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USS Harold E. Holt (FF 1074)

USS HAROLD E. HOLT was the 23^rd KNOX - class frigate. The ship is named in honor of the late Prime Minister of Australia: Harold Edward Holt was elected Prime Minister of Australia on 20 January 1966 and held office until his tragic drowning on 17 December 1967. Prime Minister Holt was a staunch anticommunist and an avid supporter of the United States.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT's history includes the reclamation of the containership SS MAYAGUEZ in May 1975. MAYAGUEZ was seized by the Cambodians and the crew was held captive. HOLT went alongside and boarded the MAYAGUEZ. Together with other Navy and Marine units, HOLT repatriated the MAYAGUEZ crew. Decommissioned on July 2, 1992, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the HAROLD E. HOLT was disposed of as a target on July 10, 2002, during RIMPAC 2002. The ship was sunk by the USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964) at 023° 02' North, 160° 04' West.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS HAROLD E. HOLT. 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 HAROLD E. HOLT memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS HAROLD E. HOLT Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 1975
• WestPac Cruise Book 1980

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Accidents aboard USS HAROLD E. HOLT:

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The principal theme of HAROLD E. HOLT's insignia is to denote the unity existing between the nations of Australia and the United States. This was accomplished by using, with their kind permission, the coat of arms of the Australian State of Victoria emblazoned on the breast of an American eagle.

The coat of arms of Victoria was chosen because it depicts the southern cross constellation, which is also symbolized on the Australian national ensign, and Victoria is the state where the late Prime Minister Holt lived throughout most of his life and represented in the National Parliament.

The two crossed tridents in the grasp of the eagle symbolize sea power. The anchor is an ancient nautical symbol.

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About the Ship's Name:

Harold Edward Holt was born in Sydney, Australia, on August 5, 1908. Educated at the University of Melbourne, where he studied law, he entered federal politics in 1935 as a member of the United Australia Party. After the creation of the Liberal Party of Australia, Holt became one of its senior figures and served in several ministerial positions under Prime Minister Robert Menzies. His responsibilities included labour and national service, immigration, and the Treasury. He became deputy leader of the Liberal Party in 1956 and succeeded Menzies as Australia's seventeenth prime minister on January 26, 1966.

Holt's comparatively brief premiership coincided with a period of economic, social, and strategic change. His government oversaw the introduction of decimal currency, continued the gradual relaxation of the restrictive immigration policies commonly known as the White Australia Policy, and supported the constitutional referendum of May 27, 1967, which removed discriminatory references to Aboriginal Australians and expanded the federal government's authority to legislate on their behalf. In foreign affairs, Holt strongly supported the alliance with the United States and maintained Australia's military commitment to the Vietnam War. His close relationship with President Lyndon B. Johnson became one of the most visible features of his government.

On December 17, 1967, Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria. An extensive search failed to recover his body, and he was presumed to have drowned. His death was formally accepted two days later, ending his premiership after 692 days. The naming of USS HAROLD E. HOLT recognized both Holt personally and the close political and military relationship between Australia and the United States.

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USS HAROLD E. HOLT History:

The contract for the construction of USS HAROLD E. HOLT was awarded on July 22, 1964. Her keel was laid at the Los Angeles Division of Todd Shipyards Corporation in San Pedro, California, on May 11, 1968. She was launched on May 3, 1969, sponsored by Zara Holt, the widow of Harold Holt. Following completion, fitting out, and builders' trials, USS HAROLD E. HOLT was delivered to the Navy on March 19, 1971. She was commissioned at Long Beach Naval Shipyard on March 26, 1971, with Commander John P. Leahy in command. Initially designated DE 1074, USS HAROLD E. HOLT was a KNOX-class ocean escort designed primarily for antisubmarine warfare and the protection of aircraft carriers, amphibious groups, replenishment formations, and merchant convoys.

