves and Fife (DD-991) rescued 92 Vietmanese refugees in the South China Sea, about 320 miles southwest of the Philippines. The refugees were pulled from their sinking vessel and provided with medical assistance and other care before being delivered to a United Nations refugee organization in Thailand a week later.

On 30 October 1989 an F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Midway (CV-41) mistakenly dropped a 500-pound general purpose bomb on the deck of Reeves during training exercises in the Indian Ocean, creating a five-foot hole in the bow, sparking a small fires, and injuring five sailors. Reeves was 32 miles south of Diego Garcia at the time of the incident.

Fate of Reeves

Reeves was decommissioned on 12 November 1993, stored at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Pearl Harbor. She was ultimately used as a target ship on 31 May 2001 during a sink exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Queensland, Australia during a joint U.S and Australian naval exercise. Her final resting place is 026° 26’ 53.0” South 155° 24’ 27.0” East where she lies at a depth of 2,541 fathoms. Following are two press releases issued in conjunction with the sinking of Reeves.

TANDEM THRUST 2001
PACC 162/01 Tuesday, 22 May 2001

"HULKEX" Element of Exercise Rescheduled

ROCKHAMPTON. The HULKEX element of Tandem Thrust 2001 exercise originally scheduled to take place May 21 has been rescheduled for May 31. HULKEX is the sinking of a decommissioned U.S. Navy cruiser (the Former USS Reeves) as part of combined aerial and surface bombardment training.

Bad weather and high seas delayed the safe and timely delivery of the vessel to its pre-established and environmentally approved target location 175 miles off the coast of Australia.

"Since the safety of our personnel is our number one priority we decided not to rush through this valuable training," said Vice Admiral James Metzger, USN, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet and Commander, Combined Task Force for Tandem Thrust 2001. "However, to ensure our training objectives can be met, we have rescheduled the event."

Defence MEDIA RELEASE
31/05/2001 Departmental 176/01

JETS SEND SHIP TO WATERY GRAVE

A de-commissioned US Navy war ship was sent to its final resting place today off the coast of Queensland through the precise strike capability of the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft.

The ex-USS Reeves was sent to its watery grave approximately 170 nautical miles east of Fraser Island in 12,000 ft of water. The sinking of the Leahy Class guided missile cruiser was the final military activity in the month-long, combined Australian and United States Exercise Tandem Thrust.

The Hulk Exercise (HULKEX) involved Australian and US air and naval units, though the sinking was credited largely to the four RAAF jets.

"We achieved two direct hits with Mk-82 500lbs bombs, leaving a six foot gaping hole in the starboard side of the hulk," said RAAF Flight Lieutenant Jason Gamlin, who was the lead pilot on the mission.

Just 30 minutes later the 6000-tonne hulk sank below the surface at approximately 12:30pm AEST. The HULKEX was a fitting finale to Exercise Tandem Thrust 2001, providing significant military training value to Australian and US naval and air forces.

The exercise involved aircraft from both the US and Australian Air Forces and ships from the US Navy, firing a variety of guns, bombs and missiles at the hulk in order to test their performance in a simulated battle environment.

The sinking was the culmination of months of planning, including careful environmental analysis through Australian and US environmental certification procedures. The hulk spent several months berthed in Newcastle, New South Wales, where it was stripped of all weapons and cleaned of hazardous substances, then assessed by Environment Australia to confirm suitability for disposal at sea.

The sunken hulk will become a new home for a variety of aquatic life.

Reclassification of Reeves from DLG to CG

In 1975, the "double-end" Leahy-class guided missile destroyer leaders (DLG) were reclassified as guide missile cruisers (CG), as were other similar ships. The class was given an AAW upgrade during the late-1960's and early 1970's, with Terrier launchers modified to fire Terrier or Standard SM-1ER missiles. The 3"/50 guns were replaced by Harpoon missile launcher, the Terrier launchers were upgraded to fire the Standard SM-2ER missile, and 2 Phalanx CIWS were added. All were upgraded under the late-1980's New Threat Upgrade (NTU) program, which included combat system capability improvements to the ship's Air Search Radars (SPS-48E and SPS-49), Fire Control Radars (SPG-55B), and Combat Direction System (CDS). These improvements provided an accurate means of coordinating the engagment of multiple air targets with SM-2 Extended Range missiles. During the NTU overhaul, all spaces were renovated, berthing and food service areas were refurbished, and the engineering plant was fully overhauled.

Role of Reeves

Modern guided missle cruisers, such as Reeves, performed primarily in a Battle Force role. These ships were multi-mission (AAW - anti-air warefare, ASW - anti-surface warefare, ASUW - anti-submarine warefare) surface combatants capable of supporting carrier or battleship battle groups, amphibious forces, or of operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups. Due to their extensive combat capability, these ships were designated as Battle Force Capable (BFC) units.

Sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Reeves_(DLG-24)&oldid=67298705"