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USS Whipple (FF 1062)

USS WHIPPLE was the eleventh KNOX - class frigate and the third ship in the Navy named after Commodore Abraham Whipple of the Continental Navy.

Decommissioned on February 14, 1992, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the WHIPPLE spent the following years berthed at the NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI. In 2005, preparations started for WHIPPLE's upcoming transfer to the Mexican Navy. Equipped with new boilers, the frigate lit off her new boilers for the first time since she was decommissioned on September 30, 2005. Sea trials lasted until October 2, and after completion the frigate was transfered to the Mexican Navy where she was recommissioned as MINA.

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Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

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

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USS WHIPPLE Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 1973

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About the Ship's Name:

Commodore Abraham Whipple was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 26, 1733. He went to sea at an early age and became an experienced merchant captain in the West Indies trade. During the French and Indian War, he commanded the privateer GAME COCK under British authority. In a single six-month cruise in 1759-1760, Whipple and his crew reportedly captured 23 French vessels, establishing his reputation as one of Rhode Island's most capable and successful seafarers.

Whipple became an early participant in colonial resistance to British authority. On the night of June 9, 1772, he joined Providence merchant John Brown in leading a group of colonists against the British customs schooner GASPEE, which had run aground in Narragansett Bay while pursuing a local vessel. The colonists boarded the schooner, captured its crew after a brief confrontation, and burned the ship. The GASPEE affair occurred more than a year before the Boston Tea Party and became one of the most significant acts of armed resistance preceding the American Revolution.

When Rhode Island organized a small naval force in June 1775 to protect its shipping from British warships, Whipple was appointed commodore and given command of the larger of its two vessels, the sloop KATY. He soon captured a tender belonging to the British frigate ROSE. KATY was later transferred to Continental service and renamed PROVIDENCE, while Whipple received command of the larger armed ship COLUMBUS. His commission as a captain in the Continental Navy was signed by John Hancock on December 8, 1775.

In early 1776, Whipple commanded COLUMBUS during the Continental Navy's expedition to New Providence in the Bahamas. The operation resulted in the seizure of cannon, mortars, gunpowder, and other military supplies urgently needed by the American forces. During the return voyage, the squadron captured the British vessels HAWK and BOLTON and fought the British warship GLASGOW off Block Island on April 6. Although GLASGOW escaped, Whipple was later cleared by a court-martial requested after criticism of the American performance in the engagement. COLUMBUS subsequently captured five British prizes before being driven ashore near Point Judith, Rhode Island, by a superior British force on March 27, 1778. Whipple and his crew stripped the ship of useful equipment and escaped before the British burned her.

Whipple next took command of the 28-gun frigate PROVIDENCE. On the night of April 30, 1778, he successfully ran the British blockade of Narragansett Bay, exchanging fire with the British ship LARK before escaping into the Atlantic. PROVIDENCE carried important dispatches concerning relations between France and the American colonies and reached Paimboeuf, France, on May 30. After obtaining guns and supplies, PROVIDENCE and the frigate BOSTON returned to North America and captured three British prizes during the passage.

In 1779, Whipple commanded a squadron consisting of PROVIDENCE, RANGER, and QUEEN OF FRANCE. In dense fog near the Newfoundland Banks, the American ships entered a large British convoy without immediately revealing their identity. By concealing their guns and acting as though they were British escorts, Whipple's ships captured 11 merchant vessels before withdrawing during the night. Eight of the prizes reached American ports with cargoes valued together at more than one million dollars, making the operation one of the most valuable American captures of the Revolutionary War.

Whipple's squadron reached Charleston, South Carolina, on December 23, 1779, to assist in the defense of the city against an approaching British force. As the siege developed, guns and sailors from the Continental ships were transferred ashore to reinforce the land defenses. After several months of resistance, Charleston surrendered on May 12, 1780. Whipple and his men became prisoners of war, and he took no further active part in the conflict after being paroled.

Following the war, Whipple returned to Rhode Island and took up farming, although he later made additional voyages as master of the merchant ships GENERAL WASHINGTON and ST. CLAIR. In 1788, he and his family joined the westward migration organized by the Ohio Company and became part of the pioneer community at Marietta, Ohio. Congress eventually granted him a pension in recognition of his Revolutionary War service. Abraham Whipple died at Marietta on May 27, 1819, at the age of 85.