Following commissioning, USS HAROLD E. HOLT remained in Southern California for fitting out, engineering trials, weapons tests, crew training, and shakedown work. Her earliest operations were closely connected with the development of the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System. Off San Diego, she conducted trials with SH-2D Seasprite helicopters from Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 31. The helicopter was intended to extend the surveillance and weapons range of the ship beyond the limits of its hull-mounted sonar and surface-search radar. It could deploy sonobuoys, carry lightweight antisubmarine torpedoes, investigate submarine and surface contacts, assist in search-and-rescue operations, and relay tactical information to the ship. Integrating the aircraft into a relatively small escort required practical evaluation of flight-deck procedures, maintenance support, hangar arrangements, communications, lighting, aviation fuel handling, and the movement of weapons and equipment.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT continued this work during the opening months of 1972 while preparing for regular Pacific Fleet operations. Those plans changed after North Vietnam began its Easter Offensive on March 30, 1972. The large conventional attack placed South Vietnamese forces under severe pressure and led the United States to reinforce its naval and air forces in Southeast Asia.

In mid-April 1972, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 31 Detachment 2 embarked aboard USS HAROLD E. HOLT with an SH-2D Seasprite. The ship then departed California for the western Pacific. She became the first KNOX-class escort to undertake an operational deployment with an embarked Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System detachment.

After crossing the Pacific through Hawaiian waters, USS HAROLD E. HOLT continued toward the Philippines and the South China Sea. She entered the Gulf of Tonkin during a period of intensive American carrier and surface operations. United States aircraft carriers operating from Yankee Station were conducting strikes against military targets and transportation networks in North Vietnam. Cruisers, destroyers, and escorts provided air surveillance, carrier protection, plane-guard services, antisubmarine defense, communications support, and naval gunfire along the Vietnamese coast. One of the ship's assignments was escort duty in connection with ships operating in the Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone. These radar picket ships monitored aircraft approaching and leaving North Vietnamese airspace and assisted in coordinating the movements of American combat aircraft. USS HAROLD E. HOLT contributed her own sensors and communications equipment while protecting the radar ship against submarine, surface, and air threats.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT also operated with carrier forces in the Gulf of Tonkin. Her duties included antisubmarine patrols, surface surveillance, plane-guard stations during flight operations, communications relay work, and the coordination of her embarked helicopter with other ships and aircraft. The helicopter detachment operated under combat conditions rather than as a purely experimental organization, providing practical evidence of the system's value aboard surface escorts.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT was also assigned naval gunfire support missions near Quang Tri and other areas along the northern coast of South Vietnam. Quang Tri Province had become one of the principal battlefields of the Easter Offensive after North Vietnamese forces crossed the Demilitarized Zone and captured Quang Tri City. American ships supported South Vietnamese forces attempting to halt the offensive and recover lost territory.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT used her 5-inch gun against designated military targets ashore. The fire missions were coordinated with observers and command centers that provided target positions and corrections. The ship operated close enough to the coast to come under North Vietnamese shore-battery fire on several occasions. She maneuvered in response while continuing or temporarily suspending her gunfire according to the tactical situation. During the deployment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT also struck a mine. The explosion caused limited damage but did not prevent her from continuing operations.

The embarked helicopter detachment spent extended periods at sea with the ship, including approximately 45 days in an interdiction operating area. The deployment produced recommendations concerning hangar arrangements, night-flight lighting, aircraft maintenance, flight-deck handling, and the organization of helicopter detachments aboard escorts. These lessons contributed to the subsequent use of the system throughout the KNOX-class and other surface forces.

After completing her combat assignments, USS HAROLD E. HOLT began the eastward passage across the Pacific. From November 14 through November 21, 1972, she sailed toward Pearl Harbor in company with the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CVA 63) and the guided-missile frigate USS GRIDLEY (DLG 21). USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned to Long Beach late in November, while the helicopter detachment completed its approximately seven-month deployment on December 1.

