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USS Badger (FF 1071)

USS BADGER was the 20^th KNOX - class frigate. Decommissioned on December 20, 1991, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the BADGER was finally sunk as a target during RIMPAC '98. The exercise to sink the BADGER started on July 21, 1998. The BADGER absorbed hits from Penguin, Hellfire, Maverick and telemetry Harpoon missiles, and was still afloat at sunset. Anyway, search aircraft were not able to locate the BADGER on the next morning. So it is assumed that the frigate sunk during the evening of July 21.

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Crew List:

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

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About the Ship's Name:

USS BADGER was named collectively for four members of the Badger family whose careers included service to the United States government and Navy.

George Edmund Badger (1795-1866):

George Edmund Badger was born in New Bern, North Carolina, on April 17, 1795. After studying at Yale College, he became a lawyer, served in the North Carolina legislature, and sat as a judge of the state superior court. A prominent Whig politician, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President William Henry Harrison and continued briefly under President John Tyler from March 6 to September 11, 1841.

During his short tenure, Badger supported the establishment of the Home Squadron and the further development of steam-powered naval vessels. He resigned with other Whig cabinet members after President Tyler broke with the party. Badger later represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1846 to 1855. President Millard Fillmore nominated him to the Supreme Court, but the Senate did not confirm the appointment. Badger opposed North Carolina's secession before the Civil War and died in Raleigh on May 11, 1866. He was a cousin of Commodore Oscar Charles Badger.

Commodore Oscar Charles Badger (1823-1899):

Oscar Charles Badger was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, on August 12, 1823, and entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1841. His early career included service off West Africa, participation in the Mexican-American War aboard USS MISSISSIPPI, and assignments with the Pacific Squadron.

During the Civil War, Badger commanded USS ANACOSTIA in operations along the Potomac River and later served with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. He commanded the ironclads USS PATAPSCO and USS MONTAUK during attacks on Confederate defenses around Charleston. On September 1, 1863, he was seriously wounded aboard USS WEEHAWKEN when a projectile struck the ship's turret. After recovering, Badger held further sea and shore commands, including USS PEORIA, USS TICONDEROGA, and USS CONSTITUTION. Promoted to commodore in 1881, he later commanded the Boston Navy Yard. He retired in 1885 and died on June 20, 1899.

Rear Admiral Charles Johnston Badger (1853-1932):

Charles Johnston Badger, the son of Commodore Oscar Charles Badger, was born in Rockville, Maryland, on August 6, 1853. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1873 and served in a variety of sea and shore assignments. In 1884, he took part in the expedition sent to rescue survivors of Lieutenant Adolphus Greely's Arctic expedition. During the Spanish-American War, he served aboard USS CINCINNATI. He later became Superintendent of the Naval Academy and commanded the battleship USS KANSAS.

Promoted to rear admiral in 1911, Badger became Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet in January 1913. He commanded the fleet during the American intervention at Veracruz, Mexico, in April 1914. After leaving sea command, he served on the Navy's General Board and the Joint Army and Navy Board. He remained on active duty during World War I and received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He retired in 1921 and died on September 8, 1932.

Admiral Oscar Charles Badger II (1890-1958):

Oscar Charles Badger II, the son of Rear Admiral Charles Johnston Badger and grandson of Commodore Oscar Charles Badger, was born in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 1890. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1911.

During the American occupation of Veracruz in April 1914, Badger led a company of sailors in combat ashore and received the Medal of Honor. During World War I, he served with American destroyer forces operating from Queenstown, Ireland, and later commanded USS SULTANA and USS WORDEN. He received the Navy Cross for his wartime service.

Between the wars, Badger held numerous sea, staff, and ordnance assignments. In October 1941, he became the first commanding officer of the battleship USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB 55). During World War II, he commanded Atlantic Fleet destroyers, held senior logistics appointments, and commanded Battleship Division 7 in operations connected with Leyte Gulf, Luzon, Iwo Jima, and the bombardment of the Japanese home islands. Badger entered Tokyo Bay with the first American occupation forces in August 1945. After the war, he commanded the Pacific Fleet Service Force and later served as Commander, Naval Forces, Far East, during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. He retired in 1952 with the rank of admiral and died on November 30, 1958.

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USS BADGER History:

USS BADGER was ordered on July 22, 1964, as one of the KNOX-class destroyer escorts developed primarily for open-ocean antisubmarine warfare and the protection of carrier groups, amphibious formations, replenishment forces, and merchant convoys against the expanding Soviet submarine fleet. Her keel was laid down at the Los Angeles Division of Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, California, on February 17, 1968. She was launched on December 7, 1968, sponsored by Mrs. Oscar C. Badger, and commissioned at Long Beach, California, on December 1, 1970, as USS BADGER (DE 1071), with Commander William L. Britton in command.

