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USS Hull (DD 945)

USS HULL was one of the FORREST SHERMAN - class destroyers and the fifth ship in the Navy named after Commodore Isaac Hull. In the mid-1970s, the USS HULL was the Navy's test platform for the Mk-71 8-inch gun. The Mk-71 gun project was later cancelled. Decommissioned on July 11, 1983, and stricken from the Navy list on October 15, 1983, the USS HULL was finally disposed of as a target on April 7, 1998, off the coast of southern California at 032° 35' 00.9" North, 120° 32' 00.3" West.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS HULL. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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Accidents aboard USS HULL:

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About the Ship's Name:

Isaac Hull was born in Derby, Connecticut, on 9 March 1773. Early in life he joined his father, a mariner, on local voyages and longer trips to the West Indies. During the mid-1790s Hull commanded several merchant vessels, losing some to French privateers. He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the new United States Navy in March 1798 and distinguished himself during the next two years while serving on board the frigate CONSTITUTION in the undeclared war with France. When troubles with the Barbary powers heated up in 1802 he went to the Mediterranean as First Lieutenant of the frigate ADAMS. Hull later commanded the schooner ENTERPRISE and the brig ARGUS, receiving promotion to the rank of Master Commandant in 1804 and to Captain in 1806. During the next few years he supervised the construction of gunboats and in 1809 and 1810 was successively given command of the frigates, CHESAPEAKE, PRESIDENT and CONSTITUTION.

Captain Hull's time on CONSTITUTION was eventful. He took the ship on a European cruise in 1811-12, returning home before the War of 1812 broke out between the United States and Great Britain. An enemy squadron closely pursued his ship off the East Coast in July, but Hull skillfully evaded them. On 19 August 1812, CONSTITUTION encountered the British frigate GUERRIERE at sea and pounded her to a wreck in an action that electrified the Nation and demonstrated that the small U.S. Navy was a worthy and dangerous opponent for Britain's otherwise overwhelming maritime might.

Isaac Hull commanded the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine, for the rest of the War of 1812, then briefly served on the Board of Navy Commissioners in Washington before taking over leadership of the Boston Navy Yard. During 1823-1827 he commanded the U.S. squadron operating along South America's Pacific coast. Commodore Hull's next assignment, as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, ran from 1829 until 1835. Between 1839 and 1841 he commanded the Mediterranean Squadron. Rendered unfit for further service by age and ill health, he spend the next two years on leave. Commodore Isaac Hull died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 13 February 1843.

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History of USS HULL:

USS HULL was launched by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 10 August 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Albert G. Mumma; and commissioned 3 July 1958, Commander H. H. Ries in command.

HULL conducted her shakedown training in New England waters, steaming out of Newport 7 September 1958 to join the Pacific Fleet at San Diego. Arriving 13 October via the Panama Canal, she took part in fleet training exercises until departing for the Far East 15 April 1959. During this cruise she operated with the mighty 7th Fleet on Formosa Patrol, helping express America's determination to protect the island and maintain peace in the area. She returned to San Diego 3 September 1959 and after training operations sailed again for the Far East 7 July 1960. On this cruise she added hunter-killer group training to regular Formosa Patrol. HULL stopped at various ports in the region before returning to San Diego 26 November 1960.

The destroyer engaged in readiness exercises during January-August 1961, departing 31 August for another deployment to the strategic Far East. She operated off Formosa and in the South China sea, expressing American protection of the Southeast Asian countries in the fight against Communism. After fleet operations in Hawaiian waters she arrived San Diego 14 February 1962.

As the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba precipitated another Cold War crisis, HULL sailed from San Diego 28 October 1962 to escort amphibious forces to the Canal Zone to strengthen American defenses and show her determination to resist incursion in the Western Hemisphere. As the crisis abated, HULL returned to her regular operations out of San Diego. She sailed once more for the Far East 17 October 1963, operating out of Subic Bay through December until returning to San Diego 16 April 1964. HULL operated on the West Coast until getting underway for the Orient 27 April 1965. During the deployment, she made three patrols off Vietnam. On 16 July she rescued an American flyer who had splashed in the Gulf of Tonkin. On 29 August she effectively shelled enemy strong points near Chu Lai. The veteran destroyer returned to San Diego 10 November.

