Guided Missile Frigate
FFG 46 - USS Rentz
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Frigate; Oliver Hazard Perry - class (long hull) planned and built as FFG 46
Builder:		Todd Pacific Shipyard, San Pedro, California, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: April 28, 1980 Laid down: September 18, 1982 Launched: July 16, 1983 Commissioned: June 30, 1984 ACTIVE UNIT/ in commission (Pacific Fleet)
Homeport:		San Diego, California, USA
Namesake:		Named after and in honor of Commander George Snavely Rentz (1882 - 1942) > see history, below;
Ship's Motto:		DREAD NOUGHT
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO > Oliver Hazard Perry - class Guided Missile Frigate
ship images
George Snavely Rentz
Namesake & History:
Commander George Snavely Rentz (July 25, 1882 – March 1, 1942):
Born on July 25, 1882 in Lebanon Pennsylvania, George Snavely Rentz, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, was obtained by Presbytery of Northumberland in 1909, and pastured churches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for eight years. Following entry of the United States in World War I, he was appointed acting chaplain with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and assigned to the 11th regiment of marines in France until 1919. He attained the rank of Commander in 1924, among his sea duty assignment; he served in USS Florida (BB-30), USS Wright (AV-1), USS West Virginia (BB-48), and USS Augusta (CA-31). In 1940, when the USS Houston (CA-30) relieved Augusta as flagship of the asiatic fleet, Commander Rentz transferred to the new arrival. It was aboard this cruiser he served so devotedly and enthusiastically, providing the ship's crew and officers with great hope and promise. During an allied attack on February 4, 1942, Houston was under severe air attack. Commander Rentz spurned cover and circulated among the crew of the anti-aircraft battery, encouraging them, it was noted by an officer that the crew members at the guns “… saw this man of god walking fearlessly among them, they no longer felt alone.” In the flores sea, during the attack Houston took a direct hit that disabled turret III and killed 48 men. Less than a month later Houston was in a the battle of Java Sea with the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth. Both ships were outnumbered by a Japanese troop convoy but they persisted in an ensuring melee of fire, causing such confusion as to have a Japanese destroyer fire a spread of torpedoes that passed the allied cruisers and caused four Japanese troopships close inshore to sink. All in all, the involvement was no match for the wounded Perth and Houston, the Japanese attack on these two cruisers caused them to sink; but they went down fighting to the last second. It was during the abandonment of Houston that Commander Rentz entered the water and attained partial safety along with the other crew members on a spare main float of the Houston's lost planes. Aware of the extreme overcrowding and dangerous overloading, he attempted to relinquish his space and his lifejacket to wounded survivors nearby, declaring “ You men are young, I have lived the major part of my life and I am willing to go,“ no one would oblige the generous, fearless chaplin. After several attempts of leaving and being brought back by his shipmates, he uplifted them with prayers and songs until, ultimately, he succeeded in placing his lifejacket near a wounded sailor who did not have one, and Commander Rentz courageously slipped away into the sea on the morning of March 1, 1942. For his selfless bravery following the loss of Houston in Sundra Strait the night, he was awarded posthumously, the Navy Cross - the only Navy Chaplain to be so honored during World War II.
USS Rentz (FFG 46):
In December, 1985, The USS Rentz moved from Long Beach, California to its current (2007) location in San Diego, California. Following initial shakedown cruises and operations, Rentz was assigned to the USS Ranger aircraft carrier group. As part of that group, the ship regularly cruised the Southern California Operations Area off the coast of San Clemente Island with a pair of fuzzy dice dangling above the ship's computerized helm. During "breakaways" after underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea, Rentz blasted the Beach Boys song "Little Deuce Coupe" as its inaugural "UNREP breakaway song." On 5 November 1986, Rentz was part of an historic visit to Qingdao China - the first US Naval visit to China since 1949. Rentz was accompanied by two other ships, the Reeves and Oldendorf. The visit was officially hosted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Previously, the USS Dixie was the last ship to moor in China, departing in 1949 when the communists forced the Americans to leave the Chinese mainland. In July 1987, Rentz was sent to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will. Her primary duties consisted of escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. "Rentz" provided missile security escort for the North Arabian Gulf Battlegroup destroyers during their transit in and out of the Straits of Hormuz en route to an operation code name "Nimble Archer" involving naval gun bombardment and SEAL Team take over of an abandoned oil rig being used by Iranian evolutionary Guards to stage attacks on Persian Gulf shipping. Rentz has been deployed to the Gulf numerous times since 1987. On November 28, 2009 while the ship was moored in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates as part of the Nimitz carrier strike group, a crewman was killed while performing repairs to the ship. According to the Navy, Petty Officer 3rd Class David M. Mudge was electrocuted while working in an auxiliary machinery space. In response to the mishap, the Navy ordered the entire fleet to inspect ship electrical enclosures.
patches
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