BADGER completed fitting-out work at Long Beach Naval Shipyard during January 1971. During the following spring, she conducted machinery trials, weapons tests, shakedown training, and other evaluations intended to identify construction deficiencies and prepare her crew for fleet operations. She completed her final contract trials in May. In June, she entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extensive post-shakedown availability. The work went considerably beyond the correction of routine deficiencies. BADGER received the Basic Point Defense Missile System, which employed Sea Sparrow missiles to provide limited short-range defense against aircraft and antiship missiles, as well as an independent variable-depth sonar system intended to improve submarine detection under difficult acoustic conditions. The extent of the alterations kept her in the shipyard until the middle of November. From late 1971 through the middle of March 1972, BADGER alternated sea trials and training periods with inspections, weapons qualifications, engineering evaluations, and preparations for her first western Pacific deployment.

BADGER departed Long Beach on March 16, 1972, bound for Southeast Asia. She crossed the Pacific by way of Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guam and arrived at Subic Bay in the Philippines on April 7. The deployment coincided with a major escalation of the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese forces had begun the Easter Offensive on March 30, attacking across the demilitarized zone and in other parts of South Vietnam, while the United States responded with expanded carrier air operations and naval gunfire support.

BADGER departed Subic Bay on the evening of April 8 and arrived at Da Nang, South Vietnam, on April 10. After a stop of approximately four hours, she continued northward to the naval gunfire-support station near the mouth of the Cua Viet River, close to the northern front of the South Vietnamese defenses. She began firing missions on April 11. Her 5-inch gun was employed against North Vietnamese troop concentrations, artillery positions, supply routes, and other targets designated by shore-based observers. On April 13, BADGER came under enemy counterbattery fire for the first time. On April 15, after a fouled bore and an overheated barrel had temporarily put her main gun out of action, shore batteries again engaged the ship and caused superficial damage. BADGER withdrew to Da Nang, where the repair ship USS HECTOR (AR 7) replaced the damaged gun barrel. She returned to sea on April 16 and resumed operations near the combat zone.

On April 19, BADGER was reassigned from gunfire support to plane-guard duty with the aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CVA 64) in the Gulf of Tonkin. Plane guards followed carriers during flight operations and were prepared to recover aircrew members whose aircraft crashed during launch, approach, or landing. BADGER remained with CONSTELLATION for almost a month. USS ALBERT DAVID (DE 1050) relieved her on May 17, after which BADGER proceeded to Sasebo, Japan. She spent approximately one week there undergoing upkeep and providing liberty for her crew before departing on May 29.

On June 2, 1972, BADGER joined USS STERETT (DLG 31) on the middle search-and-rescue station in the Gulf of Tonkin. Ships on this station supported aircraft rescue operations and maintained surveillance over the surrounding air and sea space. On June 6, however, BADGER was reassigned to plane-guard duty with the antisubmarine support carrier USS TICONDEROGA (CVS 14). After approximately twenty days with TICONDEROGA, she returned to the gunline on June 26 and resumed naval gunfire-support operations.

BADGER shifted back to carrier support on July 7, joining USS MIDWAY (CVA 41) as plane guard while the carrier left Vietnamese waters. The ships arrived at Subic Bay on July 8. After upkeep and replenishment, BADGER departed Subic Bay on July 17 and returned to the combat zone. On July 19, she resumed gunfire missions in South Vietnam's Military Region II, where she joined five other American ships supporting operations by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's 22nd Division. Her assignments again involved firing on targets ashore in coordination with South Vietnamese forces and American advisers.

On August 9, BADGER began an assignment intended to disrupt North Vietnamese waterborne logistics. Coastal vessels and smaller craft were used to move supplies along the shoreline and through areas where road and rail communications were vulnerable to air attack. BADGER remained engaged in this interdiction duty until August 12, when she relieved USS WORDEN (DLG 18) as plane guard for MIDWAY during the carrier's passage toward Subic Bay. They reached the Philippine base on August 14. BADGER departed again on August 15 and arrived at Hong Kong on August 17. She remained there for upkeep and liberty until August 23, returned to Subic Bay on August 24, and underwent further repairs before leaving for Vietnamese waters on August 30.

Upon returning to the Gulf of Tonkin, BADGER served as escort for the nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser USS LONG BEACH (CGN 9) on the middle search-and-rescue station. In addition to her rescue-support and escort responsibilities, BADGER monitored two Chinese merchant vessels operating in the area. USS GRIDLEY (DLG 21) later relieved LONG BEACH, but BADGER remained on station until September 10, when USS HEPBURN (DE 1055) took over her duties.

