Elliot (DD 967) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 10 text:

■ LCDR Arthur J. Elliot II, USN LCDR Commander Arthur James Elliot II, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Elliot of Thomaston, Maine, was born April 9, 1933. He received a B.S. degree from Gorham State Teachers College in Gorham, Maine in 1955. In 1956 he obtained his commission from Navy Officer Candidate School and then served successive sea duty tours on USS LYMAN K. SWENSON (DD 729) and on USS LITTLE ROCK (CLG 4). In 1962 he was assigned as Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Naval Service Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Follow- ing this tour, he reported for duty as Operations Officer aboard USS JOHN KING (DDG 3). In December of 1967 LCDR Elliot volunteered for duty in Vietnam, where he served as Commanding Officer, PBR Squadron 57, operating in the Mekong Delta. Under his command, his squadron of river boats achieved an outstanding combat record. On December 29, 1968 LCDR Commander Elliot was killed in action. Ship ' s Coat of Arms The coat of arms of USS ELLIOT serves as a heraldic remembrance of the ship ' s namesake, LCDR Arthur James Elliot, II. The red, white and blue partitions of the shield are patterned after the insignia of LCDR Elliot ' s last command. Red is the symbol of courage, zeal, and leadership; white sym- bolizes integrity; blue represents devotion and preseverance. The unsheath- ed sword is symbolic of command, and its position on the shield, pointed downward, is significant of death in combat. The crest, composed of a mainmast and mainsail, symbolizes the Elliot family ' s long association with the nautical heritage. The pine tree on the sail is the symbol of the state of Maine. The ship ' s motto, Courage, Honor, Integrity , represents those values which characterized LCDR Elliot. The motto serves as both a guide and an inspiration for the men who will serve on USS ELLIOT. Elliot Statistics Built by Ingalis Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries Pascagoula, Mississippi Keel Laid 15 October 1973 Launched 19 December 1974 Christened 18 January 1975 Commissioned 22 January 1977 Sponsor Helen M. Elliot Length 563 FT 4 IN Beam 55 FT Displacement ., 7800 TONS Personnel ... Officers 18 CPO 17 Enlisted 260

Page 9 text:

. . . And Her Heritage Though ELLIOT ' s roots are recent, she is the second de- stroyer to bear this name. In 1919, the first ELLIOT (DD 146) was commissioned. She was 314 feet long, weighed 3600 tons, and named for Lieutenant Commander Richard McCall Elliot who was killed on the USS MANNING (DD 74) in 1918 when depth charges exploded onboard after a collision with a British merchant. The original ELLIOT ' s service spanned a period of three decades. During the early 20 ' s, she stood by in China dur- ing civil disturbances which threatened American lives and prop- erty. In World War II she earned a Battle Star for action off of the Aleutian Islands. The current ELLIOT (DD 967), commissioned on January 22, 1977, dwarfs her predecessor with a length of 563 feet and a displacement of 7800 tons. She was the first of the Spruance destroyers to be named after a Vietnam War hero — Lieutenant Commander Arthur James Elliot II, who was mortally wounded while leading River Squadron 57 on an interdiction mission in the Mekong Delta area of South Vietnam. Since her commissioning, ELLIOT has completed five WESTPAC deployments during which she rescued over 150 Vi- etnamese refugees, received two Battle E ' s, and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for search efforts in support of Korean Airlines Flight 007 which was shot down off the coast of Russia by Soviet Fighters.

Page 11 text:

THE MEN OF ELLIOT