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USS Chandler (DDG 996)

- formerly Iranian ANDUSHIRVAN -
- decommissioned -



USS CHANDLER was the fourth and last KIDD class guided missile destroyer. Originally built for Iran, the ship was first named ANDUSHIRVAN, but after the destroyer’s takeover by the U.S. Navy the ship was renamed CHANDLER. In 2005, the CHANDLER was transfered to Taiwan where she was recommissioned as MA-KONG.

General Characteristics:Keel Laid: May 7, 1979
Christened: June 28, 1980
Commissioned: March 13, 1982
Decommissioned: 1999
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: 31,5 feet (9.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 9,500 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Aircraft: two SH-2 helicopters (LAMPS I) or one SH-3 helicopter
Armament: two Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns, two Mk 26 launchers for Standard missiles, Harpoon missile launchers, Mk 46 torpedoes (two triple tube mounts), two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, one Mk 112 launcher for ASROC
Crew: 31 officers, 332 enlisted


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Crew List:

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


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USS CHANDLER Cruise Books:


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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Navy. The wavy Chevron, compass rose and pheons symbolize the northward sweep through the Philippines, in which Rear Admiral Theodore Edson Chandler participated. The convex cross represents the Navy Cross, which was awarded to the Admiral for extraordinary heroism at Lingayen Gulf. The pheons and compass rose also denote the guided missile striking capabilities of a KIDD - class guided missile destroyer.

The Crest:

The rampant demi-lion, a symbol of courage and fighting spirit represents Admiral Chandler's extraordinary heroism. The fountain signifies Lingayen Gulf. The wall and flames represent the fiery bridge of the flagship USS LOUISVILLE from which Admiral Chandler continued to command even after suffering a direct hit from a kamikaze bomber.

The Motto:

"AD MORTEM FIDELIS" is the CHANDLER family motto. The translation "FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH" aptly describes Rear Admiral Chandler's heroism and devotion to duty in giving his life to save his ship.


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History of USS CHANDLER:

USS CHANDLER is the third ship of the fleet to bear this name and the fourth and final ship of the powerful KIDD-class (DDG 993) guided missile destroyers. CHANDLER and its sister ships of the class were originally placed on order by the government of Iran in the mid-1970's. The orders were later canceled and the four ships were acquired by the United States government in 1979. The ship was named "CHANDLER" in honor of Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler, USN, who died as a result of wounds received in combat aboard his flagship USS LOUISVILLE (CA 28) on 6 January 1945.

In January 1984, CHANDLER made its first western Pacific deployment as a member of Battle Group BRAVO, returning to San Diego in August. In January 1985, CHANDLER joined the "Rampant Lions" of Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-ONE. The destroyer's second western Pacific deployment commenced on 17 March 1986, during which CHANDLER spent two months in the Arabian gulf as a member of the U. S. Navy's Middle East Force. CHANDLER returned to San Diego on 9 September 1986. For the competitive cycle ending 30 June 1986, CHANDLER was the winner of the squadron's Battle Efficiency competition.

On 16 April 1988, CHANDLER completed its third deployment to the western Pacific, including three and one-half months assigned to the Middle East Force in the Arabian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq war. During this time, CHANDLER served as the flagship for COMDESRON TWENTY-THREE and supported several U. S. flagged tanker convoys. CHANDLER and Sea Snake 23 of HSL THIRTY-THREE Detachment SIX received the Navy Humanitarian Service Medal for the dramatic December 1987 rescue of 41 crew members of the burning Cypriot supertanker PIVOT, a victim of an Iranian attack.

Following the installation of the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) at Todd Shipyard in Seattle and a year of intensive preparations, CHANDLER deployed in October 1991 to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation DESERT STORM. While in theater, CHANDLER conducted a record 14 transits of the Strait of Hormuz while escorting U. S. and allied shipping. Additionally, CHANDLER coordinated and participated in the first bilateral exercise with the Kuwaiti Navy.

CHANDLER earned the Battle Efficiency award for the competitive cycle ending in December 1992. CHANDLER's most recent deployment began in July of 1993. Primarily operating as picket ship for the ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) battle group in support of OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH, CHANDLER provided air defense for friendly forces in the Arabian Gulf and controlled CAP aircraft enforcing the "no-fly zone" over southern Iraq. In response to contingency tasking in October 1993, CHANDLER, in company with ABRAHAM LINCOLN, conducted a no-notice thirty-knot transit directly from the northern Arabian Gulf to Somalia. Operating within visual range of the Mogadishu airport for nearly a month, CHANDLER and its embarked air controllers provided sole air traffic separation services in Somalia for humanitarian flights that were bringing supplies for the U. S. and U. N. forces ashore. CHANDLER finished the deployment in the Arabian Gulf, supporting U. N. sanctions against Iraq. CHANDLER was the first U. S. ship in recent history to successfully conduct Maritime intercepts and vessel boardings immediately off the coast of Iraq.



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USS CHANDLER Patch Gallery:

SOUTHPAC '98/'99 HSL Detachment


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