Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

Accidents aboard the Ship

History

About the Ship's Name

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Patterson (FF 1061)

USS PATTERSON was the 10^th ship in the KNOX - class of frigates and the third ship in the Navy named after Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson, USN. Commissioned as a destroyer escort (DE), the ship was reclassified as frigate (FF) on June 30, 1975. Decommissioned on September 30, 1991, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the PATTERSON was later sold for scrap. Scrapping was completed on June 21, 2000.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

• Click here to see which USS PATTERSON memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

back to top

go to the end of the page

Accidents aboard USS PATTERSON:

back to top

go to the end of the page

History of USS PATTERSON:

USS PATTERSON was constructed as a KNOX-class destroyer escort by Avondale Shipyards at Westwego, Louisiana. Her keel was laid on October 12, 1967, and she was launched on May 3, 1969, sponsored by Miss Laura Winslow. Following fitting out and trials in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship was commissioned at Charleston Naval Station, South Carolina, on March 14, 1970, with Commander John W. Walden as her first commanding officer.

After commissioning, USS PATTERSON joined the Atlantic Fleet. Her first home port was Newport, Rhode Island, where she was initially assigned to Escort Squadron 10. On May 1, 1970, she was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 and Destroyer Division 241. Her first months in commission were occupied by trials, crew training, correction of construction deficiencies, engineering work, weapons-system testing, and preparation for shakedown. USS PATTERSON conducted her principal shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The program tested the ability of the ship and crew to operate independently and as part of a larger naval formation. After completing shakedown, she returned to the United States for post-shakedown repairs and further preparation for operational service.

In June 1971, USS PATTERSON departed for her first overseas cruise, a deployment to northern European waters that continued through August. The voyage introduced the ship to operations in an area central to Cold War maritime planning. The North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Baltic approaches, and waters surrounding the British Isles formed important routes between Soviet naval bases and the open Atlantic. American and allied forces trained there to monitor submarine movements and to preserve the sea routes that would be needed to reinforce Europe during a major crisis.

USS PATTERSON visited Kiel, West Germany, from June 20 through June 27, 1971, during Kiel Week. The annual event combined sailing competitions, naval visits, diplomatic functions, and public access to participating ships. The visit placed USS PATTERSON near the maritime boundary between the North Atlantic alliance and the Warsaw Pact at a time when divided Germany remained one of the principal points of Cold War confrontation. The ship conducted additional operations in northern European and Atlantic waters before returning to the United States in August.

Commander John A. Byrne Jr. relieved Commander Walden on October 29, 1971. USS PATTERSON subsequently became involved in an unusual propulsion-development program when she was selected to test an experimental controllable-pitch propeller. Unlike a conventional fixed-pitch propeller, the installation allowed the angle of the blades to be changed while the shaft continued rotating. The concept offered the possibility of improved maneuverability, rapid changes between ahead and astern thrust, and more efficient operation at different speeds. Installation, modification, testing, and repair of the experimental system occupied much of 1972 and part of 1973. Work originally expected to require a comparatively short availability expanded into a prolonged engineering program as serious reliability problems developed. USS PATTERSON spent extended periods in shipyard hands and conducted repeated engineering trials whenever the system was ready for testing. The program limited her ability to undertake normal deployments during 1972, although the crew continued training and maintaining operational qualifications when the ship was available.

The experimental installation did not achieve the reliability expected for a deployed warship, but the Navy used the experience gained aboard USS PATTERSON in its continuing evaluation of controllable-pitch propulsion for later ship designs. The frigate eventually returned to regular fleet operations, although the propulsion system caused additional difficulties during a subsequent overseas deployment.