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USS WHIPPLE History:

The contract for the construction of USS WHIPPLE was awarded to Todd Shipyards Corporation in Seattle, Washington, on July 22, 1964. Her keel was laid there on April 24, 1967, and she was launched on April 12, 1968, sponsored by Mrs. Kirkland B. Alexander. After fitting out, dock trials, builder's trials, and acceptance work in Puget Sound, USS WHIPPLE was commissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, on August 22, 1970, with Commander Jack Campbell as her first commanding officer.

USS WHIPPLE conducted her first sea trials from September 24 through September 26, 1970. On September 27, she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a short fitting-out availability that continued through September 30. She departed on October 1 and proceeded to the Canadian naval test range near Nanoose, British Columbia, before conducting additional trials in Carr Inlet. On October 9, she left the Pacific Northwest for San Diego, California, arriving there on October 13. The stay in Southern California was brief. On October 16, USS WHIPPLE departed the West Coast for her assigned home port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and arrived on October 22. She joined the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the Pacific Fleet and began local training in Hawaiian waters. Her early operations concentrated on engineering reliability, navigation, weapons handling, communications, damage control, sonar operation, and integration into larger fleet formations.

On November 20, 1970, USS WHIPPLE began a tender availability alongside USS BRYCE CANYON (AD 36). The maintenance period continued through December 4. Five days later, on December 9, she investigated an unidentified submarine contact near the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range off Kauai. The search provided an early practical test of the ship's sonar organization and anti-submarine procedures. Local operations continued until December 20, after which she entered a holiday leave and upkeep period lasting from December 21 through January 13, 1971.

Early in 1971, USS WHIPPLE conducted weapons trials and preparations for shakedown. Her formal shakedown period began on February 8 and continued through March 19. The training included her first full battle problem, during which the crew demonstrated its ability to operate the propulsion plant, detect and track simulated threats, employ weapons, control damage, communicate with other units, and sustain the ship during prolonged operations.

USS WHIPPLE entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard at the beginning of April 1971 for a post-shakedown availability. On April 1, she was assigned to the newly organized Destroyer Squadron 33. The ship remained in the yard into the summer while deficiencies identified during trials and shakedown were corrected and additional equipment was installed or adjusted. Sea trials and weapons testing resumed during August. From October 4 through October 10, 1971, USS WHIPPLE operated as plane guard for the aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CVA 64). Plane-guard duty required the escort to maintain a prescribed position astern of the carrier during flight operations so that it could respond rapidly if an aircraft or aircrew entered the sea. During the same operating period, USS WHIPPLE conducted anti-aircraft and surface gunnery exercises.

The autumn schedule also included a dependents' cruise to Lahaina, Maui, participation in Navy Day activities, and an open-house program at Pearl Harbor. USS WHIPPLE hosted the Australian destroyer HMAS HOBART (D 39) during one of the Australian ship's visits to Hawaii. On November 5, WHIPPLE's crew and equipment were used during filming of the at-sea portion of an episode of the television series Hawaii Five-O. From November 8 through November 18, 1971, USS WHIPPLE participated in the multinational exercise Rimpac IV. Ships and aircraft from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States trained together in the central Pacific. The exercise included formation maneuvering, communications, air defense, anti-submarine operations, surface surveillance, and coordination among forces using different national procedures and equipment. It provided USS WHIPPLE with her first large-scale multinational training experience.

After additional preparation at Pearl Harbor, USS WHIPPLE departed Hawaii on January 27, 1972, with other ships of Destroyer Squadron 33 for her first western Pacific deployment. The force proceeded by way of Midway Island and Guam and arrived at Manila in the Philippines on February 13. There, USS WHIPPLE prepared for the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization exercise Seahawk. The exercise involved naval forces from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. USS WHIPPLE operated in company with the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE (R 21) during a simulated convoy-escort problem intended to test the ability of the participating forces to protect merchant and naval shipping against submarine, air, and surface threats.

