Guided Missile Frigate
FFG 37 - USS Crommelin
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Frigate; Oliver Hazard Perry - class (long hull) planned and built as FFG 37
Builder:		Todd Pacific Shipyard, Seattle, Washington, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: April 27, 1979 Laid down: May 30, 1980 Launched: July 2, 1981 Commissioned: June 18, 1983 Decommissioned: October 26, 2012 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		Named after and in honor of the 5 Crommelin brothers: Vice Admiral Henry Crommelin (1904 - 1971), Rear Admiral John Crommelin (1902 - 1996), Commander Charles L. Crommelin (1909 - 1945), Lieutenant Commander Richard Crommelin (1917 - 1945) and Captain Quentin Crommelin (1919 - 1997). > see history, below;
Ship's Motto:		MUNUS BENE FACTUM 'job well done'
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO > Oliver Hazard Perry - class Guided Missile Frigate
ship images
decommissioning ceremony - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - October 26, 2012 decommissioning ceremony - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - October 26, 2012 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - October 24, 2012 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - August 27, 2012 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - August 27, 2012 Lihue, Hawaii - August 18, 2012 Honolulu, Hawaii - June 30, 2012 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - April 16, 2012 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - December 20, 2011 off Hawaii - November 2011 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - December 2010 Subic Bay, Philippines - October 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - August 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - August 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - April 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - February 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - February 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 2009 with Mt. Fuji in the background - Pacific Ocean - November 2009 Muara, Brunei - August 2009 Pacific Ocean - June 2009 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2009 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2008 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2008 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - November 2007 change of command ceremony - April 2007 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - September 2006 Maura, Brunei - August 2006 Kemaman, Malaysia - August 2006 Sattahip, Thailand - June 2006 Singapore - June 2006 South China Sea - May 2006 White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan - May 2006 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2006 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2006 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2006 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 2005 Homer, Alaska - August 2005 Seattle, Washington - August 2005 Seattle, Washington - August 2005 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - November 2004 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - November 2004 Gulf of Panama - August 2004 Mk-75 gun fire exercise - Callao, Peru - July 2004 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2004 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2004 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - April 2002
Henry, John, Quentin, Charles & Richard Crommelin
VAdm Henry Crommelin			RAdm John G. Crommelin		Capt Quentin Crommelin
Cdr Charles Laurence Crommelin				LCdr Richard Gunter Crommelin
Namesake & History:
USS Crommelin (FFG-37) was named for five brothers: Vice Admiral Henry Crommelin (August 11, 1904 – March 2, 1971), Rear Admiral John Crommelin (1902 – November 2, 1996), Captain Quentin Crommelin (1919 - 1997), Commander Charles L. Crommelin (1909 – March 28, 1945) and Lieutenant Commander Richard Crommelin (1917 – 1945).
