 USSReuben James (FFG-57), Pacific Ocean, port bow view, 5 November 1985. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Reuben James |
| Namesake | Boatswain's MateReuben James |
| Awarded | 22 March 1982 |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division,San Pedro,California |
| Laid down | 19 November 1983 |
| Launched | 8 February 1985 |
| Sponsored by | Lois Haight Herrington |
| Commissioned | 22 March 1986 |
| Decommissioned | 18 July 2013 |
| Stricken | 18 January 2016 |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | "Back with a Vengeance" |
| Fate | Sunk as target 18 January 2016 byUSSJohn Paul Jones |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Oliver Hazard Perry-classguided missile 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, plusSH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | AN/SLQ-32 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×SH-60B LAMPS Mk III helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | |
USSReuben James (FFG-57), anOliver Hazard Perry-classguided missilefrigate, was the third ship of theU.S. Navy named forReuben James, aboatswain's mate who distinguished himself fighting theBarbary pirates. Her crew totaled 201 enlisted, 18 chief petty officers, and 26 officers.[1]
The contract to buildReuben James was awarded on 22 March 1982 toTodd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division,San Pedro,California. Her keel was laid on 19 November 1983, and she waslaunched on 8 February 1985; sponsored by Lois Haight Herrington, wife ofAssistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)John S. Herrington. She was delivered to the Navy on 3 March 1986, andcommissioned on 22 March. She was faster than 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) and powered by two gas turbine engines. Armed with anti-air and anti-ship missiles, an automated three-inch (76 mm) gun, an anti-missile defense system, and twoSH-60 Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters,Reuben James was tasked with hunting submarines as well as withbattle group escort and maritime interception.Reuben James joined the Red Stallions ofDestroyer Squadron Thirty-One in June 1987.
Assigned to Mideast Force on her maiden deployment,Reuben James participated in twenty-twoOperation Earnest Will convoy missions, serving as the convoy commander's flagship on ten of those missions.
On 10 September 1990,Reuben Jamesvisited Vladivostok in theSoviet Union.[2]
In August 1991,Reuben James moved fromLong Beach, California, toPearl Harbor, Hawaii. On 1 October 1998, she joined the "Ke Koa O Ke Kai",Destroyer Squadron Thirty-One.
In 1994Reuben James collided withUSNS Pecos while fueling underway (UNREP). The flight deck sustained damage in addition to hangar fire and external hangar wall damage.HSL-37 detachment was on board.
During a WestPac deployment on 21 February 1996, the ship's rudder fell off in the Indian Ocean. The ship used its Auxiliary Power Units (APU) to try to stay on station until rendezvoused with the USNS Catawba (T-ATF-168) on 23 February.USNS Catawba towed Reuben James to Bahrain for repairs. Since a dry dock wasn't available, divers installed a new rudder while the ship was at the pier.
En route to WestPac deployment in 1997, the air detachment's SH-60B Seahawk helicopter was conducting deck landing practice. The Seahawk had landed and was not secured to the deck because it was preparing to lift off again. The ship was hit by a rogue wave which caused the ship to roll steeply to port and the blades of the helicopter struck the flight deck causing the helicopter to roll on its port side and spin 90 degrees with the tail hanging over the port side of the flight deck. The ship docked in Guam where the helicopter was craned off to be repaired. No fault was found with the flight crew or the ship's personnel for the mishap.
Reuben James participated in theCARAT 2000 exercises, including phases in thePhilippines,Thailand,Indonesia,Brunei,Malaysia, andSingapore. The first phase of CARAT began in thePhilippines on 14 June and the final phase, conducted inSingapore, ended on 22 September. CARAT 2000 demonstrated U.S. commitment to security and stability in Southeast Asia while increasing the operational readiness and capabilities of U.S. forces. The exercise also promoted interoperability and cooperation with U.S. regional friends and allies by offering a broad spectrum of mutually beneficial training opportunities.