BADGER then rendezvoused with the aircraft carrier USS HANCOCK (CVA 19). She provided plane-guard services during HANCOCK's final strike operations of the deployment and escorted the carrier to Subic Bay, arriving on September 15. After four days in port, BADGER departed for Yokosuka, Japan, where she made an overnight call on September 22 and 23. She then crossed the Pacific in company with HANCOCK. The ships did not make an intermediate port call, relying instead on underway refueling, and arrived at Long Beach on October 4. BADGER's first deployment had lasted slightly more than six and a half months and she subsequently received one battle star for her Vietnam War service.

A post-deployment leave and upkeep period followed. On January 8, 1973, BADGER entered Todd Shipyard in Los Angeles for a restricted availability. Her steam propulsion plant was converted to burn Navy distillate fuel, replacing the heavier fuel previously used by many steam-powered warships. The change simplified fuel logistics and reduced some of the operational difficulties associated with heavier fuel oil. The ship was also modified to support the Light Airborne Multipurpose System. LAMPS allowed BADGER to operate an embarked SH-2 Seasprite helicopter equipped for antisubmarine warfare, surface surveillance, and over-the-horizon targeting, substantially extending the effective range of the ship's sensors.

The availability ended on May 18, 1973. BADGER conducted trials and independent exercises in the southern California operating area and then resumed normal operations from Long Beach. On July 9, she departed for a permanent change of home port to Pearl Harbor. She completed the passage in six days and entered Pearl Harbor on July 14. Training in Hawaiian waters occupied most of the following two months.

On September 11, 1973, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor to participate in RIMPAC 1973, a multinational exercise involving the naval forces of four Pacific nations. The exercise was intended to improve combined tactics, communications, antisubmarine warfare, air defense, and replenishment procedures. On September 15, a casualty involving BADGER's evaporators forced her to withdraw to Pearl Harbor for repairs. She returned to sea on the afternoon of September 16, rejoined the exercise, and returned to Pearl Harbor after its completion on September 21.

BADGER departed Pearl Harbor on September 24 and arrived at Long Beach on October 1. Following a sixteen-day port visit, she began her second western Pacific deployment on October 17. She rendezvoused with the aircraft carrier USS ORISKANY (CVA 34), forming Task Group 37.4. Other ships of Destroyer Squadron 35 subsequently joined the formation during the Pacific crossing. The task group arrived at Subic Bay on November 5.

On November 9, BADGER departed Subic Bay with USS BREWTON (DE 1086) and the ammunition ship USS KISKA (AE 35). Their destination was the Persian Gulf, where they were scheduled to take part in the Central Treaty Organization exercise MIDLINK 1973. After a stop at Singapore, the ships proceeded through the Strait of Malacca and across the Indian Ocean, arriving at Bandar Abbas, Iran, on November 23. At that time, Iran, governed by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was an important American security partner and hosted frequent naval exercises involving the United States and other nations associated with CENTO.

BADGER operated from Bandar Abbas during MIDLINK until the exercise ended on December 2. The training included combined communications, formation maneuvering, air and surface surveillance, antisubmarine procedures, and other coordinated naval operations. Following a brief liberty period at Bandar Abbas, BADGER departed on December 3 with BREWTON and KISKA. The ships again visited Singapore during their return journey and reached Subic Bay on December 21. BADGER immediately began repairs and upkeep that continued for approximately one month.

On January 20, 1974, BADGER departed Subic Bay for Guam, arriving on January 24. She conducted special operations from the Mariana Islands until February 13. She returned to Subic Bay on February 17 and spent the following month conducting exercises and local operations in Philippine waters. BADGER departed Subic Bay on March 18 for a succession of East Asian port visits. She arrived at Hong Kong on March 21 and remained there until April 1. She visited Keelung, Taiwan, from April 3 to 8 and shifted to Kaohsiung on April 9, remaining there for eight days. She returned to Subic Bay on April 18. From April 22 to 27, BADGER operated in the South China Sea while monitoring two Soviet submarines. Such surveillance was a routine but important element of Cold War naval operations, allowing the United States Navy to observe Soviet submarine movements and operating patterns. BADGER returned to Subic Bay on April 27 and remained there until May 5. She then began her return voyage to Hawaii, stopped at Guam, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on May 18.