After being detached from Seahawk, USS WHIPPLE stopped at Subic Bay and then proceeded to the Gulf of Tonkin. She relieved USS HIGBEE (DD 806) on February 28 as a ship assigned to the Positive Identification and Radar Advisory Zone. Working with USS PARSONS (DDG 33), she helped maintain the recognized air picture over the northern Gulf of Tonkin. The ships tracked aircraft, correlated radar contacts, passed information to other naval units, and supported the control and protection of American air operations over and near North Vietnam. Poor visibility and the cancellation of some scheduled flights initially reduced air activity. USS WHIPPLE subsequently served as plane guard for USS HANCOCK (CVA 19) before being assigned to naval gunfire support off South Vietnam's northern military region. Her arrival coincided with a major deterioration in the military situation ashore. On March 30, 1972, North Vietnamese forces opened the Easter Offensive, a large conventional invasion involving infantry, armor, and artillery. The offensive crossed the demilitarized zone and also advanced from Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam. Bad weather often restricted tactical aviation, increasing the importance of naval gunfire along the coast.

On April 2 and April 3, 1972, USS WHIPPLE participated in an anti-submarine exercise with the guided-missile cruiser USS CHICAGO (CG 11), USS FRANCIS HAMMOND (DE 1067), and the nuclear-powered submarine USS SCULPIN (SSN 590). Afterward, USS WHIPPLE resumed duties connected with the carriers and naval gunfire force operating off Vietnam. USS WHIPPLE carried out 52 naval gunfire-support missions during her first Vietnam deployment and fired 2,361 rounds of 5-inch ammunition. Much of the firing consisted of nighttime harassment and interdiction missions intended to disrupt enemy movement and resupply. Daylight missions were directed against North Vietnamese troop movements, coastal-defense guns, artillery positions, tanks, and other specifically assigned military targets.

USS WHIPPLE received her first naval gunfire assignment on April 11, 1972. During two engagements, North Vietnamese coastal batteries returned fire. Enemy projectiles landed approximately 150 and 200 yards from the ship, but USS WHIPPLE was not hit. Her participation in combat operations during this period resulted in the award of the Combat Action Ribbon. The intensive firing placed heavy demands on the 5-inch gun. From April 20 through April 24, USS WHIPPLE received repair assistance from the repair ship USS HECTOR (AR 7) and Mobile Technical Unit 13. She moored at Da Nang during daylight hours while technicians worked on the weapon and patrolled near the harbor entrance during the evenings. After repairs, USS WHIPPLE joined the amphibious assault ship USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10) during operations associated with the Freedom Porch air and naval campaign against North Vietnamese military targets. She later resumed brief periods of plane-guard duty for USS HANCOCK in the Gulf of Tonkin.

USS WHIPPLE returned to Da Nang for upkeep from May 3 through May 10. During this period, the destroyer tender USS PIEDMONT (AD 17) replaced her 5-inch gun. The replacement was required because of wear and mechanical problems caused by sustained firing. Following the work, USS WHIPPLE returned to the operating area and screened and plane-guarded USS HANCOCK through much of June. After an availability at Subic Bay and a visit to Hong Kong, USS WHIPPLE returned to the Vietnamese coast. From June 17 through June 25, she operated at a naval gunfire position designated Point Claudia, supporting the South Vietnamese 1st and 3rd Divisions. Night firing concentrated on harassment and interdiction, while daytime missions were directed by OV-1 Mohawk observation aircraft against bunker complexes, rocket sites, supply routes, and other assigned targets.

On June 26, USS WHIPPLE moved to Point Allison to support Operation Lam Son 72, a South Vietnamese counteroffensive in Quang Tri Province. Her targets included coastal-defense positions and military sites near the demilitarized zone and the Cua Viet River. The naval gunfire supported South Vietnamese Marine units advancing against North Vietnamese forces occupying areas south of the demilitarized zone. On July 5, USS WHIPPLE responded when South Vietnamese Marines came under attack by North Vietnamese forces supported by tanks. The heavy cruiser USS NEWPORT NEWS (CA 148) subsequently joined the engagement with her 8-inch guns. USS WHIPPLE continued naval gunfire operations until she was assigned to plane-guard duty for USS SARATOGA (CVA 60) from July 9 through July 17. USS WHIPPLE entered Subic Bay on July 18 for an upkeep period scheduled to continue through July 27. After leaving the Philippines, she encountered heavy seas that damaged the fiberglass shield surrounding her 5-inch gun mount. She was forced to return to Subic Bay for additional repairs.