During 1973, USS PATTERSON's home port was changed from Newport to Mayport, Florida. Commander Paul R. Fournier relieved Commander Byrne on August 29, 1973. USS PATTERSON then completed additional maintenance, trials, and training in preparation for her first deployment to the Mediterranean. Commander Thomas H. Luter relieved Commander Fournier on January 4, 1974. USS PATTERSON deployed to the Mediterranean during the first half of 1974 for service with the Sixth Fleet. The deployment placed her among the American naval forces responsible for maintaining a continuous presence in southern European and eastern Mediterranean waters, monitoring Soviet naval activity, exercising with allied forces, and remaining available for regional contingencies.

The Mediterranean was one of the most active areas of American-Soviet naval contact. Soviet submarines, cruisers, destroyers, intelligence-collection ships, and support vessels operated regularly in the region, while the Sixth Fleet maintained aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, escorts, submarines, and logistics vessels. USS PATTERSON performed escort and anti-submarine duties and participated in the routine surveillance, maneuvering, communications, and replenishment work required of a deployed frigate. During the deployment, the experimental controllable-pitch propeller suffered a serious failure. USS PATTERSON subsequently underwent an extended repair period in the Athens area. The casualty interrupted her operating schedule and demonstrated that the experimental installation had not achieved the reliability required for sustained fleet service. After the necessary work had been completed, the ship resumed operations and later returned to Mayport.

A potentially serious flooding incident occurred at Mayport during the final week of April 1975. A saltwater cooling line associated with an air compressor ruptured and allowed seawater to enter the ship. The crew contained the flooding. The event was followed by inspection and repair of the affected machinery and spaces.

At the end of June 1975, USS PATTERSON was redesignated from destroyer escort DE 1061 to frigate FF 1061 as part of a Navy-wide revision of surface-ship classifications. During approximately the same period, the after portion of the ship was altered to support regular operation of the SH-2 Seasprite. The helicopter could carry radar, sonobuoys, magnetic-anomaly-detection equipment, and lightweight torpedoes, allowing the frigate to investigate submarine contacts beyond the range of her bow sonar. Additionally, PATTERSON received the Basic Point Defense Missile System, whose launcher for eight "Sea Sparrow" guided missiles was installed on her afterdeck.

Commander David R. Cox relieved Commander Luter on January 14, 1976. During the first half of 1976, USS PATTERSON deployed to the Mediterranean and operated with the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA (CV 60) and the guided-missile cruiser USS DALE (CG 19). The ships were photographed in the Adriatic Sea while proceeding toward Split, Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia occupied a distinctive geopolitical position during the Cold War. Although governed by a communist system, it remained outside the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact and played a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement. American naval visits therefore carried both operational and diplomatic significance. USS PATTERSON supported the carrier force through anti-submarine screening and general escort duties during the deployment. By August 1976, she had returned to Mayport.

The months following the cruise included maintenance, inspections, engineering work, and local training. During 1977 and the opening part of 1978, USS PATTERSON continued the cycle of upkeep and operational preparation required before another overseas assignment. Commander James G. Weber relieved Commander Cox on November 28, 1977. USS PATTERSON was documented at Mayport in February 1978 and subsequently prepared for another Mediterranean deployment. She deployed during the latter half of 1978 and remained overseas into early 1979. As on her earlier Sixth Fleet cruises, the frigate's principal responsibility was to provide anti-submarine and general escort support while remaining available for independent assignments.

USS PATTERSON returned to the United States during the opening months of 1979. After post-deployment maintenance and training, she crossed the Atlantic again in September for operations in northern European waters. The cruise continued through October and placed her among allied naval forces operating near the approaches to the North Atlantic, North Sea, and Baltic.

Commander Robert W. Sherer relieved Commander Weber on January 24, 1980. During the first part of the year, USS PATTERSON conducted maintenance, exercises, and deployment preparations from Mayport. The year subsequently brought two different assignments: humanitarian support in the Caribbean and deployment through the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. In August 1980, Hurricane Allen crossed the Caribbean as an exceptionally powerful storm and caused severe damage on several islands, including St. Lucia. USS PATTERSON was made available to support relief efforts on the island. The ship's presence contributed to the American response at a time when local transportation, communications, housing, and public services had been heavily disrupted.

