Briscoe (DD 977) - Naval Cruise Book

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The History of USS BRISCOE USS BRISCOE was commissioned 3 June 1973 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She is the fifteenth destroyer in a series of 31 SPRUANCE CLASS destroyers. BRISCOE bears the name of Admiral Robert P. Briscoe. Admiral Briscoe served with distinction during WWI, WWII, and the Korean Conflict. He retired in 1959 as a four star Admiral. USS BRISCOE, a highly versatile multi-mission combatant, was originally devel- oped as an Anti-Submarine Warfare IASVVJ destroyer. Although submarines have grown quieter over the years, BRISCOE's ASW capability possesses the cutting edge technology of the ANXSQQ-89 suite. Other combat areas in which BRISCOE excels, include engaging other surface ships, providing naval gunfire support to ground forces, and striking long-range land targets. With the installation of the 61 cell verti- cal Launch Missile System, BRISCOE now possesses the most sophisticated and lethal weapons in the U.S. arsenal, including Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles. Since commissioning, USS BRISCOE has deployed to the Arabian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean, Baltic, and Black Seas. BRISCOE has served as a member of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic, and sailed around South America during UNITAS XXX. BRISCOE participated in OPERATION URGENT FURY for the liberation of Grenada, operated with the Multi-National Peacekeeping Forces off the coast of Lebanon, as well as in the Baltic Operations of 1990. BRISCOE also partici- pated as a member of Middle East Forces, deploying twice to the North Red Sea while conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations in support of U.N. Sanctions against Iraq. BRISCOE established a U.S. record of 275 merchant vessel boardings in the North Red Sea during the first of her two deployments to the area. In March 1994 during the second, BRISCOE responded to a distress call from an Egyptian passen- ger feriy and acted as the on-scene commander for the ensuing rescue efforts of over 500 passengers, coordinating the assistance of numerous vessels in the area. BRISCOE deployed to the Mediterranean and Black Seas in 1996, and the Arabian Gulf in September of 1998. USS BRISCOE sailed 33,000 miles and conducted seven MEDEVACS and 1,032 hours of mishap-free flight operations in support of U.N. Sanctions. In June 1999, BRISCOE was once again in the international headlines when she was tasked with conducting the solemn burial at sea of John F. Kennedy, Jr. BRISCOE then deployed June 2000 for a six-month Mediterranean cruise as Destroyer Squadron 22 Flag-Ship and the ready strike presence off the coast of Croa- tia. Spirits were sobered, yet diligent duty as a strike force did not wane when BRISCOE'S DESRON 22 Sister-Ship, USS COLE, was attacked in the port of Yemen. Routine workups of the Inter-deployment Training Cycle of 2001 were also inter- rupted by an urgent need to deploy and defend the Atlantic Coast of the United States as the World Trade Center attacks demanded BRISCOE'S immediate readiness to respond. In February 2002, BRISCOE operated with 32 other nations during the NATO exercise Strong Resolve in the Baltic Sea. On December 5, 2002, USS BRISCOE got underway for her final deployment to the Mediterranean and Red Seas to serve proudly during OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. This book commemorates her final deployment. 11

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