Following leave and upkeep, BADGER went to sea on June 21, 1974, to test her propulsion plant and associated machinery. She returned to Pearl Harbor that evening and remained in port until July 11, when she departed for final full-power tests. During the run, the low-pressure turbine suffered a serious casualty. The harbor tug WAXAHACHIE (YTB 814) initially took BADGER in tow. The salvage ship USS RECLAIMER (ARS 42) subsequently assumed the tow and brought the disabled destroyer escort into Pearl Harbor on the morning of July 12.

BADGER entered a restricted availability at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for repairs to her propulsion system. The work continued until late October. She resumed local operations during November and spent the final two months of 1974 and the first two months of 1975 conducting training, trials, qualifications, and readiness exercises in Hawaiian waters. On March 11, 1975, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor for RIMPAC 1975. The exercise brought together American, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand naval units for a broad program of antisubmarine warfare, surface action, air defense, communications, logistics, and command-and-control training. The exercise ended on March 21, and BADGER returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for another western Pacific deployment.

BADGER departed Pearl Harbor on April 17, 1975, and rendezvoused with USS HAROLD E. HOLT (DE 1074), the guided-missile destroyer escort USS SCHOFIELD (DEG 3), and KISKA. The group reached Guam on April 28 and refueled before continuing toward the Philippines. The ships were briefly diverted toward the South China Sea in connection with the evacuation of South Vietnam. Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of Americans and at-risk South Vietnamese from Saigon, took place on April 29 and 30 as North Vietnamese forces entered the capital. After the diversion, BADGER and the other ships arrived at Subic Bay on May 4.

On May 5, BADGER returned to sea to escort MIDWAY to Guam. The carrier was transporting aircraft removed from South Vietnam during the evacuation. BADGER and MIDWAY arrived at Guam on May 11, unloaded the aircraft, and departed again on May 12. While BADGER was returning toward the Philippines, she received orders to assist in the recovery of the American container ship SS MAYAGUEZ, which Cambodian Khmer Rouge forces had seized on May 12. The seizure occurred shortly after the fall of Phnom Penh and produced the final major American military confrontation connected with the conflicts in Indochina. MAYAGUEZ and its crew were recovered before BADGER reached the area, and the frigate resumed her passage to Subic Bay, arriving on May 17.

BADGER subsequently spent two days escorting HANCOCK during operations in the local Philippine training area and returned to port on May 22. After approximately one week of upkeep, she departed for Guam and entered Apra Harbor on June 2. She remained there until June 13, when she began a period of special operations with BREWTON. The two ships returned to Guam on June 22. BADGER departed again on June 25 and proceeded to Subic Bay.

On June 30, 1975, BADGER left Subic Bay as a unit of Task Group 75.1 for an extended training cruise through the Indian Ocean. On July 1, as part of a Navy-wide change in surface-warship classifications, she was redesignated from destroyer escort DE 1071 to frigate FF 1071.

During the Indian Ocean cruise, BADGER conducted refueling and replenishment exercises, towing drills, communications training, gunfire exercises, engineering tests, formation maneuvering, and other fleet-readiness evolutions. Port visits included Singapore; Port Louis, Mauritius; Mombasa, Kenya; Karachi, Pakistan; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The deployment exposed the crew to the long distances and limited support infrastructure of the Indian Ocean, an area receiving increasing American strategic attention because of its oil routes, access to the Persian Gulf, and growing Soviet naval presence.

BADGER concluded the cruise at Subic Bay on September 11, 1975. She began an upkeep period that included drydocking and continued until September 29. She departed for Hong Kong on October 1 and arrived on October 3. A typhoon threatened the harbor area, forcing BADGER to put to sea from October 5 to 7. She returned after the storm had passed and remained at Hong Kong until October 9. She then proceeded to Guam, arriving on October 15. Two weeks of upkeep, local operations, and sea trials followed. BADGER departed Guam on October 29 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on November 8. The remainder of the year was devoted to post-deployment leave, upkeep, and the holiday stand-down.

During the first five months of 1976, BADGER alternated local training periods with maintenance and preparations for her first regular overhaul. Her crew began moving into shore accommodations late in May, and the overhaul formally started at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on June 7. The work occupied the remainder of 1976 and included repairs and refurbishment of the steam propulsion plant, hull, electrical equipment, habitability spaces, sonar, weapons, and other systems that had accumulated heavy use during three western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployments.

BADGER emerged from the shipyard on January 11, 1977, and conducted sea trials on January 12. Further machinery trials, inspections, certifications, and readiness evaluations followed. She began refresher training in July and continued through the first week of August, restoring the crew's proficiency in engineering, damage control, communications, antisubmarine warfare, gunnery, aviation operations, and shiphandling.