The ship received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the period from May 5 through November 28, 1972, and earned campaign credit for her service in Vietnam. The deployment had occurred only about one year after commissioning and had combined combat operations with the operational introduction of a new aviation system.

Following post-deployment leave and maintenance, USS HAROLD E. HOLT resumed training during 1973. Her crew restored engineering and weapons readiness, conducted helicopter qualifications, and incorporated the lessons learned during the Vietnam deployment. During 1973, the ship transferred her home port from Long Beach to Pearl Harbor, which remained her base for the rest of her active career. The move placed USS HAROLD E. HOLT closer to the central and western Pacific and made her part of the force of frigates, destroyers, cruisers, submarines, and support ships operating from Hawaii. Pearl Harbor provided the maintenance and logistics facilities required to support lengthy deployments to East Asia and the Indian Ocean.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT subsequently deployed to the western Pacific and Indian Ocean during the 1973-74 period. The Indian Ocean had become increasingly important to American naval planning. Soviet naval activity in the region was expanding, while the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, political instability in the Middle East, and the strategic importance of oil routes increased the requirement for an American naval presence.

From December 22 through December 27, 1973, USS HAROLD E. HOLT visited Port Victoria in the Seychelles in company with the guided-missile frigate USS ENGLAND (DLG 22). The visit provided replenishment, maintenance, and crew rest during a period of Indian Ocean operations. The ships also represented the continuing American ability to sustain naval forces far from bases in Hawaii and the Philippines. During the deployment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT conducted surveillance, antisubmarine training, communications exercises, helicopter operations, and other routine fleet activities. Her principal function remained the detection and tracking of submarines and the protection of larger ships, but she also contributed to surface surveillance and the monitoring of Soviet naval movements.

After returning to Pearl Harbor, USS HAROLD E. HOLT entered another cycle of upkeep, inspections, local exercises, helicopter training, and deployment preparation. Although direct American military participation in Vietnam had ended, the Pacific Fleet continued to train for antisubmarine warfare against Soviet submarines and maintained forces capable of responding to political or military crises in East and Southeast Asia.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT departed Pearl Harbor for another western Pacific deployment in April 1975. On April 17, she rendezvoused with USS BADGER (DE 1071), USS SCHOFIELD (DEG 3), and the ammunition ship USS KISKA (AE 35). The formation proceeded westward and stopped at Guam for fuel on April 28. The deployment coincided with the final collapse of the governments of South Vietnam and the Khmer Republic. Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17, while North Vietnamese forces continued their advance toward Saigon. American naval and amphibious forces assembled in the South China Sea to support evacuations and respond to the movement of refugees.

Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of American and designated Vietnamese personnel from Saigon, took place on April 29 and April 30. USS HAROLD E. HOLT was part of the naval force supporting the evacuation and the broader response to the collapse of South Vietnam. She later received both Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal credit for those two days. USS HAROLD E. HOLT and the other ships continued to the Philippines and arrived at Subic Bay on May 4, 1975. Thousands of refugees and numerous former South Vietnamese vessels were arriving in areas controlled by the United States and its allies. American naval ships helped identify, escort, supply, and direct refugee vessels while authorities attempted to manage the rapid transfer of people and former South Vietnamese naval assets.

On May 10, USS HAROLD E. HOLT operated with the refrigerated stores ship USS VEGA (AF 59) in connection with refugee-vessel escort duties. The frigate's sensors and communications equipment allowed her to locate and monitor vessels, while USS VEGA could provide food and other supplies. This work was interrupted two days later by a crisis involving the American merchant ship SS MAYAGUEZ.