Hull departed San Diego 18 January 1966 for the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and an overhaul until 26 April. From 12 to 22 July she participated in Exercise "Belaying Pin" off San Diego. Then on 17 August HULL departed San Diego for a 6-month WestPac deployment. She was the flagship of Commander Task Unit 70.8.9 for three 30-day patrols off South Vietnam. Between patrols the destroyer visited Kaoshiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong; Chin-hae, Korea; and Sasebo, Japan. The third war patrol began 21 December and ended 16 January 1967. HULL returned to San Diego in late January and resumed post-deployment upkeep and type training, cycling through gunnery, engineering, and antisubmarine certifications through mid-1967. During the latter part of 1967 she re-entered WESTPAC workups and forward movement, and by early 1968 she was back in Seventh Fleet operations for Vietnam service.

On 17 February 1968, HULL lay at anchor off Nha Trang, ship's boats went ashore that day for official purposes, a documented indicator of close coastal employment during this deployment. Through the first half of 1968, she rotated among the standard destroyer tasks of the theater: naval gunfire support for allied forces ashore along the I Corps coastline, plane-guard and screen duty for fast carriers operating on YANKEE STATION in the Gulf of Tonkin, search-and-rescue picket assignments, and coastal surveillance and interdiction in concert with Seventh Fleet task groups. She completed the cruise and returned to the Pacific coast in the latter half of 1968 for maintenance and a short training cycle before the next deployment.

HULL began another WESTPAC tour in early 1969 and spent the first seven months of the year in the combat zone, again dividing time between the gunline and carrier screening. After a brief stateside turnaround she redeployed in the summer of 1969 and remained forward into February 1970, marking back-to-back Vietnam rotations across 1969-1970. Throughout these tours, she executed sustained five-inch gunfire missions in support of allied units ashore, stood radar picket and SAR stations as tasking required, and conducted presence patrols and logistics shuttles typical of destroyer operations in the region.

Following stateside maintenance and training across 1970, HULL returned to WESTPAC in 1971 (spring through early autumn). She again alternated NGFS periods on the gunline with carrier screen duty and SAR coverage in the Gulf of Tonkin, concluding the deployment in late September 1971. After a short stateside interval, HULL went forward again during 1972 as U.S. naval operations surged in response to the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive and the LINEBACKER campaign. On 17 July 1972, while operating off the North Vietnamese coast in company with the destroyer WARRINGTON (DD 843) and the guided-missile destroyer ROBISON (DDG 12), WARRINGTON suffered two underwater explosions close aboard to port. HULL maneuvered to assist, delivering personnel, pumps, shoring, and support to stabilize the casualty before other auxiliaries took WARRINGTON in tow for Subic Bay. HULL then resumed tasking with 7th Fleet surface and carrier groups during the remainder of the summer campaign before standing down at the end of her 1972 deployment.

In 1973, HULL made her eleventh WESTPAC deployment, operating with Seventh Fleet as direct U.S. combat activity ended and the theater shifted to maritime presence, screening, and contingency readiness. She returned to the United States late that year to prepare for major modifications.

From 1974 into early 1975, HULL entered a lengthy shipyard availability in Southern California to install the prototype 8-inch/55 caliber Mk 71 Major Caliber Lightweight Gun in place of her forward 5-inch/54 mount. Initial at-sea firing trials began in April 1975 off the Southern California operating areas, with extensive instrumented shoots and evaluation. On 15 September 1975, HULL departed Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach to conduct additional sea trials of the Mk 71 mount. Through the remainder of 1975 and into 1976, she continued a structured series of tests and fleet-representative firings to characterize accuracy, rate of fire, reliability, and ship-integration factors.

HULL carried the Mk 71 on a full WESTPAC deployment in 1976-1977, operating with Seventh Fleet while continuing developmental and operational evaluation of the 8-inch system under real afloat conditions alongside routine destroyer duties. Between deployments, she conducted stateside training and upkeep before embarking on a further WESTPAC in 1978, again with the Mk 71 embarked and exercised in service use. Late in 1978, the Navy terminated the Mk 71 program. HULL retained the prototype weapon into 1979, then entered overhaul during 1979-1980 to remove the 8-inch mount and restore her original all-gun configuration with three 5-inch/54 mounts.

After the shipyard period, HULL returned to fleet operations. From February to September 1981, she served again in Asian waters with Seventh Fleet, executing the usual rotation of screening, exercises, and presence operations. In September 1982, she began her final deployment. Routing to the Western Pacific via Alaska, HULL rescued five Vietnamese refugees at sea in October 1982 during her east-to-west transit, then continued on to join the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea operating areas as part of a battle group built around the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ENTERPRISE (CVN 65). She concluded the deployment in the spring of 1983 and returned to the West Coast.

HULL commenced inactivation on return. She was decommissioned at San Diego on 11 July 1983 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 October 1983. Retained for weapons-effects and tactics testing, the former destroyer was sunk as a target on 7 April 1998 in deep water off Southern California after a multi-weapon exercise sequence, ending four decades of service.

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