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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | R.Adm.William S. Parsons |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 17 June 1957 |
| Launched | 17 August 1958 |
| Acquired | 22 October 1959 |
| Commissioned | 29 October 1959 |
| Decommissioned | 19 November 1982 |
| Stricken | 1 December 1984 |
| Fate | Sunk as a target, 25 April 1989 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Forrest Sherman-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 4,000 tons |
| Length | 418 ft (127 m) |
| Beam | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Draft | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Speed | 33knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range |
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| Complement | 256 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
USSParsons (DD-949/DDG-33) began her career as aForrest Sherman-classdestroyer of theUnited States Navy. She was named in honor ofRear AdmiralWilliam S. Parsons (1901–1953), who worked on theManhattan Project duringWorld War II.
Parsons' keel was laid down 17 June 1957 byIngalls Shipbuilding ofPascagoula, Mississippi. She waslaunched on 17 August 1959, sponsored by Mrs. William S. Parsons, andcommissioned 29 October 1959 atCharleston, South Carolina.
After shakedown,Parsons reported to her home port,San Diego, California, and commenced operations with theFirst Fleet in February 1960. In October she deployed to the Western Pacific withSeventh Fleet units. She returned to resume West Coast operations in July 1961 and entered theLong Beach Naval Shipyard on 6 October for major improvements in her communications andantisubmarine warfare (ASW) equipment. She then rejoined theFirst Fleet in extensive coastal training from January to November 1962, deployed for her second WestPac tour in November, and returned in July 1963 to the California coast.
_underway_c1961.jpg)
Under the command of Cdr. Jack Jester, USN, during the summer and fall of 1963 she carried out AAW and ASW operations in the San Diego, California area. During November she escortedUSSMidway (CVA-41) andUSSHancock (CVA-19) to the Western Pacific and returned to San Diego. During the summer of 1965,Parsons visited San Francisco, Puget Sound, and Hawaii as part of the Pacific Midshipman Training Squadron.[1]Parsons continued her training and service operations alternately with First Fleet and Seventh Fleet until she was decommissioned at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 19 January 1966.
Parsons was one of fourForrest Sherman-class destroyers selected for conversion from all-gun destroyers to the newDecatur class of guided missile destroyer. The others wereUSSDecatur (DD-936/DDG-31),USSJohn Paul Jones (DD-932/DDG-32), andUSSSomers (DD-947/DDG-34).Parsons was assignedhull classification symbolDDG-33 on 15 March 1967, recommissioned 3 November 1967, and assigned to the Cruiser-Destroyer Force,Pacific Fleet. Following shakedown she carried out a rigorous testing program for her missile systems, and in September 1968 she assumed duties asflagship for Destroyer Squadron 31 (DesRon 31) and immediately deployed to the Western Pacific for operations with the Seventh Fleet offVietnam. Interspersed with heraircraft carrier escort duties onYankee Station, she conducted on-station training operations, assuming duties as ASW training coordinator ship with Commander Destroyer Squadron 31 (ComDesRon 31) embarked.Parsons also visitedKaohsiung,Yokosuka, Hong Kong, Singapore andSasebo. She returned to San Diego, California, on 12 May 1969 to resume operations from there and train for her next deployment.
The conversion removed both of the after 5 in (127 mm) 54-caliber gun mounts and installed one AN/SPG-51C Missile Fire Control System (MFCS), one Mk.13 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS), one Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) system, and modified the Gun Fire Control System to accommodate an illuminator to provide a second missile capable Gun/Missile Fire Control System (G/MFCS). The ship could then engage two air targets simultaneously (one with each FCS) using from two to fourTartar medium-range, less than 20 nautical mile (37 km) missiles, depending upon the engagement policy in force (Shoot-Look-Shoot or Shoot-Shoot-Look).
The forward five-inch/54-caliber gun mount was retained as were the torpedo tubes. The 5 in (127 mm) 54-caliber gun was, nominally, a rapid-fire mount capable of firing over 30 rounds per minute at targets up to ranges of 12 nautical miles (22 km). The torpedo launchers each held threeMk46 torpedoes, for use only against submarines.
The conversion created a unique ship, but one that never found a unique role. In the long run, one of the ship's best capabilities,convoy escort, was taken over by theOliver Hazard Perry class.
After conversion,Parsons was homeported inSan Diego, California, from re-activation until late 1971, when the ship, as part of Destroyer Squadron 15 (DesRon 15), was forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. As part of this movement, the families of all eligible crewmen were transported to Japan, where they lived in U.S. Navy Housing, located in both the Yokosuka andYokohama areas.
From December 1971 through December 1972,Parsons provided support to forces afloat and ashore involved in theVietnam War by operating as:
Parsons left Vietnam for the last time on or around 19 December 1974.
On 29 October 1980 she rescued 111 Vietnamese refugees 330 miles south ofSaigon.
DDG operations ranged from Anti-Aircraft Warfare (AAW) to Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) to Anti-Surface Warfare (SUW) and Naval Gunfire Support (NFGS) and included, as necessary, Electronic Warfare (EW).
Parsons was decommissioned on 19 November 1982. She was stricken from theNavy Directory on 1 December 1984, and finally disposed of as a target on 25 April 1989.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere. This article incorporatespublic domain material fromParsons (DDG-33) at theNaval Vessel Register.
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