When the work had been completed, USS WHIPPLE joined a task group centered on USS AMERICA (CVA 66). After USS JAMES E. KYES (DD 787) relieved her as screen commander, USS WHIPPLE rejoined the other ships of Destroyer Squadron 33 for the passage home. The squadron stopped at Guam and Midway Island for fuel and arrived at Pearl Harbor on August 25, 1972.

Commander Walter A. Orsik had relieved Commander Campbell as commanding officer on February 14, 1972, during the deployment. Following the return to Hawaii, USS WHIPPLE entered a post-deployment leave and upkeep period. During October, she resumed convoy and anti-submarine exercises and participated in testing associated with the anti-submarine rocket system. A restricted availability at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard occupied much of November and December. USS WHIPPLE completed post-availability trials and shakedown during January 1973. Local operations and deployment preparation continued until May 14, when she departed Pearl Harbor for her second western Pacific deployment. She reached Yokosuka, Japan, on May 24.

USS WHIPPLE left Yokosuka on May 26 and proceeded to Taiwan, arriving on May 30. She received maintenance assistance alongside USS PRAIRIE (AD 15). On June 5, she departed Taiwan for the Gulf of Tonkin. Although the Paris Peace Accords had ended direct American combat operations in Vietnam earlier in the year, United States naval forces continued surveillance, carrier support, and operations connected with the implementation of the agreements. From June 8 through June 30, USS WHIPPLE performed picket and escort duties in the Gulf of Tonkin. She then returned to Subic Bay for repairs to her rudder. Following sea trials, she returned to the operating area and screened USS CORAL SEA (CVA 43). The frigate visited Hong Kong from August 1 through August 8 and subsequently screened USS CORAL SEA during the carrier's return to Subic Bay.

USS WHIPPLE again entered the Gulf of Tonkin operating area for picket and radar-advisory duties. Her final line period ended on September 6, after which she proceeded to Singapore for upkeep. She later returned to the Philippines and participated in the amphibious exercise Pegasa II off Mindoro. The exercise ended on October 2 and involved coordinated ship movements, amphibious procedures, communications, and protection of the participating force. USS WHIPPLE subsequently returned to the Gulf of Tonkin operating area. Typhoons Nora and Opal forced the ship and other naval units to maneuver away from the storms and adjust their operating schedules. Tropical cyclones posed a serious threat to flight operations, replenishment, navigation, and the safety of ships remaining near the centers of the storms.

After another upkeep period at Subic Bay, USS WHIPPLE began a 21-day round trip to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The port call demonstrated an American naval presence and maintained contact with a country situated near major Indian Ocean sea routes. USS WHIPPLE carried bulk food and other supplies for the small American community in Sri Lanka and provided a means for personnel there to send Christmas parcels through the American postal system. USS WHIPPLE departed Colombo on October 31, 1973, and returned to Subic Bay on November 8. She began the homeward voyage on November 20, stopping at Guam and Midway Island for fuel. The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor on December 7. Commander Richard D. Milligan had relieved Commander Orsik on September 10. The remainder of the year was devoted to leave, upkeep, and post-deployment maintenance.

USS WHIPPLE conducted local training and maintenance in Hawaiian waters through most of 1974. Preparations for another western Pacific deployment intensified during September. On October 1, she departed Pearl Harbor for her third deployment and reached Subic Bay on October 16. From October 23 through October 26, 1974, USS WHIPPLE conducted type training in Philippine waters. The drills concentrated on the skills required of an anti-submarine escort, including coordinated maneuvering, sonar operation, communications, helicopter control, and surface and air defense. She departed Subic Bay on October 27 for Ambon, Indonesia, while a typhoon affected the region.

USS WHIPPLE reached Ambon on the morning of November 1. During the visit, the ship delivered Project Handclasp materials intended for local communities. Members of the crew helped paint a school, while the ship's fuel requirements had to be met by tanker trucks in an operation that continued around the clock for approximately three days. The visit combined humanitarian assistance, diplomatic contact, and the logistical challenges of supporting a modern warship in a port without normal United States Navy facilities. USS WHIPPLE departed Ambon on November 4 and returned to Subic Bay on November 8. A restricted availability continued through November 16, after which she proceeded to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The ship conducted anti-submarine exercises from Kaohsiung before returning by way of Subic Bay to Hong Kong. She arrived there on December 2 and later returned to Philippine waters, where she remained through the end of 1974.

