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Josiah Tattnall
was born on 14 June 1794 at Bonaventure, near Savannah, Ga. He was appointed midshipman
on 1 January 1812 and attended the Naval School at Washington, D.C., until 1
August when he was assigned to the frigate, Constellation. When his ship
tried to slip out to sea, the strong British squadron operating in the
Chesapeake Bay forced her to put into Norfolk, Va. Constellation remained
bottled up in Hampton Roads for the duration of the War of 1812, but Tattnall
and his comrades still managed to get into the fray. He was among the 100 or
so sailors and marines assigned to the shore battery on Craney Island. On 22
June 1813, the British attempted to carry the island by storm in preparation
for an attack on nearby Norfolk. Tattnall's battery and a force of American
boats gave the attackers a sound rebuff that deterred the British from further
attempts to take the city.
In April 1814, Midshipman Tattnall was detached from Constellation and, by 24
August, was in command of a force of employees from the Washington Navy Yard.
He led them into battle at Bladensburg in an unsuccessful effort to stop the
British advance on the American capital. On 14 October, he was ordered to
Savannah for duty in Epervier. In May 1815, that sloop sailed for the
Mediterranean with Commodore Stephen Decatur's squadron to chastise the
Algerine pirates. On 17 June, she participated in the capture of the frigate
Mashuda and, two days later, of the brig Estedio. In July, when Epervier was
ordered back to the United States with dispatches, Tattnall remained in the
Mediterranean in Constellation. In January 1817, he transferred to Ontario
and returned in her to the United States.
Promoted to lieutenant on 1 April 1818, Tattnall was assigned to the frigate
Macedonian on 30 June, and he sailed in her for the Pacific in November. He
was detached from Macedonian on 30 August 1820 and returned to the United
States. Ordered to Norfolk on 26 December 1822, he joined Commodore David
Porter's squadron in schooner Jackall. Lt. Tattnall served in the West Indies
on an expedition to suppress piracy until he was detached on 4 May 1823. On
23 June 1824, Tattnall was ordered to Constitution for Mediterranean service.
In March 1826, he transferred to Brandywine and returned home in her in May.
On the 15th of that month, he was granted six months leave, which was later
extended into 1828.
Tattnall served in Erie from October 1828 to August 1829 and then went on to
survey the Tortugas until March 1830. Lt. Tattnall took command of schooner
Grampus on 15 April 1831 and cruised the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico.
In August 1832, he captured the Mexican pirate schooner Montezuma, which had
boarded and robbed an American ship on the high seas. He was detached from
Grampus in September 1832 and went on leave awaiting orders for almost four
years before being ordered in, July 1836, to recruit men for Capt. Thomas ap
Catesby Jones' survey and exploration expedition.
Tattnall was promoted to commander on 25 February 1836 and, in April,
reported for a three-year tour of duty at the Boston Navy Yard. Following
service with the Mediterranean and African sauadrons, Comdr. Tattnall joined
the Mosquito Division in the Gulf of Mexico in 1846, commanding the steam
gunboat, Spitfire. During the Mexican War, he took part in the attacks on
Vera Cruz, San Juan d'Ulloa, and Tuxpan, and he suffered an arm wound. For
his gallantry before Vera Cruz, the state of Georgia presented him with a
sword.
In 1848 and 1849, he returned to shore duty at the Boston Navy Yard. On 5
February 1850, he was commissioned captain and, the following month, was
given command of Saranac. Next, he commanded the Pensa-cola Navy Yard from
July 1851 to June 1854. From August 1854 to November 1855, Capt. Tattnall was
flag captain in Independence to Commodore Mervine on the Pacific Station. At
Hong Kong on 29 January 1858, he relieved Commodore Armstrong taking command
of the East India Squadron, breaking his flag in San Jacinto. During his two
years in the Far East, Commodore Tattnall came to the assistance of a British
squadron under fire from the Barrier Forts at the mouth of the Pei Ho River
and, on his return voyage early in 1860, carried the first diplomatic embassy
from Japan to the United States.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Capt. Tattnall held command of the
Sackett's Harbor Station. Though he initially opposed secession, Tattnall
resigned his commission on 21 February 1861 and a week later, Governor Joseph
E. Brown commissioned Tattnall as the senior flag officer of the Navy of
Georgia. On 26 March 1861, he received his commission as a captain in the
Confederate Navy. Tattnall commanded Southern naval units during the defense
of Port Royal until the harbor was captured by Union forces on 7 November
1861. From there, he moved to overall command of the defense of Virginia's
waters early in March 1862. Tattnall, by then a flag officer in the
Confederate Navy as well as the Navy of Georgia, directed CSS Jamestown and
other warships in captures of Federal merchantmen off Sewell's Point in April
1862.
