Taylor (FFG 50) - Naval Cruise Book

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History Behind USS TAYLOR USS TAYLOR lFFG 501 is named for the late Commander Jesse Junior Taylor, USN. Commander Taylor was born In Wichita, Kansas, on 16 January 1925. He enlisted in the Navy ln October 1942 and served as an Aviation Radioman until the end of World War Il with Bombing Squadron VB-1 1 aboard the carrier USS HORNET lCVA 121 in the South Pacific. During the Korean conflict, he returned to the Navy as a Na-val Aviator and in May 1952 received his commission as an Ensign. After a tour with Composite Squadron Four, he served as an NROTC instructor at the University of California at Los Angeles. Further flight training and a tour with the Chief of Staff, Naval 5 Air Training followed at NAS Pensacola, Florida. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander while serv- ing with VF-174. Later he attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and directed the Flight Test division of the Bureau of Naval Weapons at St. Louis, Missouri for two years. In July 1965, LCDR Taylor was assigned to Air Wing 16 aboard the attack carrier USS ORISKANY lCVA 341, and sailed to the Western Pacific. He flew 16 missions between September and November, earning an Air Medal with gold star lin lieu of second awardl. On 17 November 1965, Taylor was flying his Skyraider during attacks on a key bridge near the North Vietnamese port of Haiphong. Ground fire had downed one of the other U.S. Navy aircraft and its pilot had ejected in a heavily defended area. Com- mander Taylor heard the radio transmission describ- ing the pilot's plight. Realizing that time was of the essence in any attempt to rescue the downed pilot, Taylor made a courageous decision. Although it was not his assigned mis- sion, and having discovered that other rescue aircraft were occupied elsewhere, he took command of the rescue effort. Taylor proceeded to the scene and found the pilot still in his parachute harness in shallow water. To cover the approach of the rescue helicopter, Commander Taylor attacked the anti-aircraft gun sites despite intense and accurate anti- aircraft fire and the fact that his own plane had sustained damage. The storm of enemy fire made It Impossible for the helicopter to rescue the man on the ground. Meanwh'l I e, because of flre In his own aircraft, Commander Taylor was forced to break off his own ,persistent attacks. Rather than abandon his plane in enemy territory, he elected to tr to . Y dltCh.Il'1 the Gulf of Tonkln. However, fire burned through the wing of his plane and it crashed before he had time to leave it. 2

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-0- I vQ able of Co History of USS TAYLOR Specifications Commanding Officer Executive Officer Department Heads Operations Department Combat Systems Department Executive Department Engineering Department Supply Department Groups Promotions and Awards Map Port Visits Return to Homeport Farewell ents 2 3 4 5 6 7-1 1 12-15 16-17 18-21 22-23 24-26 27-29 30-31 32-53 54-55 56 -

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Specification S gl rf lss szss a aail egi igsvss-555552: 'Q5E,,5:EQ'g X aw ii B Xxx cf' i-- ---f-F E T M CD Length ........ .......... 4 53 feet Draft ....................... ................ 2 2 feet Beam .......... ......... 4 5 feet Displacement ........... ......... 4 ,100 tons Speed ............. ....... 3 0+ knots Accommodations ............... 13 Officers 287 Enlisted Propulsion 2 LM2500 Gas Turbine Engines, 41,000 Shaft Horsepower l Controllable Reversible Pitch Propeller l Rudder 2 Auxiliary Propulsion Units Sensors l ANfSPS-49 Air Search Radar l ANXSPS-55 Surface Search Radar l Mk 92 Fire Control System l ANfSLO-32fVl5 Electronic Countermeasures System l ANfSOS-56 Sonar System l ANfSOS-19 Towed Array System l Mk 134 Decoy Launching System Weapons 1 76mm Mk 75 Rapid Fire Gun 2 Mk 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes 5 50 Caliber Machine Guns 2 25mm Machine Cannons 3