InMalaysia, CARAT 2000 encompassed two weeks of extensive training to promote interoperability between U.S. naval forces and theRoyal Malaysian Navy and Army. TheStrait of Malacca was the setting for several exercises. These included anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, and gunnery exercises. One of the exercises was a semi-final battle problem, or night encounter exercise. The two navies' task groups steamed together in formation for more than 25 hours. The Malaysian-U.S. naval task group was divided into two opposing forces. The Blue Forces consisted ofReuben James,Germantown,Mount Vernon, and the Malaysian shipsKD Sri Indera Sakti andKD Lekir. The Blue Forces were supported by U.S. helicopters fromHelicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light)HSL-37, Detachment Four, from Hawaii. The Orange Forces consisted of the frigateSides, the Malaysian shipsKDPerkasa,KDLaksamana Tun Abdul Jamil, and aU.S. NavyP-3C Orion aircraft.Columbus, homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, andHelena, homeported in San Diego, also joined the task group in individual phases.[3]
For nine months from 2 August 2002, to 27 April 2003,Reuben James deployed to thePersian Gulf and participated inOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom[4] as part of Cruiser-Destroyer Group Three, theAbraham Lincoln Battle Group. After serving approximately six months in theater,Reuben James started to make its way back toPearl Harbor. On New Year's Day 2003, while in port inBrisbane, Australia, the ship was ordered to turn around and go back to thePersian Gulf[5] and the deployment was extended indefinitely.[6] Finally, after an extended deployment of almost nine months, theAbraham Lincoln Battle Group was relieved byUSS Nimitz.[7] This deployment was extremely long, breaking a number of records,[8] including the longest deployment ever for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.[5]
In July 2003,Reuben James hosted the JapaneseHatakaze-class destroyerShimakaze for exercises inPearl Harbor.[9] On 23 October 2003 the crew ofReuben James dressed ship and manned the rails to render honors toPresidentGeorge W. Bush as he touredPearl Harbor and visited theUSSArizona Memorial.[10]
From February to April 2004, she deployed to the Eastern Pacific with an embarkedCoast GuardLaw Enforcement Detachment in support ofcounter-narcotics operations.[11][12]
Between July and December 2004,Reuben James went through an extensive modernization and maintenance program.[13] In October 2004,Reuben James participated in PASSEX exercises with thePrairial (F731).
As part ofExpeditionary Strike Group 3 (ESG 3),Reuben James deployed on 15 February 2006 on a WESTPAC mission to thePersian Gulf in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom andOperation Enduring Freedom.[14] The strike group also consisted of Amphibious Squadron (COMPHIBRON) 3, the11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable),USS Peleliu, the guided-missilecruiserPort Royal, the guided-missile destroyerGonzalez, theamphibious transport dockOgden, thedock landing shipGermantown, Tactical Air Control Squadron(TACRON) 11, and the "Black Jacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21.[15]
En route to the Persian Gulf,Reuben James stopped inNew Caledonia.[16] The strike group relievedUSS Tarawa on station in early April 2006 and began its mission of conducting maritime security operations. During operations,Reuben James performed services such as providing medical assistance toSri Lankan fishermen[17] and rescuing Kenyan sailors.[18] Expeditionary Strike Group 3 was relieved on 9 July 2006 andReuben James returned toPearl Harbor in August 2006.
Reuben James participated in a Passing Exercises (PASSEX) with the Philippine Navy frigateGregorio del Pilar off the coast of Hawaii on 30 July 2011.[19]
The frigate completed her final deployment on 3 May 2013. During the final cruise, the ship visited Japan, Brunei and the Philippines in support of theatre security operations and CARAT 2012.Reuben James was also awarded theUSCGMeritorious Unit Citation for fisheries patrols in the economic exclusion zones of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Nauru.[20]
Reuben James wasdecommissioned on 18 July 2013,[21] and sunk on 18 January 2016 in a test of a newanti-surface warfare variant of the RaytheonStandard Missile 6 (SM-6) at the U.S. Pacific Missile Range Facility near Hawaii.[22]
Reuben James played a significant role inTom Clancy's 1986 novelRed Storm Rising. She appeared in the 1990 movieThe Hunt for Red October (although her appearance in the film was anachronistic, since she was commissioned about a year after the events in the film). In some scenes,Reuben James was portrayed in the film by otherOliver Hazard Perry frigates —Wadsworth (nowORPGenerał Tadeusz Kościuszko)[23] andGary (the hull number can be seen as Soviet submariners are in their rafts) The ship was later featured prominently in the 2010 novel byDon Brown entitledMalacca Conspiracy.[24]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromReuben James (FFG-57) at theNaval Vessel Register.
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