Stephen W Groves (FFG 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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' 1' 4 1 Ship's Mission USS STEPHEN W GRGVES CEEG 293 is a member of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of Guided Missile Frigates. She was designed to provide local area protection to battle groups, underway replenishment groups, amphibious forces, military and merchant shipping, and to conduct Anti-Submarine Warfare QASWJ operations. However. with the removal of her guided missile system, STEPHEN W GROVES has shifted roles and now primarily conducts Enhanced-Maritime Interception Gperations CE-M105 and Counter Narco-Terrorism CCNTD Operations. STEPHEN W GROVES and her sister ships of the class represent a break with tradition in many ways: a gas turbine powered propulsion plant with variable pitch propeller, austere manning accompanied by a high degree of computerized automation. a fully integrated combat system, two helicopter hangars, auxiliary propulsion units placed to maximize maneuverability, and a ship control console that provides steering and speed control from the bridge by a single helmsman. The assets that STEPHEN W GRQVES has to call upon to accomplish her mission include the rapid fire, dual purpose 76mm gun, a Close-in-Weapons System CCIWYSD gatling gun Ccapable of firing 4,500 rounds per minute at incoming air targetsb: anti- submarine torpedo tubes, two Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System CLAMPSD MK III helicopters, and an array of small arms weapons including 25mm guns and .50 caliber machine guns. A V 2 . s,sP'J' ir N V 3? ,Q ng? ' -35 'liifgz' 13 if FW Lfiaw

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f 'I Ens1gr1 Q A Stephen W. Groves l . A U' I He fearlessly plunged into aerial combat against large formations of enemy aircraft threatening the American carriers in the Battle of Midway. Contributing decisively to the disruption of the enemy, he continued determined counterattacks against desperate odds until, finally overcome by sheer aerial superiority, he was shot down from the skies. 'He gallantly gave his life to the fulfillment of a mission important to the great victory at Midway. - Ensign Stephen W. Groves posthumously awarded Navy Cross citation. Stephen W. Groves, a 25 year-old Navy ensign from East Millinocket, Maine, was one of the American flyers who did not return after the day-long Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Ensign Stephen W. Groves took off nine times from his carrier on that fateful day and that his was one of six American planes that fought off a vastly superior Japanese force that was trying to finish off the damaged carrier YORKTGWN. The small group was credited with shooting down 14 enemy planes and causing six others to retreat. Ensign Groves was a 1934 graduate of Schenck High School in East Millinocket and received a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Maine in 1939. He joined the Navy in December of 1940 and was commissioned in August of 1941. He boarded the carrier USS HORNET in December of that year. The HOFZNET began to transport Doolittle's Bombers to Japanese waters in April 1942, setting the stage for the Battle of Midway, considered one of the most crucial allied victories of the war. Ensign Groves was the first East Millinocket serviceman to be killed in World War ll. Today the American Legion Post in that town is named the Feeney-Groves Post, partially in his memory. 1

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'Til virgin it :unsung uqnuxai QAISDII gg ual: l ll l l l l l l l Commander Dan Starling Commanding Officer Born in Austin. Texas, CDR Dan Starling enlisted into the Naval Nuclear Power Program in 1980. His enlisted seryice included tours as an instructor at the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Windsor, Connecticut. and as a member of the precommissioning crew of USS HELENA CSSN 7253. In 1987, CDR Starling was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program. He returned to Austin to attend the University of Texas, where he earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics and was commissioned an Ensign in 1989. CDR Starling's first commissioned service was as Damage Control Assistant and Combat Information Center Officer in USS GARY CEFG 513, in Long Beach and San Diego, California. While serving in GARY, CDR Starling earned his Surface Warfare Officer designation and qualified as a Tactical Action Officer. CDR Starling then attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. where he received the Master of Science Degree in Astronautical Engineering. While in Monterey, CDR Starling also earned certification as a pilot. After completing Department Head School in Newport, Rhode Island, CDR Starling reported for duty as Operations Officer in USS JOHN RODGERS CDD 9833 in Mayport, Florida. CDR Starling completed that ship's final Mediterranean deployment as flagship for CT F 60 before helping to supervise her decommissioning in September 1998. From January 1999 to April 2001, CDR Starling commanded USS TYPHOON CPC 53. During his tenure, TYPHOON twice deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and West Africa, became the first CYCLONE-class ship to conduct an unescorted and unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic Ocean and earned the Special Boat Squadron TWO Battle Efficiency Award. TYPHOON also gained distinction as the first ship ever whose entire crew, officer and enlisted alike, were qualified Surface Warfare Specialists. In June 2001, CDR Starling reported to the staff of the Commander, Naval Surface Reserve Force, where he served as the Assistant Director for Training Programs and Requirements. In September 2002, he assumed command of USS OSPREY CMHC 513 in Ingleside, Texas. During his 25 months in command, OSPREY deployed to the Western Atlantic and conducted numerous high-visibility port visits along the Gulf and east coasts, along with a dramatic rescue of Cuban refugees off the Florida Keys. Most recently, CDR Starling commanded. the Navy Operational Support Center in Austin, Texas, from November 2004 tojune 2007. CDR Starlingis personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal Ctwo awards3, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Cfour3, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Cthree3 d the Good Conduct Medal Ctwo3.