USS WHIPPLE began 1975 at Subic Bay. She subsequently operated near Buckner Bay, Okinawa, until January 10 and returned to the Philippines on January 13. She joined a task group that included USS CORAL SEA, USS KNOX (DE 1052), and USS GRIDLEY (DLG 21). On January 27, USS WHIPPLE was temporarily detached to conduct anti-submarine exercises with USS REASONER (DE 1063). She then rejoined USS CORAL SEA and performed plane-guard duties through February 2. After approximately a week in port, USS WHIPPLE departed Subic Bay on February 9 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on February 22.

The ship spent the spring and summer in local operations and maintenance. At the end of June 1975, USS WHIPPLE was redesignated FF 1062 as part of the Navy-wide reclassification of escort ships. Commander Thomas D. Paulsen relieved Commander Milligan on July 25, 1975. During August, USS WHIPPLE entered Dry Dock No. 4 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul. The availability included a substantial reconstruction of her after superstructure and aviation facilities for regular operation of the SH-2 Seasprite under the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System. The helicopter could carry sensors and lightweight torpedoes and enabled the frigate to investigate contacts well beyond the range of her bow sonar.

The overhaul continued through the remainder of 1975 and the opening months of 1976. USS WHIPPLE completed the availability on March 24, 1976. She then began sea trials, refresher training, helicopter qualification, and certification of her weapons and propulsion systems. Much of the remainder of the year was spent restoring full operational readiness and preparing for another deployment.

USS WHIPPLE departed Pearl Harbor on January 3, 1977, for her fourth western Pacific deployment. During the cruise, she participated in Seventh Fleet exercises and maintained the anti-submarine and escort qualifications required of a deployed frigate. On May 26, a United States Air Force HH-53 helicopter evacuated a sailor suffering from a collapsed lung from USS WHIPPLE for urgent medical treatment.

Commander William C. Francis relieved Commander Paulsen on July 7, 1977. After returning to Hawaii later in the year, USS WHIPPLE resumed local operations and entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability in December. USS WHIPPLE completed the availability on February 3, 1978, and returned to sea for trials and training. On April 3, she departed Pearl Harbor to participate in Rim of the Pacific 1978. The four-nation exercise brought together naval forces in the central Pacific for combined anti-submarine, air-defense, surface-warfare, communications, maneuvering, and replenishment training. USS WHIPPLE returned to Pearl Harbor on April 22.

On June 24, 1978, USS WHIPPLE departed Hawaii for another western Pacific deployment. Her route initially took her into the South Pacific. From July 5 through July 10, she visited Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. She was the first United States Navy ship to make an official visit there since 1957. Guadalcanal had been the site of a major land, sea, and air campaign between Allied and Japanese forces from August 1942 into 1943, and the visit maintained contact with an island whose modern history was closely connected with the Pacific War.

USS WHIPPLE then continued toward Southeast Asian waters for Seventh Fleet operations. During August, she became involved in two incidents concerning Vietnamese refugees escaping by sea. These voyages formed part of the growing refugee crisis following the end of the Vietnam War. Thousands of people attempted to leave Vietnam in small or unsuitable boats, often without adequate fuel, water, food, navigation equipment, or protection from severe weather. On August 21, 1978, USS WHIPPLE encountered a vessel reportedly carrying 126 Vietnamese refugees. The frigate supplied food and water, assisted with repairs to the craft's engine, and provided charts and directions so that the boat could continue toward Malaysia.

On August 22, USS WHIPPLE found another refugee boat in the stormy South China Sea. The approximately 60-foot craft was dangerously overloaded with 410 people, about half of whom were children or teenagers. The vessel was unable to continue safely in the prevailing conditions. USS WHIPPLE brought all 410 refugees aboard. Two days later, USS WHIPPLE entered Junk Bay near Hong Kong and transferred the refugees to local authorities and refugee-assistance representatives. The frigate then departed the area as a typhoon approached. USS WHIPPLE subsequently received the Humanitarian Service Medal. USS WHIPPLE resumed Seventh Fleet operations after the refugee mission and returned to Pearl Harbor on December 15, 1978.