The strategic situation in the Middle East was deteriorating during the same period. The American embassy hostage crisis in Iran, which had begun in November 1979, remained unresolved. Soviet forces had entered Afghanistan in December 1979, increasing American concern about access to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. On September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, beginning a prolonged war that threatened regional oil production, commercial shipping, and political stability.

USS PATTERSON deployed from the United States in October 1980 and crossed the Atlantic for Mediterranean operations. She joined the destroyer tender USS PUGET SOUND (AD 38) and the guided-missile destroyer USS FARRAGUT (DDG 37) in the Athens area. USS PATTERSON and USS FARRAGUT subsequently continued toward the Middle East. The two ships reached Port Said, Egypt, on November 7. On November 8, they passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. The canal had regained considerable strategic importance after its reopening in 1975 because it allowed American warships to move rapidly between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean without sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

After leaving the canal, USS PATTERSON and USS FARRAGUT continued down the Red Sea and refueled at Djibouti near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. This narrow passage connected the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and formed part of the principal maritime route between Europe and the Persian Gulf. The ships crossed the Arabian Sea and passed through the Strait of Hormuz on November 15. Inside the Persian Gulf, USS PATTERSON operated with USS FARRAGUT and the guided-missile cruiser USS FOX (CG 33). The ships maintained electronic and radar surveillance, monitored merchant and military traffic, exchanged information with United States Air Force aircraft, and questioned passing merchant vessels by radio.

The deployment occurred during the opening phase of the Iran-Iraq War. Iranian and Iraqi forces were fighting along their land frontier and near the Shatt al-Arab waterway, while the United States sought to maintain freedom of navigation and remain prepared to respond to threats against American interests or regional shipping. The ships also remained alert to developments surrounding the American hostages held in Tehran. On December 30, 1980, USS KOELSCH (FF 1049) entered the Persian Gulf and relieved USS PATTERSON. The turnover transferred current operating information, communications procedures, intelligence, and local tasking to the arriving frigate. USS PATTERSON then began her passage away from the Gulf and returned to the United States during the opening part of 1981.

Following post-deployment upkeep, the ship prepared for another extended Sixth Fleet cruise. Commander John J. Chernesky Jr. relieved Commander Sherer on July 23, 1981. USS PATTERSON deployed again during the latter part of the year, beginning her fifth major period of Sixth Fleet service. The cruise extended into 1982 and included operations in both the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The regional situation remained heavily influenced by the Iran-Iraq War, the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, political instability in Lebanon, tension between Israel and neighboring states, and strategic competition around the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. USS PATTERSON conducted escort, surveillance, training, and anti-submarine work before moving into the Red Sea during the latter part of the deployment. The ship's performance during this period contributed to the award of the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.

USS PATTERSON returned to the United States during 1982 and entered another cycle of maintenance, inspection, local operations, and training. The Navy was then reorganizing portions of its surface force. Some older destroyers and frigates were being assigned to the Naval Reserve Force, where reduced active-duty crews maintained the ships and trained drilling reservists. The system preserved mobilization capability while reducing the cost of keeping every ship at full active-duty manning. On June 15, 1983, USS PATTERSON was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force Atlantic and assigned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Commander John R. Heufelder relieved Commander Chernesky on July 9. The move ended the ship's regular cycle of long Sixth Fleet and Middle East deployments. USS PATTERSON operated with a reduced permanent active-duty crew augmented by Naval Reserve personnel during scheduled training periods. The ship conducted training cruises ranging from Canadian waters to the Caribbean and West Indies. Reservists used the frigate to obtain practical experience in shiphandling, navigation, engineering, communications, damage control, weapons procedures, and sustained operations at sea.