Courtesy of Alabama Heritage: "Alabama Heritage" tells how 5 Alabama brothers made history: History-making seemed to come naturally to the Crommelin boys of Wetumpka, Ala., both at sea and in the air. The five brothers made their mark in World War II, earning a series of medals, and in the process becoming one of the most decorated families in naval history. A monument to the Crommelins in Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama, commemorates their bravery. The Crommelin family's connection to the Navy began when the boys' parents decided to send their rambunctious eldest son, John, to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis after he had completed one year at the University of Virginia. Thus began a family tradition, with John's four brothers also enrolling in the academy. Four of the brothers earned their wings and engaged in air combat in World War II, while Henry, whose eyesight prevented him from becoming a pilot, made his mark aboard destroyers. In the Fall 1997 issue of Alabama Heritage, John B. Scott, Jr., incorporates the lives and heroic acts of the Crommelin brothers with the history of the naval battles that took place in the Pacific theater in World War II. In the first great air battle between carrier-based planes, Richard Crommelin, based on the carrier Yorktown, fought enemy fire during his first combat engagement in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Richard was able to eliminate six Japanese Zeros and then, when his engine failed, successfully belly-land on the sea. He was awarded a Navy Cross for his bravery. John and Quentin Crommelin also distinguished themselves aboard the Enterprise and the Saratoga in the Battle of Midway. Charles Crommelin assumed command of Carrier Air Group 5 aboard the Yorktown after a series of victorious attacks against the Japanese, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross. Henry Crommelin had been in command of a destroyer in the Atlantic and was later given command of a destroyer in the Pacific. He carried on the Crommelin tradition by earning the Silver Star and then the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for his heroic actions in Guam. Time magazine dubbed the Crommelin brothers "The Indestructibles" for their amazing escapes from death, but it wasn't long before this proved sadly untrue. Within three months of each other, Richard and Charles were both killed in mid-air collisions with other Navy planes, and "the fleet's most famous flying family" was broken up. After the war, while living in Georgetown and attending the National War College in Washington, D.C., John Crommelin challenged naval authorities by arguing against the "Unification Act" and in favor of maintaining the Navy's aircraft carrier force. His actions initiated what became known as "The Revolt of the Admirals," which resulted in the saving of the Navy's air arm, but cut short Crommelin's own brilliant career as an admiral. He retired and went home to Alabama. Eventually, Henry and Quentin also retired with Admiral and Captain status, respectively. Quentin, the youngest brother and the last of the famous flying Crommelins, died at his home, on family lands fronting the Coosa River, in April 1997. Alabama Heritage is a nonprofit quarterly magazine published by The University of Alabama and The University of Alabama at Birmingham. To order the magazine, write to Alabama Heritage, Box 870342, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, or call (205) 348-7467.
Vice Admiral Henry Crommelin (August 11, 1904 - March 2, 1971): Admiral Crommelin commanded the Destroyer Squadron Fifty during the Gilbert Islands Campaign (World War II) for which he was awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry. He also earned theBronze Star Medal for heroism during the amphibious assault which resulted in the capture and occupation of Guam, Mariana Islands. Admiral Crommelin later served as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel and Chief of Staff to Commander Destroyers, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He commanded the cruiser Des Moines (CA-134), flagship to the Sixth Fleet, was commander of Battleship Division Two and served as Commander Naval Base Newport, Rhode Island until his retirement on 1 November 1959. Admiral Crommin was buried with full military honors in Section 5 of Arlington National Cemetery.
Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin (1902 – November 2, 1996): ... info wanted ...
Captain Quentin Crommelin (died 1997): ... info wanted ...
Commander Charles Laurence Crommelin (1909 – March 28, 1945): He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, one for leading aerial raids on the Marcus Islands and the other for gallantry as Commander Air Group Five during the Gilbert Islands Campaign. After assuming command of Carrier Air Group Twelve, he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism during the first carrier task force raids on Japan on 17 February 1945. On 28 March, Crommelin volunteered to fly from another aircraft to participate in pre-invasion strikes on Okinawa. He never returned.
Lieutenant Commander Richard Gunther Crommelin (1917 – 1945): He received the Navy Cross as a Navy Pilot for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of the Coral Sea and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Navy Cross for heroism as a pilot during the Battle of Midway. He was in command of Fighting Squadron Eighty-Eight when he was lost in a midair collision with an American plane near Hokkaido, Japan.