Commander Stephen K. Laabs relieved Commander Francis on August 18, 1979. During 1979 and much of 1980, USS WHIPPLE operated from Pearl Harbor, alternating maintenance with anti-submarine training, weapons exercises, helicopter operations, and fleet-readiness work. The strategic environment changed during this period. The Iranian Revolution, the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran in November 1979, and the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in December increased American naval attention to the Indian Ocean and North Arabian Sea. By the early 1980s, USS WHIPPLE had been equipped with the Harpoon anti-ship missile, giving her an over-the-horizon surface-strike capability that had not formed part of the original KNOX-class design. Her principal mission nevertheless remained anti-submarine warfare.

USS WHIPPLE began another western Pacific deployment late in 1980. During January 1981, she participated in Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise 81-3U in Philippine waters. The exercise ran from January 19 through January 22 and tested operations in relatively shallow water and the protection of a high-value unit moving through restricted passages. The participating surface force included USS GRAY (FF 1054), USS LANG (FF 1060), USS JOHN YOUNG (DD 973), USS RAMSEY (FFG 2), USS ELLIOT (DD 967), USS WHIPPLE, and the fleet oiler USNS NAVASOTA (T-AO 106). The submarines USS BARBEL (SS 580) and USS GRAYBACK (SS 574) acted as opposing forces. The exercise required the escorts to combine sonar information, helicopter searches, maneuvering, and communications while attempting to prevent the submarines from approaching the protected formation.

USS WHIPPLE returned to Hawaii during 1981 and resumed maintenance and readiness work. Commander George M. Miller III relieved Commander Laabs on August 11. The remainder of the year included local exercises and preparations for the ship's next extended deployment. In the spring of 1982, USS WHIPPLE joined other units of Destroyer Squadron 33 for a deployment that began with workups and participation in Rim of the Pacific 1982. On May 22, she conducted a highline transfer at sea with USS BREWTON (FF 1086). The operation allowed supplies, mail, or personnel to be passed directly between the ships while both remained underway.

The squadron continued westward and later operated in the Indian Ocean. USS WHIPPLE was at Diego Garcia before departing the island with USS BREWTON on August 27. The two frigates proceeded to Western Australia and reached Bunbury on September 4. They remained for approximately one week, receiving a period of maintenance, replenishment, and liberty after prolonged Indian Ocean operations. USS WHIPPLE and USS BREWTON departed Bunbury on September 13 and proceeded to join the eastbound American carrier force before continuing toward the Philippines. USS WHIPPLE reached Subic Bay with the returning ships on September 22.

On October 2, USS WHIPPLE departed with USS BREWTON and USS RATHBURNE (FF 1057) for a visit to Hong Kong. The three frigates returned to Subic Bay on October 9. Destroyer Squadron 33 began the passage back across the Pacific on October 14. After a fuel stop at Guam, USS WHIPPLE returned to Pearl Harbor later in October. The 1982 deployment occurred while the Iran-Iraq War continued and while the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan reinforced the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean. American naval forces maintained carrier, surface, submarine, and logistics units across the region to monitor Soviet activity, support freedom of navigation, and remain prepared for crises affecting the Persian Gulf and surrounding sea routes.

Commander Anderson W. Wacaser III relieved Commander Miller on August 26, 1983. Later that year, USS WHIPPLE began another western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment. The cruise lasted approximately seven months and included almost four months attached to Commander Middle East Force in the Persian Gulf. During this period, USS WHIPPLE maintained the American naval presence in the Persian Gulf while the Iran-Iraq War increasingly affected regional shipping and oil-export routes. The assignment placed the frigate in confined and heavily trafficked waters close to Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. On February 10, 1984, USS CLARK (FFG 11) arrived in the Persian Gulf and conducted turnover activities with USS WHIPPLE. The turnover transferred local operating information, communications procedures, intelligence, and current tasking from the departing frigate to its relief. USS WHIPPLE subsequently began the homeward portion of her deployment and returned to Pearl Harbor in April 1984.