On 11 May 1862, in the face of advancing Federal forces, Flag Officer
Tattnall ordered the destruction of his flagship, CSS Virginia
(ex-Merrimack). He was later acquitted by a court martial of all charges
stemming from that action. He resumed command of the naval defense of Georgia
on 29 May 1862 and retained it until 31 March 1863, when he turned over
command of forces afloat to Comdr. Richard Page and concentrated upon the
shore defenses of Savannah. When Savannah fell to General Sherman's troops,
Tattnall became a prisoner of war. He was paroled on 9 May 1865 and, soon
thereafter, took up residence once more in Savannah. Capt. Tattnall died
there on 14 June 1871 and was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery.
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The second
Tattnall (DDG-19) was laid down on 14 November 1960 at New Orleans, La., by Avondale
Marine Ways, Inc.; launched on 26 August 1961; sponsored by Mrs. Mary Adams
Mason; and commissioned on 13 April 1963 at Charleston, S.C., Comdr. William
F. Regan in command.
Following commissioning, Tattnall conducted sea trials out of Charleston and
tested her Tartar and ASROC missile systems in the Charleston; Jacksonville,
Fla.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, operating areas. Late in August, she
returned to Charleston before departing again for shakedown training in the
West Indies. The guided-missile destroyer returned to Charleston once again
on 20 October for post-shakedown availability. Training, exercises, and local
operations followed from early February until late April 1964. After a visit
to New York City late in April, she resumed operations out of Charleston.
On 8 September, she got underway for her first overseas cruise during which
she participated in NATO Exercise "Teamwork," an operation
conducted in the Norwegian Sea and in the Bay of Biscay. The exercise ended
early in October, and the warship put into Portsmouth, England, on the 3d.
Tattnall moved from there to Edinburgh, Scotland, for a one-day visit on 12
October, before heading back to the United States. On the 22d, she reentered
Charleston and resumed normal operations.
Following missile firings and gunnery practice in the San Juan operating
area, Tattnall departed the western Atlantic on 7 December for her first
deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. On 14 December, she reached the Straits
of Gibraltar and became a unit of the 6th Fleet. While in the Mediterranean,
she visited Tunis, Genoa, and Naples in Italy; Marseilles and Theoule in
France; and Barcelona in Spain. She also participated in several exercises
with other units of the 6th Fleet and with ships of foreign navies. On 4
March 1965, she retransited the Straits of Gibraltar and headed back toward
the United States.
The guided-missile destroyer made Charleston on 14 March and began an
availability period in preparation for her participation in projects for the
Chief of Naval Operations. She completed the availability on 19 April and put
to sea to conduct Fleet Research Project Number 69. She finished her work on
the research project on 7 May and returned to Charleston. Tattnall resumed
normal operations until 30 August when she put to sea to conduct the first of
two additional tasks for the Chief of Naval Operations. This project,
designated D/S 336, sought to insure her combat readiness prior to the second
project, 0/S 102. During project D/S 336, Tattnall's crew averaged 10 to 12
hours a day at general quarters as they tracked single and multiple-plane air
raids and simulated missile firings. Weather conditions hampered the
gathering of data so that project D/S 336 was not concluded until 2 October.
She put to sea again on 4 October for project O/S 102, a multi-phase test of
the combat effectiveness of the Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile
destroyer. She completed the project early in December and returned to
Charleston for availability, holiday leave, and preparation for another
Mediterranean deployment.
On 15 February 1966, Tattnall departed Charleston once more to join the 6th
Fleet. From 27 February to 3 March, she participated in Exercise
"Fairgame IV," a Franco-American exercise conducted in the western
Mediterranean. On 17 May, she conducted an intelligence surveillance of
Russian warships. In June, she joined in another western Mediterranean
exercise, "Deep Six." On this cruise, she added Rhodes; Majorca;
Thessalonica and Volas, Greece; and Istanbul, Turkey, to her list of ports
visited. On 1 July, the warship put to sea from Palma de Mallorea and headed
back toward Charleston, where she arrived on 22 August.
Upon arrival, Tattnall immediately began her first major overhaul since
commissioning. She remained in Charleston Naval Shipyard from 22 August 1966
until 7 March 1967. After exiting the shipyard, she resumed local operations
along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and in the West Indies
until early July. Following a week-long visit to New York City from 12 to 19
July, the guided-missile destroyer returned to Charleston to prepare for her
third Mediterranean cruise. That deployment lasted through January 1968; and,
by early February, Tattnall was back in Charleston. She resumed normal
operations along the southeastern coast of the United States and in the West
Indies until June, when she returned to Europe. After a stop in the Azores
and a visit to Germany for the "Kiel Week" celebration, Tattnall
reentered the Mediterranean for another tour of duty with the 6th Fleet. The
warship remained in the Mediterranean until mid-November and then returned to
the east coast and local operations.
Tattnall continued to operate from Charleston until late July 1969, when she
shifted home ports to Mayport, Fla. She arrived in Mayport on 29 July and
conducted normal operations until September. From 2 to 24 September, the
guided-missile destroyer participated in NATO Operation
"Peacekeeper." On the 24th, she entered Amsterdam in the
Netherlands for a week, then put to sea for hunter-killer operations and
visits to the European ports of Hamburg, Bergen, Edinburgh, and Le Havre. She
reentered Mayport on 10 December 1969.
