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USS Deyo (DD 989)

- decommissioned -
- sunk as a target -


USS DEYO was the 27th SPRUANCE - class destroyer and the first ship to be named in honor to Vice Admiral Deyo. The DEYO was last homeported in Norfolk, Va. Stricken from the Navy list on April 6, 2003, the DEYO was finally sunk as a target on August 25, 2005 in the Atlantic.

General Characteristics:Keel Laid: October 14, 1977
Launched: March 31, 1979
Christened: March 31, 1979
Commissioned: March 22, 1980
Decommissioned: November 6, 2003
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss.
Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
Propellers: two
Blades on each Propeller: five
Length: 564,3 feet (172 meters)
Beam: 55,1 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft: 28,9 feet (8.8 meters)
Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Aircraft: two SH-60B Seahawk (LAMPS 3)
Armament: two Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns, one Mk 41 VLS for Tomahawk, ASROC and Standard missiles, Mk 46 torpedoes (two triple tube mounts), Harpoon missile launchers, one Sea Sparrow launcher, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS
Crew: approx. 340


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Crew List:

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


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USS DEYO Cruise Books:


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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The divisions, colors and elements of the shield represent Vice Admiral Morton Lyndholm Deyo through his place of birth and naval career. The wavy bars simulate water and refer to the Indian name, "The reed covered lodge by the little water place," for Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was born on 1 July 1887. Red, white and blue, the US national colors, are also a common denominator, for it was in Poughkeepsie in July 1788 that the Constitution of the United States was ratified by the state of New York.

The three stars and colors of blue and gold represent his Navy tenure and the highest rank he achieved. The three stars also denote the three decorations awarded to Admiral Deyo: The Distinguished Service Medal (Navy), and the Legion of Merit with Gold Star. The arrowheads refer to his destroyer service during World War I and his support of assault landings in Europe and Asia during World War II. The arrowheads further allude to the awesome striking power and sophisticated weaponry of modern destroyers. The trident is emblematic of mastery of the seas, and with the globe, refers to Admiral Deyo's experience in Naval strategy in peace and time of war. The fiery "U" commemorates Admiral Deyo's Force "U" during the amphibious invasion of the enemy-held coast in northern and southern France.


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USS DEYO in the News:


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History of USS DEYO:

Since commissioning, DEYO has played a major role in operations in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and the Persian Gulf. The ship's first major deployment was in May 1981, when DEYO was ordered to the Persian Gulf in response to rising tensions in the Middle East.

DEYO received the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Sea Service Deployment award for this deployment. USS DEYO deployed again to the Persian Gulf in May 1983, and was awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. DEYO has been an active player in numerous JCS special operations in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, where she received a second Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.

In October 1984, DEYO participated in Operation WAGONWHEEL, a joint Navy/Coast Guard drug interdiction operation where DEYO earned the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation.

In March 1985, DEYO earned the coveted Battle Efficiency "E" as top destroyer in Destroyer Squadron Six. Earlier that year, she underwent her first regular overhaul for 15 months in Portland, Maine, where she was fitted with a series of new weapons, including the Tomahawk cruise missile system. Following overhaul, DEYO returned to her homeport of Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1986.

In July 1987, DEYO deployed with the USS IOWA Battleship Battle Group to the Mediterranean, North Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean, where she earned her first Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

USS DEYO deployed once again in July 1989 to the Persian Gulf, where she participated in tanker escort duties as part of Operation EARNEST WILL, earning her second Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. In August 1990, DEYO conducted counter-drug operations in the Caribbean for which she was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.

In December 1990, DEYO prepared for deployment in March 1991 with USS FORRESTAL in support of Operation DESERT STORM. When Persian Gulf hostilities ended, DEYO's deployment was delayed until May 30, 1991, as part of the MED 3-91 carrier battlegroup with USS FORRESTAL.

During MED 3-91, DEYO operated with FORRESTAL in the Eastern Mediterranean in support of the Kurdish relief effort Operation PROVIDE COMFORT, for which DEYO was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal. Other operations include the large-scale NATO exercise "Display Determination '91" and several smaller exercises. In December 1991, DEYO escorted the Soviet aircraft carrier KUZNETSOV as it transited through the Mediterranean on her way to the Northern Fleet. DEYO returned from deployment on December 2l, 1991.

DEYO participated in three counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific during 1992, and as a result, earned a second Joint Meritorious Unit Award.

In the summer of 1993, DEYO deployed to the Balic Sea and served as flagship for the exercise commander of BALTOPS '93.

During MED 2-94, DEYO deployed with the GEORGE WASHINGTON carrier battlegroup under the command of CRUISER-DESTROYER GROUP TWO. While deployed, she supported NATO Operation SHARP GUARD in the Adriatic Sea, earning the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. DEYO went on to earn her second Battle Efficiency "E" award as top destroyer in DESTROYER SQUADRON FOUR.

In February 1995, DEYO once again transited the Atlantic, this time to support Exercise STRONG RESOLVE, a multinational amphibious exercise in the Fjords of Norway. For five days DEYO hosted thousands of Oslo natives on board. In May 1995, DEYO supported Submarine Prospective Commanding Officer Operations. An intense 3 days followed, as DEYO executed developmental torpedo evasion tactics. On 22 May 1995, DEYO was welcomed to Norfolk, Virginia, her new homeport.

DEYO concluded her underway time for 1995, prior to entering regular overhaul, conducting counter-drug operations in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. In September 1995, DEYO entered the shipyard at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for a 13 month regular overhaul. During this overhaul DEYO received the Vertical Launching System and SQQ-89 sonar suite upgrade making her a greater Strike and ASW capable platform.