USS Crommelin (FFG 37): Upon it's commission, the USS CROMMELIN was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 9 and reached its homeport of Long Beach, California in August 1983. In 1985, CROMMELIN was assigned to the Constellation (CV-64) carrier battle group and deployed to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. During this deployment, CROMMELIN became the first FFG to successfully engage a high-speed, maneuvering target with missiles. It was also the first ship to complete an operational deployment with the LAMPS MK III weapon system. In June 1986, CROMMELIN received the first Chief of Naval Operations LAMPS MK III Safety Award. In the summer of 1986, CROMMELIN was awarded every departmental and divisional excellence award and won its first Battle "E" award. In 1987, CROMMELIN was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 13 and began an accelerated deployment with the Constellation battle group. CROMMELIN was the first FFG to deploy with two LAMPS MK III helicopters embarked. CROMMELIN was assigned to Commander, Middle East Force from 1 July to 25 August 1987, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the convoy escort of the first five reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in Operation Earnest Will. On 1 January 1988, CROMMELIN was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 9, and on 6 March 1988, the ship received a second consecutive Battle "E" award. Upon completion of its second availability period at Todd Pacific Shipyard, CROMMELIN was deployed in March 1989 again to the Persian Gulf. In October 1990 CROMMELIN was deployed in support of joint service, counternarcotics operations in the Central, South American, and Caribbean theater. CROMMELIN was awarded the Joint Services Meritorious Unit Award for its performance during this deployment. In 1991, CROMMELIN received the Navy "E" as well as its fifth consecutive warfare excellence awards for anti-air and anti-surface warfare, navigation and seamanship, damage control, engineering, and communications. On 1 September 1991, CROMMELIN shifted homeports to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and joined Destroyer Squadron 31. CROMMELIN completed a second four-month counternarcotics deployment in the Central, South American and Caribbean theater from November 1992 to March 1993. Upon return to its homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, CROMMELIN was assigned to Commander Naval Surface Group, Middle Pacific. From 6 July to 14 December 1994, CROMMELIN was assigned to the Kitty Hawk (CV-63) battle group in the Western Pacific for Korean contingency operations. There, CROMMELIN received the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award for the prosecution of a Chinese Hahn Class Submarine. Upon completion of this deployment she underwent dry-docking SRA-5 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, following which she began the cycle for her 1996 Western Pacific deployment with the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) battle group. After a three month work up cycle, CROMMELIN deployed with the Carl Vinson battle group on 20 May 1996. This deployment took CROMMELIN and her crew back to the Persian Gulf for a variety of missions, including escorting ships through the Straits of Hormuz, patrolling the Northern Persian Gulf, and conducting maritime interception operations. CROMMELIN returned from that deployment on 20 November 1996. Following WESTPAC 96, CROMMELIN entered another yard period from January to March 1997. CROMMELIN received upgrades to all major weapons systems as well as the engineering plant. Following this availability, CROMMELIN and her crew began yet another work up cycle to prepare for her fifth deployment to the Persian Gulf as part of the U.S. 5th Fleet. CROMMELIN departed Pearl Harbor on 21 February 1998. During this deployment CROMMELIN distinguished herself by setting a Fifth Fleet record for number of vessels boarded and tonnage of illegal Iraqi petroleum seized and diverted. CROMMELIN completed a demanding nine week private sector SRA in early 1999, where she made major repairs and upgrades throughout the ship. Immediately following the SRA, CROMMELIN aggressively entered the inter-deployment training cycle and proceeded to set numerous records throughout her training. Chief among these was condensing what is normally a twelve week training cycle into nine weeks. Other achievements were completing cruise missile test qualification on the first day of training and completing engineering qualification with 100% of drills and 28 of 29 evolutions graded as "satisfactory". With her training cycle complete, CROMMELIN departed Pearl Harbor on 24 August 1999 for a three month deployment to the Eastern Pacific in support of counter narcotics operations. During this deployment, CROMMELIN steamed 77 of 92 days, flew more than 350 mishap-free SH-60B flight hours, and was a