After four months operating out of Mayport, Tattnall steamed north to
Chespeake Bay, where she assisted in tests conducted at Randle Cliffs, Md.,
by scientists of the Naval Research Laboratory. She visited Newport, R.I., in
mid-month and returned to Mayport on the 25th. Following five months of
operations and exercises in the vicinity of Mayport, Tattnall steamed to
Charleston for her second regular overhaul. She remained in Charleston Naval
Shipyard until 24 March 1971, when she began post-overhaul trials. On 22
April, she headed back to Mayport and operations in the Caribbean Sea and the
Gulf of Mexico.
On 16 September 1971, the ship departed Charleston bound for nothern Europe
and Exercise "Royal Knight." During that cruise, she visited
Rosyth, Scotland, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands before returning to
Mayport on 22 October.
In March 1972, Tattnall deployed to the Mediterranean once again. She
conducted exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet and with ships of
foreign navies. The guided-missile destroyer visited Valencia, Spain; Genoa
and Naples in Italy; Patras and Athens, Greece; Kusadasi and Iskenderun,
Turkey; Sousse, Tunisia; Menton, France; and Sicily. On 28 August, she
changed operational control to the 2d Fleet and headed for Mayport, where she
arrived on 5 September.
Tattnall resumed operations from Mayport until 29 May 1973, when she got
underway to participate in a joint American-French exercise conducted in the
vicinity of Charleston. In late May and early June, she visited Norfolk, Va.,
and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. She returned to Mayport on 18 June.
After a month in the Mayport area, Tattnall embarked upon her first UNITAS
deployment to South America. She visited ports in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and
Uruguay in between operations and exercises conducted with units of those
countries' navies. On 15 December, she returned to Mayport and resumed
exercises in the western Atlantic and upkeep in her home port through July
1974.
On 22 July 1974, she began a two-month restricted availability at Charleston
then Tattnall returned to Mayport on 21 September to begin preparations for
another Mediterranean deployment. The guided-missile destroyer departed
Mayport on 25 November and changed operational control to the 6th Fleet at
Rota, Spain, on 5 December. Tattnall participated in "special
operations" on 9 December the following a brief at Gaeta, Italy, she put
into Barcelona for the holidays on 18 December.
On 6 January 1975, the warship sailed to Rapallo, Italy for an 8-day goodwill
visit with local leaders followed by a brief stop in La Spezia to meet with
senior Italian Navy officials. Tattnall enjoyed a tender availability while
in Naples (18 January-23 February), paused briefly to refuel at Augusta Bay,
Sicily, then sailed to Sousse, Tunisia for another visit with local official
on the 26th. A storm in the Gulf of Hammemet forced her to sea on the 27th,
but the warship promptly resumed her visit until her departure on 4 March,
Tattnall sailed to Souda Bay, Crete (6-7 March) where the guided-missile
destroyer successfully completed two of three missile firings. Following a
routine visit to Palermo, Sicily (9-14 March), she participated in exercises
with Forrest Sherman (DD-931) enroute to join Carrier Task Group 60.2 for
operations simulating an opposed passage of the Strait of Messina. After a
routine visit to Palma (19 March-5 April), Tattnall and other units of TG
60.2 joined Sturgeon (SSN-637) for ASW exercises enroute to a training
anchorage in Pollensa Bay, Mallorca (6-9 April). The guided-missile destroyer
refueled from Neosho (AO-143) while sailing to Barcelona (10-18 April) where
she embarked Rear Admiral Nicholson, Commander, Carrier Striking Group Two
for meetings with high ranking Spanish military and civilian dignitaries.
Tattnall sailed to Sardinia on the 19th with units of TG 60.2 where she
participated briefly in the amphibious exercise "Sardinia 75" on
the 20th followed by naval gunfire exercises the next two days. Departing
Sardinia, the guided-missile destroyer rendezvoused with Gato (SSN-615) and
the Italian Navy destroyer Intrepido (D-571) for ASW exercises. Tattnall
successfully completed an Operational Readiness Examination and conducted
exercises prior to passing through the Strait of Gibraltar enroute to Rota,
Spain (26 April-2 May). On the 5th, the Tattnall joined Leahy (CG-16) in
Portsmouth, England to sail to Leningrad (12-17 May) in the Soviet Union for
a visit in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe
during World War II. The warships interrupted their return passage to
Portsmouth, England (23-25 May) for fuel and debriefing with a two-day
sojourn in Kiel Germany. Tattnall returned to Mayport on 6 June after brief
stops in the Azores and Bermuda.