In 1984, USS PATTERSON entered a phased maintenance availability at Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company in Chester, Pennsylvania. A maintenance and overhaul contract valued at more than $21 million covered several phases of work on reserve-force frigates over a five-year period. The first major phase involving USS PATTERSON was scheduled from September 24 through December 20, 1984.

Commander Francis D. Meyer relieved Commander Heufelder on October 19, 1985. USS PATTERSON continued reserve training and maintenance during 1985 and 1986. On June 3, 1987, several small fires occurred while the crew attempted to restart a faulty electrical generator during exercises in the Caribbean. USS PATTERSON was subsequently towed to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, for a short repair period. No injuries were reported.

Commander James J. Quinn relieved Commander Meyer on January 15, 1988. USS PATTERSON continued reserve-force service through 1988 and 1989. Her activities included training cruises, maintenance periods, and operations from Philadelphia. The international environment changed rapidly toward the end of the decade. Relations between the United States and Soviet Union improved, communist governments in Eastern Europe collapsed during 1989, and the Cold War confrontation that had shaped USS PATTERSON's original design was approaching its end. The Navy nevertheless continued using reserve frigates for training and for missions that did not require the capabilities of newer cruisers and destroyers.

Commander Blake V. Blakey Jr. relieved Commander Quinn on August 15, 1990, becoming USS PATTERSON's final commanding officer. In late 1990, the frigate conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and made a round-trip passage through the Panama Canal. The deployment reflected the increasing use of Navy ships to support the United States Coast Guard and other government agencies in monitoring maritime drug-smuggling routes. The canal transits allowed USS PATTERSON to operate on both the Caribbean and Pacific approaches to Panama. Her service in Coast Guard-supported operations was reflected in the Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon recorded among the ship's awards.

USS PATTERSON returned to Philadelphia after completing the assignment. In May 1991, she made her final cruise, visiting Bermuda. The voyage provided a final period of underway training for the active-duty cadre and embarked reservists. After returning to Philadelphia, the ship entered formal preparations for decommissioning. USS PATTERSON was decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on September 30, 1991, after 21 years and approximately six and a half months of commissioned service. Her recorded awards included the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy Battle Efficiency "E" Ribbon, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with one service star, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon with one additional award.

Following decommissioning, the former USS PATTERSON remained in Navy custody. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995. A possible transfer to Greece for use as a source of spare parts was considered but was not completed. On September 29, 1999, the Navy awarded a contract valued at approximately $4.4 million to Baltimore Marine Industries for dismantling and recycling the former frigate. PATTERSON was taken to Baltimore, Maryland, where reusable equipment, machinery, hazardous materials, and structural steel were removed. Dismantling was completed in June 2000.

back to top

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Name:

Daniel Todd Patterson was born on Long Island, New York, on 6 March 1786. He entered the U.S. Navy as an acting Midshipman in 1799, and had Quasi-War with France service in the frigate DELAWARE. During the war with Tripoli he served in the frigates CONSTITUTION and PHILADELPHIA, becoming a prisoner of war when the latter was captured on 31 October 1803. Released in 1805, Midshipman Patterson was assigned to duty at New Orleans, Louisiana. He served there for nearly two decades, attaining the ranks of Lieutenant in 1807 and Master Commandant in 1812. Later in 1812 Patterson took command of the New Orleans station. In 1814 he led an amphibious attack on a pirate town in Barataria Bay and in December directed Naval forces in actions that significantly delayed the British approach to New Orleans. The following month, Master Commandant Patterson distinguished himself in action with the British during the Battle of New Orleans.

Promoted to Captain at the end of February 1815, Patterson's service at New Orleans continued until 1824, when he took command of the frigate CONSTITUTION. He was appointed a Navy Commissioner in 1828. In 1832-1836 he commanded the Mediterranean Squadron, with the title of Commodore. Subsequently, Patterson was Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, holding that post until he died on 25 August 1839.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS PATTERSON Image Gallery:

back to top

Back to Frigates List.

Back to Ships List.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.