_underway_in_1983.jpg) USSKing (DDG-41) underway in 1983 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | King |
| Namesake | Ernest Joseph King |
| Ordered | 18 November 1955, as DL-10 (Destroyer Leader) |
| Builder | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down | 1 March 1957 |
| Launched | 6 December 1958 |
| Commissioned | 17 November 1960 |
| Decommissioned | 28 March 1991 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Stricken | 20 November 1992 |
| Motto | Manu Tenere Mare Supremus |
| Fate | Sold, 15 April 1994, and broken up, 1995 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Farragut-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 5,648 long tons (5,739 t) full |
| Length | 512 ft 6 in (156.21 m)o/a |
| Beam | 52 ft 4 in (15.95 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft 9 in (5.41 m) |
| Propulsion | Geared turbines, 2 screws, 85,000 shp (63,384 kW) |
| Speed | 33knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 360 |
| Armament |
|
USSKing (hull numberDL-10/DLG-10/DDG-41) was aFarragut-class guided missiledestroyer in theUnited States Navy. She was named for Fleet AdmiralErnest Joseph King (1878–1956), the 9thChief of Naval Operations, best known for leading the U.S. Navy during World War II.
King waslaid down by thePuget Sound Navy Yard atBremerton inWashington on 1 March 1957,launched on 6 December 1958 andcommissioned on 17 November 1960.
King was reclassified as aguided missile destroyer leader on 14 November 1956 and designated DLG-10.King was again reclassified as aguided missile destroyer on 30 June 1975 and designated DDG-41.
After shakedown along the coast, and inHawaiian waters,King continued training out ofSan Diego for the remainder of 1961. Following extensive preparations the guided-missile frigate sailed on her firstWestPac cruise, 7 June 1962, strengthening the7th Fleet with herTerrier missile arsenal. Operating with this peacekeeping force,King helped to check Communist aggression inSoutheast Asia.[citation needed]
Upon returning San Diego on 31 December, she resumed tactical exercises off theWest Coast until 1 August 1963 when she departed on her second WestPac cruise. Once again her operations with the 7th Fleet helped maintain stability in theFar East.King returned San Diego 10 March 1964 and conducted operations along the coast, for the rest of the year constantly perfecting her fighting skills and increasing the peacekeeping ability of the Navy.
King headed back for the Far East 5 April 1965 escorting theaircraft carrierUSS Oriskany. She operated from theSouth China Sea during May screening carriers and participating in air-sea rescue work. She continued to serve off Vietnam until returning to San Diego on 2 November.
The guided missile destroyer operated off the West Coast until heading back for the Western Pacific 26 May 1966. On this cruise she carried ahelicopter forsearch and rescue missions to save American pilots during strikes againstNorth Vietnam. She arrived atDa Nang,South Vietnam, on 27 June. During July she saved five downed aviators, including one who was rescued from deep within North Vietnam by the ship's helicopter crew. In August the ship was stationed in a positive identification and radar advisory zone (PIRAZ) in theGulf of Tonkin to help protect American ships from enemy aircraft. Before she was relieved, she had checked over 15,000 aircraft. During this duty she also rescued seven pilots whose planes had gone down during strikes against enemy targets. She continued this duty, except for brief runs toHong Kong andSubic Bay, until relieved byUSS Long Beach on 29 November.
In February 1980, three crew members were lost at sea in the Atlantic 50 miles (80 km) northeast ofCape Hatteras during a snowstorm. A fourth crew member was also washed overboard, but was rescued.[1]
She won the 1982Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet.[citation needed]
King was sold on 15 April 1994, andbroken up for scrap by J&L Metals,Wilmington, North Carolina during 1995.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.