She remained in Mayport until sailing to Newport, Rhode Island on 6 August
for three weeks of training midshipmen. Upon return to Mayport on the 29th,
she prepared to shift her homeport to Philadelphia for the upcoming regular
overhaul. Two days after her arrival in Philadelphia on 4 October 1975, the
warship commenced the overhaul that included numerous modifications to her
weapons, communication, and engineering equipment. With the overhaul
completed as scheduled on 6 August 1976, Tattnall returned to Maport on the
12th in advance of post-overhaul refresher training. She tested weapon
systems in Port Everglades during the last week of August then returned to
Mayport for further inspections and tests. On 20 September, a Cleveland
television station news crew embarked to film for a documentary news program
on life in the Navy. Tattnall tested the performance of her missile systems
at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico then sailed to Guantamo Bay for refresher
training (8 October-10 November). The guided-missile destroyer returned to
Puerto Rico for naval gunfire support qualifiation prior to her return to her
home port of Mayport on 20 November. She received a tender availability
alongside Yosemite (AD-19) and Christmas standdown.
Following participation in the major fleet exercise "Caribex 2-77",
from 29 January to 10 February 1977, Tattnall departed on a seven-month
deployment with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean on 30 March. She returned
to Mayport on 21 October.
Tattnall began 1978 as part of the 2nd Fleet "Ready Alert Group"
and twice interrupted her holiday leave period on 4th and 7th of January to
get undeway on less than 24 hours notice. During the second of these sorties,
she rendezvoused with Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) off Puerto Rico on the
10th. Tattnall conducted an underway replenishment alongside the carrier
before returning to Mayport a week later. In February, the warship participated
in readiness exercises in the Caribbean. During her passage south, she served
as flagship for Commander Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 14 and also enjoyed a
port visit to Martinique (14-21 February). The guided-missile destroyer
returned to Mayport at the beginning of March to prepare for her upcoming
deployment to the North Atlantic. On 1 April, Tattnall transferred to DESRON
12 and then sailed to Fort Lauderdale for first week of the month for a Chief
of Naval Operations project on mine warfare. The warship preparations for
deployment included a propulsion examination, naval gunfire support
qualification, and highly successful supply management inspection. On 11
June, she completed sea trials and departed Mayport the next day for a
deployment with the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic (SNFL).
Following refueling stops at Bermuda and the Azores, Tattnall relieved
Pharris (FF-1094) on 23 June 1978 at the Dutch Naval Base at Den Helder,
Netherlands. By the end of August, Tattnall visited Rosyth (30 June-4 July
and 14-17 July), Rothesay (13-19 August), and Glasgow (12-22 August) in
Scotland; Tromso (21-24 July) and Haakonsvern Naval Base, Bergen (31 July-6
August) in Norway; and Zeebrugge (26 August-1 September). On 1 September, the
warship, along with other SNFL units, provided screening and gunfire support
to amphibious units in the Shetland Islands and Jutland as part of the NATO
exercise "Northern Wedding". Tattnall continued her screening
duties after a gale forced many of the ships in the exercise to sea before
she detached to refuel at Den Helder on the 16th. The exercise ended when the
guided-missile destroyer rejoined the amphibious force off Scotland the next
day and put into Portsmouth, England on the 19th Engineering problems delayed
her departure until 14 October when she rejoined SNFL forces anti-aircraft
excercizes off western Scotland. Tattnall visited Rotterdam, Netherlands
(20-26 October); Aarhus (2-5 November) and Copenhagen (10-14 November) in
Denmark; Kiel, Germany (18-21 November); and Lisbon, Portugal (2-5 December)
before she arrived back at her homeport on 16 December for holiday leave and
upkeep.
Tattnall received a visit from the Navy Inspector General when the holiday
standdown drew to a close on 19 January 1979. An availability (22 January-15
February) alongside Yosemite (AD-19) followed and after successful completion
of inspections, the warship got underway on the 16th to join Independence
(CV-62) for a week of exercises hampered by bad weather off Jacksonville and
the Virginia Capes. The guided-missile destroyer completed her Navy Technical
Proficiency Inspection (12-13 March) in between two stints as an Engineering
Training School Ship (26 February-8 March and 26 march to 6 April). On 8
April, members of Tattnall's Rescue and Assistance Detail helped bring a fire
that caused signifant damage under control in Manley (DD-940) while the pair
berthed in Mayport. On 30 April, she entered drydock in Jacksonville
Shipyards for painting and minor repairs and returned to Mayport on 12 May ahead
of a Command Inspection (21-22 May). On 22 June, over two hundred of the
crew's family enjoyed a dependents cruise. On 9 July, Tattnall set sail from
Mayport for midshipman training in Norfolk from 13 to 26 July. Upon return to
Mayport, she provided support to the Senior Officers Ship Maintenance and
Repair course and conducted a training availability with Fleet Training
Center Mayport (6-10 August). On 20 August, the guided-missile destoyer
joined Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) 3-79 during which she
fired her surface-to-air, surface-to-surface missiles and successfully
lauched an anti-submarine rocket (ASROC), and Mark 46 torpedo. She returned
to Mayport on the 27th to prepare for an upcoming inspection, but the
Hurricane David forced the warship to sea on 2 September. Following
satisfactory completion of the material inspection, Tattnall set sail from
Mayport on 1 October for Puerto Rico. During two-weeks of exercises there,
which included naval gunfire support qualification at Vieques Island, she
served as flagship for DESRON 26.