key player in four major cocaine seizures. Upon her return to Pearl Harbor on 24 November 1999, CROMMELIN immediately began the work up cycle for her next deployment with Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) battle group in August 2000. In February 2000, CROMMELIN was awarded the Battle "E" for Destroyer Squadron 31 as well as each of the four command excellence awards. Other accomplishments included the 1999 Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet Retention Excellence Award, 1999, Commander Naval Surface Forces Pacific (COMNAVSURFPAC) Surface Ship Safety Award, COMNAVSURFPAC Self-Sufficient Ship of the Quarter Award (Q4 FY99 and Q2 FY00), and the distinction of being the first Pearl Harbor ship to hoist the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Pennant. During WESTPAC 2000, eighteen non-compliant vessels were boarded by CROMMELIN's Visit Board Search and Seizure Team, twelve were found to be smuggling petroleum products from Iraq and diverted to friendly ports for disposal of the ships and their illegal cargo. On the eve of the homecoming from deployment, CROMMELIN received her second consecutive Battle Efficiency Award. From 18 April 2001 to June 2001, CROMMELIN was dry-docked at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for Dry-dock Selected Restriced Availability. In January 2002 CROMMELIN received the 2001 COMNAVSURFPAC Surface Ship Safety Award. CROMMELIN returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 April 2003 following a six-month deployment to the SOUTHCOM AOR where she took part in drug interdiction operations. CROMMELIN also was involved in three rescues at sea, rescuing 174 Ecuadorian citizens from an un-seaworthy vessel at sea, and lending assistance to two fishing vessels. After an abbreviated training cycle to prove the Type Commander's new surge-ready concept and the receiving of the 2003 Battle Efficiency Award, CROMMELIN deployed in May 2004. CROMMELIN returned home to Pearl Harbor on November 12, 2004, after completing a record-setting six-month deployment to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR). The most significant accomplishment of the deployment was the interdiction of the fishing vessel San Jose . Working in conjunction with U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 105, CROMMELIN intercepted the vessel San Jose and recovered a total of 525 bales of cocaine weighing approximately 10.5 metric tons. During her tenure in the SOUTHCOM AOR, CROMMELIN intercepted and recovered a total 20.5 metric tons of cocaine worth more than $1.25 billion; detained 29 drug smugglers; and rescued a total of 96 people adrift at sea. CROMMELIN also participated in Latin and South American UNITAS PAC PHASE. As part of the largest maritime exercise in the Latin and South American region, the ship participated in numerous complex maritime exercises with ships and submarines from 10 South American countries. Barely taking time to catch its breath, the crew then repositioned north to Panama for PANAMAX 2004, a two-week exercise focused on the maritime defense of the Panama Canal from terrorist attacks. Summer 2005 brought the CROMMELIN to the West Coast, beginning with HULKEX in San Diego, CA. She then headed to the Northern Pacific in time for Seattle, Washington's SeaFAIR and it's parade of ships ceremony. A SINKEX was also tasked on the way to her next port visit in Homer, Alaska. The crew enjoyed a swim call as she headed to her final destination back to the warm waters off Hawaii in mid-November. May 2006 CROMMELIN departed for CARAT 06. CROMMELIN took part in coalition exercises with the navies of Southeast Asian countries, during which CROMMELIN trained our counterparts in many areas such as Search and Seizure, navigation, damage control and other maritime acivities. The crew took liberty in ports such as Singapore, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Guam, Okinawa, Indonesia, and finally returned to home port Pearl Harbor, HI in September 06. Following a three month dry dock and maintenance period, CROMMELIN completed a Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Material Inspection in April 2007, attaining successful scores in every department. After INSURV, CROMMELIN entered a training cycle with Unit Level Training Readiness Assessment Combat Systems (ULTRA-C), Unit Level Training Readiness Assessment Engineering (ULTRA-E), Engineering Operational Certification (EOC), and Final Evaluation Period (FEP). After completing FEP in August of 2007, CROMMELIN transited to southern California to make preparations for her 2007 Counter-Narco Terrorism deployment. While there, she conducted Week One Work-Ups (WOWUs) and FOX HUNT with the help of her new Air Department (HSL-49, Det 6) home ported in San Diego. CROMMELIN currently continues to prepare for deployment in the Navy’s Best Home Port of Pearl Harbor, HI.
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