On August 22, 1977, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor with ships of Destroyer Squadron 23 for the west coast. The ships conducted exercises throughout the eastern Pacific crossing and arrived at San Diego on August 31. BADGER remained there until September 9 and then began operations with San Diego-based fleet units. She returned to the port on September 15, remained until September 19, and then participated in Exercise Varsity Spirit off California. At the end of the exercise, she set course for Hawaii and entered Pearl Harbor on October 1.

BADGER departed Pearl Harbor on November 2, 1977, with the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) and other ships assigned to Destroyer Squadron 25. The formation conducted numerous exercises during its passage and arrived at Yokosuka on November 23. During the deployment, BADGER trained with units of the Seventh Fleet and with allied naval forces. Her operations included carrier escort, antisubmarine exercises, formation maneuvering, air-defense training, surveillance, replenishment at sea, helicopter operations, and communications drills. She made a goodwill visit to Singapore and called at several Japanese and South Korean ports. Subic Bay served repeatedly as her principal location for replenishment, maintenance, repairs, and crew rest. The deployment took place during a period of continuing Cold War competition in the western Pacific, where American forces maintained a regular presence near the Soviet Far East, the Korean Peninsula, and the major sea routes of Southeast Asia.

BADGER returned to Pearl Harbor on May 8, 1978. Her post-deployment stand-down continued until the middle of June. She then resumed exercises in Hawaiian waters. For the following nine months, she conducted local antisubmarine warfare, gunnery, engineering, aviation, and readiness training from Pearl Harbor, interrupted by routine maintenance, inspections, and in-port periods.

On March 17, 1979, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor for another Seventh Fleet deployment in company with BREWTON, USS RATHBURNE (FF 1057), USS RAMSEY (FFG 2), and the guided-missile destroyer USS LYNDE McCORMICK (DDG 8). The ships stopped at Guam for fuel on March 29 and arrived at Subic Bay on April 4. During the rest of April, BADGER alternated upkeep periods with exercises in the local operating area.

During the first half of May, BADGER, BREWTON, and RATHBURNE made a round trip from Subic Bay to Hong Kong for a goodwill and liberty visit. BADGER then operated with a task group in the South China Sea during the latter part of May and the opening days of June. She returned to Subic Bay on June 11. Apart from a three-day period at sea for local training, she spent the remainder of June undergoing upkeep and preparing for another Indian Ocean cruise.

BADGER departed Subic Bay on July 1, 1979, with BREWTON, RATHBURNE, and the fleet oiler USNS MISPILLION (T-AO 105). The group stopped at Singapore for four days, passed through the Strait of Malacca on July 8, and entered the Indian Ocean. Intensive exercises covered the full range of shipboard operations, including underway replenishment, antisubmarine warfare, communications, formation maneuvering, engineering casualty control, gunnery, and aviation coordination. Port visits included Colombo and Mombasa. The ships subsequently operated in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman, areas whose importance had increased because of the Iranian Revolution, instability on the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa, and the strategic dependence of Western economies on petroleum moving through the region. The task group left the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca on August 29 and proceeded to the Gulf of Siam. There it joined units of the Royal Thai Navy for Exercise Sea Siamex X.

Sea Siamex X ended on September 7. The ships then made a four-day visit to Pattaya Beach, Thailand, before beginning the voyage to the Philippines. BADGER was detached to proceed independently toward Luzon but was diverted to aid fourteen Vietnamese refugees found adrift in a small boat. She rescued all fourteen and carried them safely to Subic Bay, arriving on September 15. The incident occurred during the large movement of Vietnamese people fleeing their country by sea in the years after the end of the war.

BADGER departed Subic Bay on September 21 with BREWTON and RATHBURNE. After refueling stops at Guam and Midway, the ships arrived at Pearl Harbor on October 4. Post-deployment leave and upkeep followed. BADGER resumed local operations late in December.

On January 7, 1980, BADGER entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a seven-week availability. Repairs were completed on February 27, after which she conducted sea trials, inspections, certifications, and exercises in Hawaiian waters. On July 1, BADGER launched an RGM-84 Harpoon antiship missile from her Mk 16 ASROC launcher during a missile exercise off Hawaii, demonstrating an over-the-horizon antiship capability that supplemented the weapons originally installed for her principal antisubmarine mission.

During the middle of August, BADGER began pre-deployment exercises with a carrier task group built around USS RANGER (CV 61). The group returned to Pearl Harbor on September 23 for final preparations and liberty. BADGER departed Hawaii with the RANGER group on September 26 and arrived at Subic Bay on October 15. She began a ten-day availability and returned to sea late on October 26 to rendezvous with the rest of the task group.

