USS Dewey (DLG-14/DDG-45) was a Farragut-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named in honor of George Dewey, the United States' only Admiral of the Navy.[1] She was the third of four ships whose namesake was Admiral Dewey.[2] The ship's motto was The First and Finest.

USS Dewey (DDG-45)
History
United States
Name	Dewey
Namesake	George Dewey
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Laid down	10 August 1957
Launched	30 November 1958
Acquired	2 December 1959
Commissioned	7 December 1959
Decommissioned	31 August 1990
Stricken	20 November 1992
Identification	DLG-14/DDG-45
Motto	Pax Propter Vim
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 15 April 1994
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Farragut-class guided missile destroyer
Displacement	5,800 tons
Length	512.5 ft (156.2 m)
Beam	52 ft (16 m)
Draft	25 ft (7.6 m)
Propulsion	4 x 1200psi boilers 2 geared turbines
Speed	36.5 knots (67.6 km/h; 42.0 mph)
Range	4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	377 (21 officers + 356 enlisted)
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-48C air-search radar AN/SPS-49 air-search radar AN/SPG-55B fire control radar AN/SPG-53F gun fire control radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32
Armament	1 x Mk 42 5 in (130 mm)/54 caliber gun Mark 46 torpedoes from two Mk-32 triple mounts 1 x Mk 16 ASROC missile launcher 1 x Mk 10 Mod.0 missile launcher for RIM-2 Terrier / Standard (ER) Missiles 2 x Mk 141 Harpoon missile launchers

Construction and design

Dewey was laid down on 10 August 1957 by Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine.[1] She was launched on 30 November 1958, sponsored by Katherine St. George, the United States representative from New York State.[1] Dewey was commissioned on 7 December 1959, Commander Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., in command.[1] Dewey was the ninth Farragut-class destroyer (also known as the Coontz class).[3]

Commander Zumwalt later, in 1970, became the youngest man to serve as Chief of Naval Operations.[3]

The design of the Farragut-class destroyers was closer in size to a World War II cruiser rather than a destroyer; this type was originally termed "frigate" by the U.S. Navy.[4] Other navies used the term "frigate" for destroyer-sized ships specialized in anti-submarine warfare; the U.S. Navy used this term for fast-carrier anti-aircraft warfare ships.[4] The DLGs succeeded the missile-less DLs.[4]

Service

For the first sixth months of 1960, Dewey was engaged in training operations off the New England coast, the Virginia Capes, and in the Caribbean Sea, preparing Dewey for her role in the Atlantic Fleet.[3] She was decommissioned on 21 November 1969, and recommissioned 31 March 1971.[5] On 30 June 1975, Dewey, then commissioned as a guided missile frigate, hull number DLG-14, was reclassified as a guided missile destroyer, receiving hull number DDG-45.[3]

Decommissioning

Dewey was decommissioned 31 August 1990 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 November 1992. Dewey was sold to J&L Metals, Wilmington, North Carolina on 15 April 1994 for $255,459.43 and was scrapped shortly afterwards.

References

Citations

Sources

• Media related to USS Dewey (DDG-45) at Wikimedia Commons
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.