Dahlgren (DDG 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS DAHLGREN (DDG-43) Designed as one of the first of the new generation of missile ships ordered by the Navy in the late 1950 ' s, DAHLGREN began her life at Philadel- phia Naval Shipyard. Built in tandem with her sister ship USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG- 44), she was originally designated DLG-12 - Destroyer Leader, Hull Number 12 but was designated in 1975 under the Navy ' s new classifi- cation system as a Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG). DAHLGREN has cruised the world over in her 25 years; appearing in Kiel, Germany as the American representative in that city ' s Naval Re- view during her first deployment. Following this prestigious debut she visited Norway, Denmark and Sweden. During the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 she took part on the Naval blockade ordered by President Kennedy. With escalating hostilities on the other side of the globe in the next few years. DAHLG- REN found herself called from the Atlantic Fleet to assist with search-and-rescue efforts in the Gulf of Tonkin. In 1967 she was responsible for the safe return of 11 aviators downed in waters off Vietnam. Among her duties during the following years were a stint as flagship for the Commander, South Atlantic Fleet, during which she visited many ports along Africa ' s western shore. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, she assumed the duties as flagship for Commander, Middle East Force and made calls in several ports on the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. In 1970 she helped American efforts in the Jordanian Civil War cri- sis, earning the first of her three Meritorious Unit Citations. A year later she was flagship for NATO ' s Stand- ing Naval Force Atlantic, a permanent multina- tional flotilla, and visited Canada, England, France and Belguim. For overall excellence she received the coveted Battle Efficiency Award in 1971. The next two years saw her at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for modernization of engineering, weapons and habitability among other upgrades. Her first cruise after recommissioning was to the Mediterranean Sea, where she was instrumental in the evacuation of refugees from the violence on Cyprus in 1973. A brief UNITAS cruise in 1975 gave DAHLG- REN a chance to see Panama and Columbia. The following year it was back to the Mediterranean Sea, visiting Egypt, Mallorca, Italy, Spain, France, Turkey and ending the deployment with stops in Kiel and Amsterdam. In 1977 she de- ployed for North Atlantic and Baltic Sea opera- tions, enabling her crew to spend a few days in Lisbon, Stockhom and Bremen, Germany. In 1979 DAHLGREN completed a 15 month overhaul at her birthplace in Philadelphia, re- ceiving new equipment and refurbishing the ex- isting systems. Added was the Harpoon Weapons System, chaff launchers and many other improvement s. Her first deployment was to the Mediterranean Sea from March to August 1980, where she served as flagship for Commander De- stroyer Squadron 26. In 1981 DAHLGREN departed for UNITAS XXII with Commander Destroyer Squadron 14 and his staff embarked. DAHLGREN ' s six month deployment took her to both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America. Various ex- ercises were conducted with South American na- vies before returning to Norfolk in December 1981. In 1983 DAHLGREN made her most recent de- ployment. During her six and half months away from homeport, the ship steamed in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. She served in three fleets, the Second, Sixth and Seventh, and was the flagship for Commander, Destroyer Squadron 24. DAHLGREN returned to Norfolk in September to prepare for a regular overhaul in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1984. DAHLGREN returned to Norfolk after her year-long overhaul period in December of 1984. In 1986 sh e completed another deployment to the Mediterranean. After a brief vard period in 1987, DAHLGREN completed work-ups for her 1988 Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Atlantic deploy- ment.