On 29 October, Tattnall began preparations for her deployment to the Middle
East, but the context of her deployment changed considerably after a group of
militant university students took over the American diplomatic mission in
Tehran on November 4, 1979, thus precipitating the Iranian Hostage Crisis
that would last until 20 January 1981. Following a combat system review and
inspections, the warship conducted sea trials (19-20 November) during which
the ship played host to a troop of Mayport-area Boy Scouts and two
participants in the Secretary of the Navy's Guest Cruise Program. As Tattnall
completed her long days of preparation for her 27 November departure from
Mayport, the ship learned that she had earned six Battle Efficiency Awards
for the previous year. During the passage across the Atlantic, the warship
fired three missiles during exercises and conducted a "blue water"
turnover with Mahan (DDG-42) near the Azores. After reaching Rota, Spain on 9
December, Tattnall joined Forrestal (CV-59) and Task Group 60.2 for MULTIPLEX
1-80 (14-20 December) then sailed to Genoa, Italy for holiday leave and
upkeep.
After departing Genoa on 4 January 1980, the guided-missile destroyer
conducted training and an underway replenishment as she sailed south for a
port visit to Bari, Italy (9-14 January) in advance of a task group missile
exercise at Souda Bay, Crete on the 16th. Tattnall reamined at a training
anchorage in Crete until the 22nd when she got underway for a large battle
group replenishment before sailing to Athens (25-31 January) for rest and
relaxation. After passing through the Suez Canal on 3 February, the
guided-missile destroyer relieved Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5) and joined
Koelsch (FF-1049) for the passage around the Arabian peninsula. Tattnall
stopped briefly at Djibouti (7 February) for fuel and replenishment before
reaching the Persian Gulf on the 13th. In the Persian Gulf, the
guided-missile destoyer remained at sea to defend the Middle East Force
Flagship La Salle (AGF-3) and conduct surveillance operations in the Persian
Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. She briefly visited Bahrain (15-17 March)
(double check deg log) before pointing homeward. Tattnall squeezed a two-day
goodwill vist to Berbera, Somalia between stops for fuel in Djibouti (22 and
29 March) prior to transiting the Suez Canal on 3 April. The warship enjoyed
a repair availability in Naples (7-22 April), sailed through the Strait of
Gibraltar on the 25th and passed a propulsion plant examination while in
Rota, Spain (25-27 April). With Commander DESRON 24 embarked and in the
company of the Forrestal Battle Group, the guided-missile destroyer reached
Mayport on 7 May. The crew enjoyed a post-deployment leave period and the
ship underwent an intermediate maintenance availability with Yosemite upon
return to homeport.
On 2 July, with only fourteen hours notice, Tattnall got underway as DESRON
24 flagship of a quick reaction task group that included Koelsch, Truett
(FF-1095), and Manitowoc (LST-1080). The task group conducted type training
in the waters off Key West until the 8th. Upon return to Mayport on the 11th,
the ship's crew prepared for the annual Nuclear Technical Proficiency
Inspection which she passed with outstanding grades in six of seven areas
evaluated. After a dependent's cruise (7 August), the warship departed
Mayport for a goodwill cruise of Latin American under operational control of
Combined Joint Task Force Commander, Key West. She refueled at Guatanamo Bay
(18 August) before calling on Veracruz, Mexico (23-26 August) and Puerto
Cortes, Honduras (30-31 August). The guided-missile destroyer suffered
substantial damage from an electrical fire in the after engineroom upon her
departure from Honduras, but this did not deter her from earning the top
score for her class of ship in naval gunfire support qualification at Vieques
(7 September). After a brief return to Mayport (11-16 September), Tattnall
visited Port Everglades (19-21 September) enroute to the Atlantic Underwater
Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas (23-25 September) for
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises. Upon her return to Mayport on the
26th, the guided-missile destroyer remained in port, except for type training
off Jacksonville (22 October), to concentrate on training and preparations
for an upcoming deployment and overhaul. After comnpletion of sea trials
(24-26 November), she set sail for Puerto Rican waters on 1 December to
participate in gunfire and missile exercises. The warship returned to
homeport on the 13th for holiday leave and final preparations for deployment.