The ships began passing through the Strait of Malacca on October 30 and entered the Indian Ocean on October 31. Their deployment reflected American concern about the seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, the continuing captivity of the American hostages, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in September 1980. Although the RANGER battle group did not enter the Persian Gulf, it operated in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea close enough to respond to regional developments. BADGER remained with the group through the end of 1980, conducting intensive carrier-escort, air-defense, antisubmarine, surveillance, replenishment, and allied training operations.

The American hostages in Iran were released on January 20, 1981, but BADGER and the RANGER task group remained in the Indian Ocean for approximately seven more weeks. They continued exercises and presence operations until March 11, when the group passed eastward through the Strait of Malacca. BADGER returned to Subic Bay on March 23 and began twelve days of upkeep. The RANGER battle group departed the western Pacific for Hawaii on April 16. After twelve days at sea, BADGER arrived at Pearl Harbor on April 28.

BADGER spent May combining post-deployment stand-down with preparations for an inspection by the Board of Inspection and Survey. After the inspection early in June, she resumed training in Hawaiian waters. These operations continued through the summer. In September 1981, she entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for another overhaul. BADGER remained in the shipyard throughout the rest of 1981 and the first quarter of 1982. The ship did not return to sea until late May 1982. Refresher training, inspections, weapons qualifications, engineering certifications, damage-control exercises, and material-readiness evaluations followed. BADGER spent the remainder of 1982 in a continuous cycle of local training and upkeep. This routine continued through the first five weeks of 1983.

On February 8, 1983, BADGER departed on a six-week eastern Pacific cruise with USS COCHRANE (DDG 21), USS GRAY (FF 1054), and USS LANG (FF 1060), all associated with Destroyer Squadron 25. During the cruise, she completed a Composite Training Unit Exercise, a readiness exercise, and naval gunfire-support requalification. BADGER returned to Pearl Harbor on March 21 and spent the following month preparing for deployment.

BADGER departed Pearl Harbor on April 24, 1983, with USS ELLIOT (DD 967) and USS BROOKE (FFG 1). The ships first conducted exercises near Kauai on the Pacific Missile Range before beginning their transpacific passage on April 26. After a voyage involving repeated drills and a five-day availability at Guam, BADGER arrived at Manila on May 16. BADGER was ordered to sea at short notice, leaving approximately fifty-two members of her crew ashore on leave or liberty. From May 18 to 20, she conducted an unannounced antisubmarine warfare operation west of Subic Bay. Four of the men left behind were returned to the frigate by the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA (CV 43) on May 20. BADGER then proceeded toward Hong Kong, where the remaining men rejoined her after being transported aboard the command ship USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19).

BADGER departed Hong Kong on May 27 and conducted further antisubmarine operations in the South China Sea through the end of the month. She stopped briefly at Subic Bay for fuel on June 1 and then headed north. During the passage, she participated in an amphibious exercise near Okinawa and arrived at Yokosuka on June 16. Eight days of repairs followed. BADGER then returned to the South China Sea and carried out surveillance missions until the latter part of July. The frigate subsequently returned to Subic Bay for voyage repairs and naval gunfire-support requalification at the Tabones range. She departed for Yokosuka on July 27 and spent the first ten days of August undergoing additional repairs. BADGER returned to sea on August 11 and began surveillance operations in the Sea of Japan. She completed that assignment on September 2 and initially headed toward Sasebo.

Her plans changed after a Soviet fighter shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 west of Sakhalin Island on September 1, 1983. All 269 people aboard the civilian Boeing 747 were killed. The incident sharply increased Cold War tensions and led to an international effort to search for survivors, wreckage, flight recorders, and other evidence in waters monitored closely by both Soviet and Western forces. BADGER received orders on September 3 to proceed north and join the search.

Rear Admiral William A. Cockell, Commander Task Force 71, and a small staff were flown from Wakkanai, Japan, to BADGER on September 9 in a LAMPS helicopter. They were subsequently transferred to ELLIOT, which was serving as the tactical command platform for the search operation. BADGER continued supporting the search, surveillance, and recovery effort in the area.

On September 17, BADGER's embarked SH-2F Seasprite from Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 37, Detachment 2, crashed into the sea. The high-endurance cutter USCGC MUNRO (WHEC 724) promptly recovered all four members of the helicopter crew from the water. BADGER completed her part in the Flight 007 search on September 20 and arrived at Yokosuka on September 21. BADGER began her return journey on October 23. During the passage, she participated in Exercise Battle Week 84-1 and later visited Apra Harbor, Guam. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on November 11. Admiral William J. Crowe Jr., Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Command, visited the frigate on November 29 and addressed the crew regarding the deployment and the Flight 007 operation. BADGER remained at Pearl Harbor during most of the rest of the year for post-deployment leave, upkeep, and the holiday stand-down. Her only further sea period came on December 20 and 21, when she escorted the submarine USS SWORDFISH (SSN 579) during local operations.

