Elliot (DD 967) - Naval Cruise Book

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Crew comfort and habitability are an integral part of ELLIOT ' S design. Berthing compartments are spacious and, the ship is equipped with amenities not usually found aboard destroyers, including a crew library, class- room, photo hobby shop and weight room. Automated weapons and engineering systems permit operation of the ship, the size of a World War II light cruiser, with a crew of 37 Officers, 34 Chief Petty Officers and 320 E-6 and below enlisted personnel. ELLIOT ' S decorations include two Battle E Awards, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Humani- tarian Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Rib- bon with one silver and one bronze star. ELLIOT was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1984 for her search efforts in support of the Korean Airlines Flight 007 which was shot down off the coast of the Soviet Union. ELLIOT was the first U.S. Navy warship to arrive on-scene. In 1987, ELLIOT was awarded a second Meritorious Unit Commendation for operations in support of exercise Kernal Potlatch 87-1, requiring pro- longed extreme cold weather operations in the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. ELLIOT is the first Spruance-class destroyer to be named after a Vietnam War hero. Lieutenant Commander Arthur James Elliot II, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Elliot of Thomaston, Maine, was born 9 April 1933. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Gorham State Teachers College in Gorham, Maine, in 1955. In June 1 956 he entered the Navy Officer Candidate School and was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve in October of that year. He then served successive sea duty tours in USS LYMAN K. SWENSON DD-729 and USS LITTLE ROCK CLG-4. In 1962 Lieutenant Com- mander Elliot was assigned as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Naval Service Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Upon completion of that tour, he reported aboard USS JOHN KING DDG-3 for duty as the Operations Offi- cer. In December 1967, Lieutenant Commander Elliot vol- unteered for duty in Vietnam, where he served as Com- manding Officer of PBR SQUADRON 57, operating in the Mekong Delta. Under his command, his squadron of river patrol boats achieved an outstanding combat record against the enemy, taking part in several major riverine operations. On 29 December 1968, Lieutenant Com- mander Elliot was killed in action while leading his squadron in a riverine interdiction mission.

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USS ELLIOT DD-967 ii PRIDE INSIDE USS ELLIOT DD-967, a Spruance-class destroyer, is one of the world ' s most modern warships possessing advanced propulsion systerhs, fully integrated combat systems and crew habitability not usually found aboard destroyers. Commissioned in 1977, ELLIOT is home- ported in San Diego, California. Designed and built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi, ELLIOT is a member of the first major class of surface combatant in the U.S. Navy to be powered by gas turbine engines. Four General Electric LM-2500 engines, marine versions of those used on DC- 10 and C-5A aircraft, drive the ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots. Twin reversible pitch propellers provide ELLIOT with a degree of maneuver- ability unique among warships of her size. A highly versatile multi-mission destroyer, ELLIOT has a primary mission of operating in an Anti-Submarine and Strike Warfare role. ELLIOT is capable of indepen- dent operations or, in company with an Amphibious or Carrier Task Forces. ELLIOT ' S overall length is 563 feet and displaces 8,900 tons when fully loaded. ELLIOT is one of the most powerful and advanced platforms in the Navy ' s arsenal. ELLIOT ' S ASW suite, the most modern underwater and fire control systems developed, is fully integrated into a digital Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS), providing the ship with faster and more accurate processing of target information. Integration of the ship ' s digital gun and missile fire control systems into the NTDS allows quick reaction in the performance of ELLIOT ' S other primary mission areas such as Anti-Sur- face Warfare, Anti-Air Warfare and Naval Gunfire Sup- port. The ship ' s weapon systems include the new MK4I Vertical Launch System (VLS) which can carry and fire TOMAHAWK land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, HARPOON anti-ship cruise missiles, NATO SEA SPAR- ROW anti-air missiles, the shoulder-fired STINGER anti-air missile system, two MK45 127mm (5-inch) lightweight dual-purpose guns, two 25mm Bushmasters guns, two 20mm Vulcan Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (ciws), four 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine guns and two triple MK32 torpedo tubes. A LAMPS MK-III SH-60B heli- copter is embarked on ELLIOT to provide long-range reconnaissance and targeting data. The helo is capable of carrying and launching two MK46 anti-submarine torpe- does and, carries one 7.62mm M-60 light machine gun. Space, weight and electrical power reservations have been built into the ship ' s design to allow for the addition of future weapon systems and enable ELLIOT to keep abreast of state-of-the-art weapon technology, ensuring ELLIOT ' S longevity well into the 2 1st Century.

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Lieutenant Commander Elliot ' s awards include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, the National Order of Vietnam (5th Class), and the Vietnam Cam- paign Ribbon. ELLIOT ' S Coat of Arms serves as a heraldic remem- brance of the ship ' s namesake. Lieutenant Commander Elliot. The red, white and blue partitions of the shield are patterned after the insignia of Lieutenant Commander Elliot ' s PBR SQUADRON 57. Red is the heraldic symbol of courage, zeal and leadership; white symbolizes integri- ty; blue represents devotion and perseverance. The unsheathed sword is symbolic of command and, its posi- tion on the shield, pointed downward, is significant of death in combat. The crest, composed of a mainmast and mainsail, sym- bolizes the Elliot family ' s long association with the nauti- cal heritage of their native state of Maine. Generations of the family engaged in shipbuilding and sailing trades, including Lieutenant Commander Elliot ' s paternal grand- father and namesake, Arthur James Elliot, whose ship- building firm launched the last five-masted schooner ever built. The pine tree emblazoned on the sail is the symbol of the state of Maine. The ship ' s motto, Courage, Honor, Integrity, is rep- resentative of those values which characterized Lieu- tenant Commander Elliot throughout his Naval career. The motto serves as both a guide and an inspiration for the men and officers who will serve aboard USS ELLIOT throughout her commissioned life. PHOTOS. ABOVE: ELLIOT prior to make over before deployment. ABOVE RIGHT AND CENTER; Original USS ELLIOT DD-146. as seen in-port Shang- hai. China. 4 July 1920 and. at-sea circa 1930. A Wickes-Class destroyer. DD- 146 was built between 191 7-1919 and was one of 267 DD ' s mass-produced by the United States during World War I. They were known as Fushdeckers or Fourstackers to that generation of Navy men. DD-146 was armed with four 4- inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun and twelve 2 I -inch torpedo tubes. She was capable of speeds up to 36 knots. RIGHT: Current configuration of ELLIOT, conducting underway refueling from USNS PECOS T-AO-197 with USS ROBERT E. PEARY FF-107 3. somewhere in the North Arabian Gulf.