On 12 January 1981, Tattnall joined Blakely a day after setting sail from
Mayport for a passage across the Atlantic plagued by high winds and rough
seas. The pair refueled at Bermuda and Rota, then navigated the Strait of
Gibraltar on the 24th. Tattanll arrived at Port Said, Egypt on the 30th where
she embarked Vice Admiral Small, Commander Sixth Fleet for the transit of the
Suez Canal the following day. After a stop for fuel in Djibouti (3 February),
she joined Task Group 70.9 in the Indian Ocean. Her crew marked the crossing
of the equator on the 11th with the traditional rites and rituals then the
warship put into Diego Garcia (12-14 February) for a tender availability
alongside Jason (AR-8). She rejoined Task Group 70.9 for three days of
exercises in the Indian Ocean before heading north to link up with the
Independence (CV-62) Battle Group on the 18th for a week-long exercise from
which the destroyer briefly took leave to unsuccessfully search for survivors
of a mid-air collision between two Navy aircraft. Upon conclusion of exercise
"Gonzo 1-81", Tattnall continued operations with Independence until
the 27th when she departed for the Persian Gulf to relieve Jonas Ingram
(DD-938) and Barney (DDG-6). Assigned to Middle East Force until 18 May,
Tattnall punctuated her patrol of the Persian Gulf with numerous visits to
Bahrain and a port visit to Damman, Saudi Arabia (13-14 May). After Bigelow
(DD-942) relieved her, the warship again joined Blakely for the long passage
back to Mayport. On the 26th, Tattnall struck an uncharted object as the ship
completed her transit of the Suez Canal and suffered damage to the starboard
propeller. She put into Malaga, Spain (1-6 June) where divers from Edenton (ARS-1)
repaired the damage and the warship passed through the Straits of Gibraltar
on the 7 June. Tattnall refueled in the Azores and Bermuda, then returned to
Mayport on the 18th for a month of upkeep.
On 20 July 1981, Tattnall got underway for the ten-day NATO fleet exercise
"Ocean Venture" that included large battle group exercises and an
opportunity for the guided-missile destoyer to utilize her various weapon
systems. After removal of weapons at Charleston, South Carolina (31 July-4
August), the ship returned to Mayport on 7 August to prepare for a 15-month
overhaul. When Tattnall departed her homeport on the 26th, the Mk 68 Gun Fire
Control System, the MK 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes, the ASROC launcher,
SPG-51 missile fire control radar, the WLR-1 over-the-horizon threat
detection radar, and the ULQ-6B electronic countermeasures system had all
been removed. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, the warship received a warm
welcome from city leaders and hosted 15,000 visitors on 29 and 30 August
before she arrived in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on the last day of the
month. On 9 September, Tattnall moved into dry dock and the crew moved to
barracks ship APL-54 for the duration of an overhaul the included
installation of the Harpoon anti-ship missile system and the Naval Tactical
Data System (NTDS).
After completion of her sea trials, Tattnall set sail from Philadelphia Naval
Shipyard one day ahead of her scheduled 28 November 1982 departure date. She
returned to Mayport on 3 December where she began planning and preparation
for refresher training. In early April 1983, she tested her weapons systems
during trials in Port Everglades and her ASW systems at the AUTEC range in
the Bahamas. The guided-missile destroyer conducted missile qualification
training at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and naval gunfire support
qualification at Vieques enroute to refresher training at Guantanamo. Due to
engineering problems Tattnall returned to mayport for two weeks of boiler
repairs then returned to Cuba in late June to complete her training. She
returned to Mayport in mid-July to prepare for her upcoming deployment.
Following a dependents cruise on 23 September 1983, the warship departed
Mayport for the Mediterranean Sea on the 29th. Tattnall visited Recife and
Salvador, Brazil then joined John F. Kennedy battle group for the passage
across the Atlantic. The guided-missile destroyers original schedule called
for two months in the Indian Ocean following operations in the Mediterranean,
however, resurgent violence in Lebanon between Christian and Druze militia
followed by the killing of 241 U.S. Marines in the suicide bombing of the
Marine barracks in Beirut on 23 October prompted a high-speed transit to the
eastern Mediterranean after she changed to 6th Fleet control on the 28th. For
the two and half months after her arrival off Beirut on 3 November, Tattnall
supported the U.S. Multinational Force, occasionally putting in at Haifa,
Israel for repairs, rest, and replenishment. On 13, 18, and 19 December, the
warship fire her 5-inch guns on Syrian anti-aircraft positions and claimed
the destruction of her two assigned targets on the 13th. On 24 January 1984,
a fire erupted that required ther assistance of Claude V. Ricketts,
patrolling nearby. Tattnall lost all anit-aircraft capability and was
handicapped in her ability to fire Harpoon missiles, and so set sail for
Naples, Italy to assess the damage. Afterwards the guided-missile destroyer
steamed home for extensive repairs, arriving in Mayport on 24 February.
Though she devoted most of her time to repair of fire damage and scheduled
repairs to the engineering plant, Tattnall did manage to get underway for
training from 4-7 June and host the Federal Republic of Germany (West German)
destroyer Molders (D-186) in August. In October, an unforseen problem with
one of her main engines kept her pierside for a month while General Electric
techincal representatives and the ship's crew madfe repairs. Following a sea
trial in November, Tattnall loaded weapons at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station
and returned to Mayport until February 1985 for a limited availability for
boiler maintenance, to test her combat systems, and conduct major engineering
repairs.