BADGER returned to sea on January 9, 1984, for three days of tests and training with the submarine USS OMAHA (SSN 692). An inspection and survey followed, after which the frigate began a two-month restricted availability. The repairs ended on March 21. BADGER then underwent post-availability trials, inspections, examinations, certifications, and refresher training through the middle of June and continued local training into July.

On July 20, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor with the guided-missile destroyer USS JOSEPH STRAUSS (DDG 16) and Amphibious Squadron 5. During the following six weeks, she conducted exercises in waters along the west coast of the United States. She returned to Hawaii at the end of August. Apart from a drydocking period from September 28 to October 15, BADGER spent September and most of October conducting normal operations in Hawaiian waters.

During the final week of October 1984, BADGER joined the opening phase of a large fleet exercise involving carrier task groups built around CONSTELLATION and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70). BADGER returned to Pearl Harbor from November 2 to 6, then went back to sea to complete the exercise and continue westward for seven additional weeks of training. Operating with the CARL VINSON battle group, she conducted exercises in the Mariana Islands, Philippine Sea, and Japanese waters. After completing her part in the exercise program early in December and visiting Yokosuka, BADGER departed Japan on December 13 with JOSEPH STRAUSS. They arrived at Pearl Harbor on December 22.

BADGER resumed operations soon after the start of 1985. On January 10, she departed on a two-week mission in the eastern Pacific, operating in an area approximately two-thirds of the distance from Oahu to the northern California coast. She returned to Pearl Harbor on January 24 and spent more than two months conducting local operations. A special assignment near Midway followed early in April, after which BADGER completed a four-week restricted availability at Pearl Harbor.

On May 11, 1985, BADGER headed for the west coast and participated in several exercises in the southern California operating area. She returned to Oahu on June 14 and began preparations for another overseas deployment. BADGER departed Pearl Harbor on August 2 and joined a task group centered on KITTY HAWK on August 3. The ships reached Subic Bay on August 19 after a seventeen-day passage filled with tactical exercises. BADGER spent five days undergoing repairs and attending operational conferences before departing for the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea on August 24.

BADGER and the guided-missile cruiser USS HORNE (CG 30) temporarily separated from the carrier group to pass through the Strait of Malacca and participate in Exercise Merlion 1985 with the Republic of Singapore Navy on August 29 and 30. The two American ships rejoined the carrier group in the Bay of Bengal on September 1. During the subsequent passage, BADGER assisted in recovering debris from a helicopter accident. She reached the northern Arabian Sea patrol area on September 10 and remained on station for approximately four weeks.

Early in October, BADGER made a five-day visit to Mombasa. She then returned to the Arabian Sea and underwent a tender availability alongside the repair ship USS AJAX (AR 6) at Masirah Island, Oman. Early in November, BADGER visited Karachi, Pakistan, where she participated in an antisubmarine warfare exercise with units of the Pakistan Navy. She rejoined the KITTY HAWK group south of Sri Lanka on November 17 as the formation headed toward the Philippines. After six days at Subic Bay, the task group departed for Hawaii on December 1. BADGER arrived at Pearl Harbor on December 12.

The remainder of 1985 and the opening weeks of 1986 were devoted to post-deployment leave, holiday stand-down, and a six-week maintenance availability. BADGER returned to sea on February 1, 1986, for readiness exercises near Kauai. Similar training occupied her through the second week of April. BADGER then began a six-week goodwill cruise through the South Pacific. She visited Pago Pago in American Samoa; Apia in Western Samoa; Nuku'alofa and Vava'u in Tonga; and Funafuti in Tuvalu. She returned toward Hawaii by way of a second call at Apia and entered Pearl Harbor on May 12. The cruise supported American diplomatic contacts with the small island nations of the region while providing the crew with navigation, communications, and independent steaming experience far from established fleet bases.

Following approximately four weeks in port, BADGER participated in a phase of RIMPAC 1986 and returned to Oahu on June 14. She departed again on June 23 for EastPac 1986, a seven-week program of exercises and west coast port visits. BADGER called at Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as San Francisco and San Diego. She returned to Pearl Harbor on August 9.

BADGER conducted antisubmarine warfare exercises late in August and then entered a five-week maintenance availability. Engineering drills followed in the middle of October and early November, culminating in a propulsion-plant certification examination. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on November 14, preparations began for an extended drydocking. BADGER entered dry dock on December 8.