After completing the overhaul in November 1996, DEYO commenced preparations for the 1998 deployment. In March 1997, she participated as the opposing force during JTFEX 97-2. In May 1997, she commenced a two month cruise which included NATO exercise "MARCOT 1/97", New York City Fleet Week and Boston Harborfest. She completed the basic phase of training in November 1997 with a successful Final Evaluation Problem. DEYO commenced battlegroup operations in February 1998 by completing COMPTUEX 98-2.

USS DEYO deployed for the Mediterranean Sea on 10 June 1998 and while on deployment became the first American ship to serve as flagship for Standing Naval Force Mediteranean (SNFM) under RADM David M. Stone, COMSTANAVFORMED. In doing so, USS DEYO earned her third Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award. While deployed, she supported NATO SFOR operations and exercises, DETERMINED FORGE, DYNAMIC MIX, and DOGU AKDENIZ. In November 1998, DEYO turned over SNFM duties to USS THORN and headed west to arrive in homeport on 10 December 1998.

Since USS DEYO’s return from deployment, the ship completed a 3-month Selected Restricted Availability.

USS DEYO, took part in the Fleet Battle Experiment Hotel (FBE-H) which was conducted by units of the 2nd Fleet and personnel of the Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) from August 28 to September 12, 2000 off the Virginia Capes and in the Gulf of Mexico. This was the eighth in a series of fleet battle experiments designed to evaluate new naval warfare concepts and technological capabilities. Under U.S. Joint Forces Command's overarching experiment, "Millennium Challenge 00," FBE-H ran concurrently with the U.S. Army's Joint Contingency Force Advanced Warfighting Experiment, the U.S. Air Force Joint Contingency Force Experiment 2000 and the U.S. Marine Corps' Millennium Dragon.

The focus of FBE-H was the application of network centric operations in gaining and sustaining access in support of follow on joint operations. Access denial was expected to be the focus of any potential adversary's strategy. Specifically, FBE-H further developed NWDC's draft Access Concept entitled "Poseidon's Presence". In addition, the NATO exercise "Unified Spirit" ran concurrently with the JTFEX, with forces from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom playing major roles.

USS DEYO deployed in December 2000 as part of the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN Aircraft Carrier Battle Group (CVBG). This was the TRUMAN's maiden deployment. The entire battle group trained for the previous eight months in preparation for this deployment through a series of increasingly demanding exercises and operations. These pre-deployment exercises culminated in October with the successful completion of Joint Task Force Exercise 01-1 and NATO Exercise Unified Spirit 2000. The deployment included extensive operations in the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean and primarily the Persian Gulf. While operating in the Persian Gulf, the HARRY S. TRUMAN Battle Group enforced United Nations sanctions against Iraq by diverting 22 vessels with more than $5 million of suspected contraband cargo. Throughout the deployment, the battle group also participated in numerous international exercises, including Arabian Gauntlet, an 11-nation exercise that involved more than 20 ships. Additionally, U.S. Sailors worked with military forces from Oman, Jordan, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, improving interoperability and strengthening relationships with those countries. USS DEYO returned home in late May 2001.

On December 5, 2002, DEYO - again assigned to the HARRY S. TRUMAN Battle Group - left on her final deployment. She participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was one of the first ships to fire Tomahawk missiles on Iraqi targets. On May 23, 2003, the DEYO returned home to Norfolk and began preparations for her decommissioning.

USS DEYO was decommissioned on November 6, 2003, during a ceremony conducted in her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

USS DEYO was last assigned to DESTROYER SQUADRON TWO in her homeport of Norfolk, VA.


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Accidents aboard USS DEYO:

DateWhereEvents
1990unknown
USS DEYO suffers a fire in the #3 waste heat boiler room. Exhaust gas leaking from the boiler casing melted the fuel oil head tank sight glass causing fuel to spill onto the deck and ignite. There were no casualties or injuries reported as a result.
June 1996Newport News Shipbuilding, Va.
USS DEYO was hit by USNS GILLILAND (T-AKR 298). GILLILAND was under conversion and broke loose in 40mph winds from a Newport News Shipbuilding Pier. No information about the damage aboard DEYO.


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About the Ship’s Name, about Vice Admiral Morton L. Deyo:

USS DEYO is named in honor of Vice Admiral Morton L. Deyo, U.S. Navy (1887-1973), a veteran destroyerman and distinguished naval gunfire support task force commander of World War II.

A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, he served with distinction in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. In the Atlantic, he commanded the destroyers which provided the first American escort assistance to allied convoys to England just prior to Pearl Harbor. He later proved himself a master of naval gunfire support at Utah Beach in the Normandy invasion as well as during the invasion of Southern France. Admiral Deyo's crowning achievement in the Pacific was command of gunfire and covering force for the assault and occupation of Okinawa.

Following the war, he directed the landing of occupational forces in Northern Japan. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with Gold Star.


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USS DEYO Patch Gallery:

MED 1991


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The photo below was taken by Karl-Heinz Ahles and show USS DEYO at Norfolk, Va, on May 11, 1999.



The photos below were taken by Brian Barton. The photo on the left was taken from the stern of USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD 968) and shows DEYO at Norfolk in May 2002. The other photos were taken on July 23, 2002, and also show DEYO at Naval Base Norfolk.



The two photos below were taken by FCC(SW/AW) Dan Hess and show war shots in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during DEYO's final deployment 2002-2003.




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