She put to the sea off Jacksonville the first two weeks of February 1985 to
test her combat and fire control systems. An availability at Mayport for
further maintenance and repair followed until 15 March when Tattnall departed
for six weeks of refresher training at Guantamo Bay. Shortly before leaving
Guantanmo Bay, the guided-missile destroyer responded to a call for help from
Coral Sea (CV-43) following her collision with an Ecuadoran tanker, but the
aircraft carrier managed to get underway without assistance. In early May,
Tattnall returned to Mayport for a brief maintenance availability prior to
sailing to Mobile, Alabama to help celebrate the opening of the
Tennesee-Tombigbee Waterway. Thousands of Mobile residents and tourists
visited the ship during the early June event . Three weeks of combat system
qualification off Puerto Rico preceded a maintenance and repair avaiolability
in July. During this period, Tattnall hosted the frigate HMS Brilliant
(F-90). On 13 August, she sailed to Puerto Rico to participate in three weeks
of fleet readiness exercises. In September, she returned to Mayport to
prepare for her upcoming deployment to the Persian Gulf.
On 7 October 1985, Tattnall set sail in company with Conolly (DD-979),
Gallery (FFG-26), and Boone (FFG-28). Following brief stops at Bermuda, Rota,
and Palma de Mallorca, the guided-missile destroyer transited the Suez Canal
in late October. In the first week of November, Tattnall relieved Lynde
McCormick (DDG-8) in the Persian Gulf and then entered Bahrain for upkeep,
supplies and briefings. In the the Persian Gulf, she operated on a radar patrol
station in concert with Air Force E3A AWACS based in Saudi Arabia until
January. During that time, the warship also spent Christmas liberty in Al
Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, made several port visits to Dubai, and conducted a
"passing exercise" that test the guided-missile destroyers ability
to communitcate with units of the Royal Saudi Navy.
On 24 January 1986, Tattnall sailed to the Gulf of Oman for escort operations
then returned to the Persian Gulf for further surveillance operations in the
first week of February. On 8 February, Tattnall visited Katrachi, Pakistan
for a brief port visit prior to conducting a "passing exercise"
with units of the Pakistani Navy in the north Arabian Sea. The guided-missile
cruiser conducted more surveillance operations in the Arabian Sea and Persian
Gulf enroute to Bahrain where the ship enjoyed a five-day port visit prior to
moving to a training achorage on the 22nd to practice enginneering and damage
control exercises. On 3 March, Tattnall departed Bahrain and continued surveillance
operations in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea until she transited
the Suez Canal on the 17th. During that time, Luce (DDG-38) relieved her of
duties with Middle East Force on the 7th in the western patrol area of the
Gulf of Oman. Following six days of Mediterranean operations, the ship
visited Barcelona (22-25th), Rota (26th) prior to reaching Mayport on 8
April.
After a four-week standdown, Tattnall devoted most of the remainder of the
year to maintenance and upkeep. On 18 May, the warship embarked Commander,
DESRON 12. She twice got underway in June for engineering training and on 8
July conducted three days of sea trials off Jacksonville. On 11 September,
the ship held a dependent's cruise a day ahead of commencing an extended maintenance
availability. On 18 December, the SPS-40 radar suffered damage when it
rotated into span wire rigged for holiday lighting. Although a 23 December
fast cruise concluded her availabilty, the need for a significant amount of
work on her underwater hull led to the guided-missile destroyer being towed
to Jacksonville Shipyard on 13 January 1987 for three months in drydock. On 9
April, Tattnall left drydock and entered Mayport under tow the following day.
The ship occupied herself with inspections, sea trials, and a visit to
Jacksonville as part of the "Say No to Drugs" program ahead of her
5 June departure for refresher training at Guatanamo Bay.
After a five weeks of training in West Indies waters (9 June-16 July), she
visited Bahamas for two days before returning to Mayport on the 21 July 1987.
Mobile Training Team from Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
(ComNavSurfLant) arrived on the 27th and the ship completed a routine test
and inspection the following month before getting underway for a fleet
exercise on 21 August. Before the exercise concluded on 4 September, the
warship had participated in a successful missile firing as well as naval
gunfire support exercises off Puerto Rico. The guided-missile destroyer made
a port Honduras (7-8 Sept.) before she put into Mayport on the 13th for a
maintenance availability. The ship conducted inspections and training,
including an inspection by Commander, DESRON 12, before she completed her
availability in early December. Following sea trials (7-11 December), the
warship returned to Mayport for holiday leave and upkeep.
On 11 January 1988, Tattnall got underway with Luce for fleet exercises with
a dual-carrier battle group in the Puerto Rican operations area. The
guided-missile destroyer then returned to Mayport on the 26th to prepare for
her Mediterranean deployment. On 29 February, Tattnall, in company with Luce
and Vreeland, commenced a busy passage across the Atlantic. The warship
conducted training with a carrier battle group until she detached with Dwight
D. Eisenhower to steam independently to the Mediterranean. After the pair
transited the Strait of Gibraltar on 11 March, Tattnall relieved Claude V.