On May 12, 1975, Khmer Rouge patrol forces seized SS MAYAGUEZ near Poulo Wai in the Gulf of Thailand. The capture occurred less than one month after the fall of Phnom Penh and less than two weeks after the evacuation of Saigon. The administration of President Gerald Ford treated the seizure as a serious challenge immediately following the end of the Vietnam War. The American warships closest to the area included USS HAROLD E. HOLT and the guided-missile destroyer USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG 7). USS HAROLD E. HOLT was operating southwest of Subic Bay when she was ordered to proceed toward the Cambodian coast at maximum practical speed. Captain Donald P. Roane, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 23, embarked aboard the frigate to direct the surface portion of the operation. Commander Robert E. Peterson was USS HAROLD E. HOLT's commanding officer.

Additional ships were directed toward the general operating area as part of the broader American response. These included the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA 43), the guided-missile frigate USS GRIDLEY, the destroyer USS BAUSELL (DD 845), the escort USS LANG (DE 1060), and USS VEGA (AF 59). Air Force reconnaissance and strike aircraft attempted to determine the location of the SS MAYAGUEZ crew and prevent Cambodian vessels from moving the men to the mainland. American planners initially believed that the crew might have been taken to Koh Tang, although the available intelligence was incomplete.

Before daylight on May 15, USS HAROLD E. HOLT reached the vicinity of SS MAYAGUEZ and Koh Tang. The operational plan called for Marines delivered by Air Force helicopters to board the merchant ship from USS HAROLD E. HOLT while another Marine force assaulted Koh Tang. Air Force helicopters began delivering Marines from Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, and supporting personnel to USS HAROLD E. HOLT. Transferring the men to the rolling flight deck of a frigate required repeated helicopter approaches and close coordination among aircrews, Marines, and the ship's company. USS HAROLD E. HOLT then maneuvered alongside SS MAYAGUEZ. Approximately 60 Marines and sailors crossed from the frigate to the merchant ship. The action was the first hostile ship-to-ship boarding conducted by United States naval forces since 1826.

The boarding party found that both the Khmer Rouge guards and the American crew were no longer aboard. The merchant ship was secured and the American flag was raised. The recovery occurred while heavy fighting continued on Koh Tang, where the Marine assault force encountered substantially stronger resistance than American planners had expected. The crew of SS MAYAGUEZ had been moved between Cambodian vessels and was eventually released by the Khmer Rouge. The men were recovered at sea by USS HENRY B. WILSON. Their release and the recapture of the merchant ship achieved the original objectives, although the withdrawal from Koh Tang continued under difficult conditions and resulted in substantial American casualties.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT took SS MAYAGUEZ under tow to move the merchant ship away from the Cambodian coast while its machinery, anchor, and control systems were restored. Sailors from the frigate assisted the merchant crew in returning the vessel to operation. Once the crew had resumed control, the tow was released.

Following the Mayaguez operation, USS HAROLD E. HOLT resumed her western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment. The remaining cruise included operations and visits in the Philippines, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia. Documented port calls included Karachi, Pakistan; Port Victoria in the Seychelles; Penang, Malaysia; Hong Kong; Yokosuka, Japan; and Singapore.

On June 30, 1975, the Navy redesignated the ship from ocean escort DE 1074 to frigate FF 1074 as part of a service-wide revision of surface-ship classifications.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned to Pearl Harbor after completing the deployment and entered a period of post-deployment leave, maintenance, and repair. During 1976 and 1977, USS HAROLD E. HOLT underwent an extended period of maintenance and modernization at Pearl Harbor. The work addressed her steam propulsion plant, hull, electrical systems, weapons, sensors, communications equipment, aviation facilities, and crew spaces. Following completion of the principal yard work, USS HAROLD E. HOLT conducted dock trials, sea trials, engineering tests, weapons checks, and helicopter qualifications. Refresher training restored the crew's proficiency in damage control, navigation, communications, gunnery, antisubmarine warfare, and coordinated operations with other ships and aircraft.

