Chandler (DDG 996) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

FAMILIES

Page 6 text:

THE CHANDLER LEGACY USS CHANDLER (DDG 996) is the third ship of the fleet to bear his name, the fourth and final ship of the powerful KIDD class of Guided Missile Destroyers. CHANDLER (formerly the Iranian AN- DUSHIRVAN)and ifs sistershipsof the class were originally placed on order by the government of Iran in the mid- 1 970 s. The orders were later cancelled and the four ships were acquired by the United States government in 1979. Hull number DD-996 became DDG-996 and was later renamed CHANDLER ' in honor of Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler. USN. who died as a result of wounds received in combat aboard his flagship USS LOUISVILLE (CA-23) January 6. 1945. During the battle of Lingayen Gulf, a Japanese suicide plane crashed into the bridge of his ship, dousing it with burning fuel. Ad- miral Chandler, though badly burned, remained at his post and fought the ship until the danger was past. He died of his wounds the follow- ing day. CHANDLER ' S motto Ad Mortem Fidelis, Faithful unto Death, is bestowed in honor of his heroic actions. CHANDLER is one of the most powerful destroyers in the world. Combining the speed and multi-role capability of a destroyer with the Anti-Air- Warfare reach and striking power of a cruiser, she is designed to operate in a Multi-Threat environment, countering air. surface, and subsurface, threats simultaneously. Her crew and weapons systems, combined with the enhanced weapons and elec- tronics capability of the New Threat Upgrade (NTU), make her a formidable opponent. In January 1984. CHANDLER made her flrst Western Pacific de- ployment as a member of Battle Group BRAVO. In January 1985, CHANDLER joined the Rampant Lions of Destroyer Squadron TWENTY ONE. In March 1986 she began her second WESTPAC and spent two months in the Persian Gulf as a member of U.S. Navy ' s Middle East Force (MIDEASTFOR). CHANDLER was awarded the Battle E in 1986. On 16 April 1 988. CHANDLER completed her third WEST- PAC, including three and one half months assigned to MI- DEASTFOR at the height of the Iran-Iraq war. In September 1988 CHANDLER and Sea Snake 23 of HSL 33 Det 6 were awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for the dramatic De- cember 1987 rescue of 4 1 crew members from the burning Cyp- riot supertanker PIVOT, a victim of an Iranian attack. In July 1989 CHANDLER joined Destroyer Squadron Thirty Three and began the extensive NTU overhaul at Todd Shipyard in Washington. Upon completion in October 1990, CHAN- DLER began the arduous task of work-ups leading to her next deployment in October 1991. On this her fourth WESTPAC, she once again deployed to the Persian Gulf and MIDEAST- FOR in support of Operation DESERT STORM, escorting re- flagged supertankers. In November and December of 1992 CHANDLER deployed on Law Enforcement Operations (LEO OPS) in Operation WAVE DANCER, supporting the ongoing counter narcotics operations with the U.S. Coast Guard. On July 9, 1993 CHANDLER left on her Fifth WESTPAC to the MIDEASTFOR in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH enforcing the Iraqi No-Fly zone. During this deploy- ment CHANDLER was temporarily reassigned to United Nations Operation Somalia (UNISOM) and made a record high speed transit to the coast of Mogadishu with USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. These operations proved CHANDLER ' S versatility and readiness to respond quickly and effectively wherever needed. LEGACY

Page 8 text:

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY USS CHANDLER (DOG 996) FPOAP 96662-1268 IN REPLY REFER TO: 09 January 1994 To the Officers and Crew of USS CHANDLER: Congratulations on your outstanding performance during our recently concluded deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Horn of Africa. You more than met the demands of an exceptionally tough assignment to one of the most volatile theaters of operation in the world. Demonstrating tremendous flexibility to a rapidly changing schedule, each and every one of you continually impressed me with your ability to get the job done, no matter how difficult. Whether conducting AAW picket duties off the coast of Iraq, interception and boarding operations to enforce U.N. trade sanctions, surveillance operations, or air traffic control services for logistics flights in and out of Mogadishu, you carried out every mission flawlessly. Crewmembers from every department contributed to the successful CHANDLER team effort. The Engineers got us to where we needed to go on-time everytime. This included a no-notice 30 knot transit from Iraq to Somalia. Operations and Combat Systems departments provided reliable communications, superb command, control and surveillance capabilities and an impressive weapons suite available on a moment ' s notice to respond to any contingency. Navigation personnel safely guided us across three oceans, through numerous straits, channels and shallow waterways in the course of our 43,000 mile journey. Deck division and other topside watchstanders professionally and expertly completed countless sea details, anchorings, moorings, at-sea replenishments, small boat operations, and flight quarters evolutions. Supply department provided us the repair parts and materials necessary to keep our systems up and on-line, even when far away from normal logistics support facilities. The continually excellent meals and hotel services helped maintain high crew morale throughout the deployment. Hopefully, this cruisebook will help capture the memories of our operations at sea and your successful efforts as ambassadors of goodwill during port visits overseas. It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as your Commanding Officer. Sincerely, Vincent iX Andrews Commandeir; U.S. Navy