Ricketts on the evening of the 15th. In addition to battle group training and
operations, she visited Palma (18-25 March), Genoa, Italy (29 March-5 April)
and Villefranche, France (11-15 April) before the battle group moved to a
training anchorage at Augusta Bay, Sicily (18-24 April). The warship visited
Taranto, Italy (26-29 April) then refueled in Turkey on 1 May in advance of
the NATO exercise "Dragon Hammer". After five days of upkeep in
Sicily, Tattnall paused at Antalya Turkey (23-26 May) and Haifa (29 May-3
June) prior to transiting the Dardenelles to Golcuk, Turkey (6-20 June). After
two weeks of availability and upkeep, she got underway for the Black Sea, via
the Bosporus, where a Soviet ship escorted her to Constanta, Romania (21-24
June). Tattnall briefly stopped at Antalya (28-30 June) before entering Haifa
for a two week visit interrupted by local exercises from 12 to 14 July. The
ship visited Cannes (26 July-1 August) and MacDonough (DDG-39) relieved
Tattnall on 14 August during two weeks of upkeep at Gibraltar (4-18 August).
The warship returned to Mayport on the 29th and began preparations for the
upcoming Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV).
After a fast cruise on the 28th, Tattnall visited Wilmington (30 Sptember-3
October) then sailed to Port Everglade for Navy Appreciation Week (7-15
October). The warship sailed to the Virginia Capes for tracking and live
firing exercises on the 18th and 19th then returned to Mayport two days
later. After the guided-missile destroyer received a satisfactory report from
the INSURV conducted 14 to 18 November she conducted an intermediate avaialbility
on the 21st.
On 19 January 1989, Tattnall entered drydock for work on her boilers and
painting her hull among other upkeep. After sea trial, an availability and a
visit to Charleston to load weapons, she returned to Maypot on 19 May. On 19
June, the warship embarked Commander DESRON 12 for Type Commanders Core
Training with other ships in the squadron. Following visits to Fort
Lauderdale and Freeport, Bahamas she returned to Mayport for Independence Day
festivities. On 19 July, Tattnall departed for refresher training at
Guatanamo Bay. With a Coast Guard detachment embarked, the guided-missile
destroyer interdicted a small Haitian sailing vessel with 150 refugees bound
for United States. After the Coast Guard evacuated the passengers, Tattnall
sank the vessel to eliminate a hazard to navigation. She visited Ocho Rios,
Jamaica, and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico before returning to Mayport. In
early August, Tattnall participated in missile firing exercises off the
Virginia Capes. On 29 August, the warship got underway for fleet exercises
then returned to Mayport for an availability on 18 September. In October, the
warships visited Fort Lauderdale and Tampa and she sailed to the AUTEC range
for ASW training from 11 to 14 December.
On 21 January 1990, Tattnall got underway for three weeks of fleet exercises
then returned to Mayport on 15 February to prepare for her overseas
deployment. On 8 March, the warship departed Mayport and joined the Dwight D.
Eisenhower battle group enroute to the Mediterranean. On the 20th, she joined
6th Fleet and participated in "National Week" exercises before
conducting turnover at Ausgusta Bay, Sicily. After enjoying an availability
alongside Sierra (AD-18) in Naples until 17 April, the warship put into
Trieste on the 19th to join vessels from several other NATO countries to form
Naval on Call Forces Mediterranean (NAVOCFORMED). The warships conducted
joint operations, including NATO operation "Dragon Hammer" as well
as port visits to Cagliari, Barcelona, Marseille and Naples. The next couple
of months included five French port visits, two visits to ports of call in
Algeria, and one in Tunisia. In Algiers, Tattnall hosted a reception for
diplomatic representatives from around the world. After another availability
alongside Sierra, this time in Mallorca, the warship visted Toulon (26 July-1
August) then sailed to the eastern Mediterranean for Operation "Flashing
Scimitar". When Iraq invaded Kuwait on 19 August, Tattnall transited the
Suez Canal into the Red Sea to support of Desert Shield.
Having been deployed in theater since March, and in any case scheduled for
deactivation, Tattnall was relieved without turnover by Sampson (DDG-10) a
week later and she returned to Mayport on 8 September for three weeks of
leave and upkeep. The ship visited Fort Lauderdale for Fleet Appreciation
Week in mid-October then reurned to Mayport to prepare for decommissioning.
Tattnall was placed out of commission on 18 January 1991, struck from the
Navy list on 12 January 1993 and stored at the Inactive Ships Maintenance
Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The old destroyer was sold for
scrapping to International Shipbreaking Ltd., Brownsville, Texas, on 10
February 1999, towed to Brownsville by salvage tug Elsbeth III starting 18
March 1999 and dismantled at Brownsville between 12 April 1999 and 22 March
2000.
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