Hepburn (FF 1055) - Naval Cruise Book

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LE ENTS HERE ' S WHAT WE DID 4 I) ntry 21 I 28 Fi 34 Away the I R.P. 52 HEPBURN 1EPBURN Ml Frigates are the eyes of the fleet, exclaimed English Admiral Lord Nelson in 1804. Over a century and a half later, these words still apply, and on November 11,1975 fleet e 1055-HEPBURN-continued in this proud tradition when she took in her lines and steered into the channel of San Diego Bay headed for Hawaii and points west. She v nning her fourth ex- tern Pacific depkv One of the first of the Navy ' s ( lass of destro HEPBURN was commissioned in and designed to incorporate an impre ay of recent te h- gical developments through- out the ship. Her 438-foot 4200-ton hull driven by two 1200--pound high performance s. I let c i ew of 240 men and 20 as armed with a rapid-fire inc h gun mount, an anti- ket (ASROC) toi pedo tubes, and a ght surface-to-air mis- A shipborne LAMPS helic opter, nic knamed Maggie, and a de il of pilots and rew - men from HSL-33 augmented HEPBURN ' S own capabilities with a irm. All hands had the past six finish preparations for the n and a half month and on that mlier all systems HEPBURN ' S first slop was Pearl or, I lawaii, from whi h she ■ . i while c on- SR X and tor- pedo firings. Midway Island was next and gave the crew an op- portunity to meet a gooney bird. The long transit continued with drills, gun shoots, and intership exercises with USS GRAY (FF-1054). A day to remember occurred on the eighth of December when HEPBURN stopped her engines in a quiet cove of the San Bernadino Strait and passed Swim Call. A dive into 85 degree clear blue watei and a flight deck picnic made the day for many a once-in-a-lifetime Heat. The U.S. Naval Station at Subic Bay, Republic of the Phillipines - HEPBURN ' S home away from home-was her next port of call. But only a few days of voyage repairs were in store. HEPBURN had orders to steam North for Kaoh- siung, Taiwan and an exercise i ailed Sharkhunt with the Republic of China Navy. She returned to Subic Bay just in time- to elebrate Christmas and gear up for a most chalh assignment. I he task was, of course, an Indian Ocean excursion. HEPBURN was hosen as one ol a fon e of four ships to circumnavigate the Indian Ocean and show the flag around two i ontinents. I Indei wa the morning of January tenth, Task ip 75.1 steamed Southwesl through the ' south ( hina Sea, skirt- ed along the c oast of Vietnam, and swung north past Singapore gh the Straits of Mala i a