USS WHIPPLE spent much of 1984 and 1985 in maintenance, local operations, inspections, and preparations for further deployment. Commander James D. Brotherton relieved Commander Wacaser on November 8, 1985. By March 1986, USS WHIPPLE was at Pearl Harbor preparing to deploy with the guided-missile destroyer USS CHANDLER (DDG 996). The two ships departed Hawaii on March 26 and crossed the Pacific together. They arrived at Subic Bay on April 10 for approximately one week of upkeep and preparation before continuing toward the Indian Ocean. The ships temporarily separated as they followed their individual schedules through Southeast Asian waters. USS CHANDLER visited Singapore before rejoining USS WHIPPLE at Colombo on May 1. After meeting at Colombo, the two ships followed separate operational schedules in the Indian Ocean and Middle East region.

USS WHIPPLE and USS CHANDLER reunited on July 7, 1986, for the eastward passage. The ships refueled near Colombo and proceeded to Phuket, Thailand, where they visited from July 16 through July 19. They continued to Singapore for a port call from July 20 through July 22. On July 23 and July 24, USS WHIPPLE and USS CHANDLER participated in the bilateral exercise Indusa IV with the Indonesian Navy. The exercise included communications, tactical maneuvering, and procedures intended to improve the ability of American and Indonesian ships to operate together. After the at-sea phase, the ships visited Jakarta for approximately two days, and a review of the exercise was conducted while they were anchored off the Indonesian capital.

USS WHIPPLE and USS CHANDLER temporarily separated on July 30. USS CHANDLER visited Townsville and then proceeded to Brisbane, Australia, where USS WHIPPLE rejoined her on August 14. The ships subsequently crossed the South Pacific together. They visited Suva, Fiji, from August 19 through August 20 and later stopped at Pago Pago in American Samoa. USS WHIPPLE and USS CHANDLER arrived at Pearl Harbor on August 30, completing the deployment.

During 1987, USS WHIPPLE remained active from Pearl Harbor. A July photograph shows her moored outboard of USS BADGER (FF 1071). Commander Steven G. Tinsley relieved Commander Brotherton on May 28, 1988. USS WHIPPLE continued local and regional operations during the remainder of the year as relations between the United States and the Soviet Union began to improve. Pacific Fleet ships nevertheless continued anti-submarine exercises, carrier-support work, inspections, and multinational training. USS WHIPPLE was photographed underway near Pearl Harbor on June 1, 1989. Later in the year, she participated in Pacific Exercise 89, a major multinational fleet exercise in the Pacific. On September 18, she departed San Diego at the beginning of the exercise.

Commander Francis J. Klingseis relieved Commander Tinsley on June 22, 1990, becoming USS WHIPPLE's final commanding officer. The ship continued operating as the international situation changed following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on August 2. The United States and its coalition partners deployed naval, air, and ground forces to Southwest Asia under Operation Desert Shield and enforced United Nations sanctions against Iraq through maritime interception operations. USS WHIPPLE's award record includes the Southwest Asia Service Medal, demonstrating qualifying service in the Southwest Asia theater.

USS WHIPPLE subsequently returned to Pearl Harbor and entered the final phase of her American service. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, reductions in the size of the United States fleet, and the operating costs of aging steam-powered ships contributed to the decision to retire the KNOX-class. The frigates required comparatively large engineering departments and lacked the modern area-defense missile systems and vertical-launch weapons installed in newer cruisers and destroyers.

USS WHIPPLE was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on February 14, 1992, after more than 21 years of commissioned service. She was placed in inactive status and retained at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor. The ship's recorded United States awards included the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, six Navy Battle Efficiency "E" awards, the National Defense Service Medal with one service star, the Vietnam Service Medal with two campaign stars, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

WHIPPLE was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995. She remained in inactive storage at Pearl Harbor for several more years and was still there in June 2000. The United States sold the former frigate to Mexico on April 10, 2002. The ship entered the Mexican Navy as ARM ALMIRANTE FRANCISCO JAVIER MINA (F 214) on November 1, 2002 and was generally referred to in service as ARM MINA. She remained operational with the Mexican Navy and participated in the multinational Unitas Gold exercise in 2009. Her continued service extended the life of a hull originally commissioned more than three decades earlier. ARM MINA was decommissioned by the Mexican Navy in 2016.

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USS WHIPPLE Image Gallery:

The photo below is an official US Navy photo taken on June 4, 2000. It shows the WHIPPLE at the Pearl Harbor Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility.

The photo below was contributed by Jeffrey R. Smith and shows the WHIPPLE during her seatrials prior to transfer to the Mexican Navy in 2005.

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