The frigate was refloated on March 2, 1987, but repairs continued throughout March and the first half of April. Two brief sea trials were conducted during the latter part of April. BADGER began returning to a more active schedule on May 20 and 21 with helicopter landing qualifications. Additional sea periods at the end of May supported her material-readiness inspection. From June through the end of 1987, she conducted local training, engineering drills, antisubmarine exercises, weapons qualifications, aviation operations, and inspections in Hawaiian waters.

BADGER continued operating from Pearl Harbor during the opening months of 1988. Late in March, she began a four-week cruise to the west coast for battle-readiness exercises. She returned to Pearl Harbor at the end of April and remained in port for approximately five weeks. Local operations resumed on June 9 but continued for less than two weeks. On June 22, 1988, BADGER departed Pearl Harbor for the western Pacific as part of a task group centered on CARL VINSON. She remained with the group during most of the Pacific crossing but detached on July 4 and proceeded independently toward Japan. BADGER arrived at Yokosuka on July 16 and underwent five days of repairs and upkeep. She departed for the Philippines on July 22 and arrived at Subic Bay on July 27. After only three days in port, she sailed for Singapore on July 30.

BADGER's Singapore visit was shortened by orders received on August 6 directing her to assist Vietnamese refugees near the Spratly Islands. On August 9, she took aboard fifty-seven survivors from a group that had originally numbered 104 people. BADGER carried the refugees to Subic Bay and disembarked them there on August 10. The rescue formed part of the broader humanitarian problem created by the continuing departure of Vietnamese refugees in small and often unseaworthy vessels.

After several days of upkeep, BADGER returned to Japan. During the remainder of August and the first part of September, she visited several Japanese ports. She departed Yokosuka on September 12 for two weeks of operations in the East China Sea with a task group centered on MIDWAY. BADGER visited Pusan, South Korea, on September 28 and 29 and then began approximately two weeks of surveillance operations in the Sea of Japan.

In the middle of October, BADGER made a five-day call at Chinhae, South Korea, followed by four days of training with units of the Republic of Korea Navy. She visited Pusan again late in October and Hong Kong early in November. BADGER returned to Subic Bay on November 11 and prepared for the homeward passage. She departed on November 22, ending the final Seventh Fleet deployment of her commissioned career, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on December 6.

BADGER remained in post-deployment stand-down until January 17, 1989. She then resumed training in Hawaiian waters and maintained a moderately active operating schedule through the end of May. On May 30, the frigate began an extensive civilian-contractor availability that continued for almost four months. The work was completed on September 24. BADGER conducted post-repair trials and examinations during October and resumed normal training early in November. She remained engaged in local operations through the end of 1989 and into the opening months of 1990.

Late in March 1990, BADGER took on a new operational role by embarking a United States Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment. From March 28 to April 12, she conducted maritime drug-interdiction operations. These missions combined the Navy's ships, sensors, helicopters, endurance, and communications with the Coast Guard's law-enforcement authority and boarding expertise. BADGER then returned to more conventional local training until the middle of June.

On June 18, 1990, BADGER embarked another Coast Guard detachment and departed Hawaii for the west coast. Operating principally from San Diego, she conducted a succession of eastern Pacific drug-interdiction patrols through the summer. At the beginning of September, BADGER transferred Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 37, Detachment 10, to USS OUELLET (FF 1077) and disembarked the Coast Guard personnel at San Francisco. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on September 11.

BADGER began a restricted availability on September 20, which kept her in port through most of the remaining months of 1990. She resumed active training early in December, but the sea period lasted only about two weeks. Holiday leave and upkeep began in the middle of December and continued for approximately one month.

BADGER returned to local operations in the middle of January 1991 and continued training in Hawaiian waters until early June. During June and the first part of July, she made one final cruise to the North American west coast before beginning deactivation. Port visits included San Diego; Portland, Oregon; and Homer, Alaska. BADGER returned to Oahu on July 16. After that date, she did not go to sea again, except for movements between berths within Pearl Harbor.

USS BADGER was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on December 20, 1991, after twenty-one years and nineteen days of commissioned service. The decision reflected the post-Cold War reduction of the United States fleet, the increasing maintenance costs of aging steam-powered frigates, and the availability of newer ships equipped with more modern missile, radar, sonar, and propulsion systems. BADGER remained in Navy custody after decommissioning and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995.

The former frigate was subsequently prepared for use as a target during RIMPAC 1998. She was sunk on July 21, 1998, during a United States Third Fleet live-fire exercise at approximately 22°51.1' North, 160°33' West, in deep water north of Hawaii.

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