The remainder of 1977 was devoted to readiness work and preparations for another western Pacific deployment. The late 1970s were marked by increasing Soviet naval activity in the Pacific, continuing tension on the Korean Peninsula, and changing political relationships among the United States, China, Japan, and the Southeast Asian states.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT deployed to the western Pacific in 1978. During the cruise, she used Subic Bay as a principal maintenance and logistics base and visited the Japanese ports of Sasebo and Yokosuka. These calls alternated with periods of antisubmarine exercises, surface surveillance, helicopter operations, communications drills, gunnery training, and coordinated maneuvers with Seventh Fleet and allied units. Japanese waters were particularly important for monitoring Soviet naval movements between bases in the Soviet Far East and the wider Pacific. The deployment also took USS HAROLD E. HOLT into the southwestern Pacific. On July 7, 1978, she was at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands with USS WHIPPLE (FF 1062) when the Solomon Islands achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The ships' presence provided a naval representation during the independence celebrations and placed them in waters associated with the major American and Japanese campaign fought there during World War II.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned to Pearl Harbor on December 15, 1978. Post-deployment leave was followed by maintenance, inspections, and the restoration of equipment after months of operations in tropical and western Pacific conditions. Throughout 1979, USS HAROLD E. HOLT remained active in Hawaiian and eastern Pacific waters. She conducted antisubmarine exercises with submarines and maritime patrol aircraft, carrier-screening drills, helicopter qualifications, engineering inspections, and weapons training. In-port periods at Pearl Harbor were used for boiler maintenance, sonar work, electronic repairs, hull preservation, and preparations for the next overseas deployment.

The international environment changed sharply during the final months of 1979. Iranian revolutionaries seized the United States Embassy in Tehran on November 4 and held American personnel hostage. In December, Soviet forces entered Afghanistan. These events led the United States to strengthen its naval presence in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. USS HAROLD E. HOLT deployed to the western Pacific and Indian Ocean during the spring and summer of 1980. Her recognized operational service in the region extended from April 26 through August 4. The deployment required long passages and prolonged periods at sea, with Subic Bay serving as an important forward maintenance and logistics base.

The frigate operated in the Indian Ocean during the sustained American naval response to the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Her duties included antisubmarine surveillance, surface tracking, protection of larger ships, helicopter patrols, communications work, and participation in underway replenishments that allowed the force to remain at sea for extended periods. USS HAROLD E. HOLT also operated from Diego Garcia, the British-controlled atoll that had become an increasingly important American logistics facility in the central Indian Ocean. The anchorage and shore installations provided fuel, provisions, repairs, communications, and other support to ships operating far from Subic Bay and the continental United States.

After completing the Indian Ocean assignment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned through the western Pacific and reached Pearl Harbor later in 1980. Post-deployment leave was followed by upkeep, propulsion work, weapons maintenance, sonar calibration, and retraining.

During the 1981-82 operating cycle, USS HAROLD E. HOLT again worked in the western Pacific. On October 19, 1981, she was at Subic Bay during a period in which the naval base also accommodated numerous Seventh Fleet and allied ships. These included USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63), USS HALSEY (CG 23), USS STERETT (CG 31), USS O'BRIEN (DD 975), USS INGERSOLL (DD 990), USS BROOKE (FFG 1), and USS SAN JOSE (AFS 7). USS HAROLD E. HOLT used periods there to maintain her engineering plant, sonar, helicopter equipment, weapons, and electronics between operations.

On June 15, 1982, USS HAROLD E. HOLT was berthed at the Naval Ship Repair Facility at Subic Bay alongside USS ROARK (FF 1053), with USS BROOKE moored outboard.

Operations during the period included antisubmarine exercises, surface surveillance, helicopter missions, coordinated maneuvering, and routine presence patrols in the western Pacific. The Soviet Pacific Fleet continued to operate nuclear and diesel submarines, surface combatants, intelligence-collection ships, and naval aircraft from bases around Vladivostok and the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Following the completion of her 1981-82 western Pacific deployment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned to Pearl Harbor for post-deployment leave, maintenance, inspections, and renewed training. During the remainder of 1982 and the opening months of 1983, she conducted local operations and prepared for her next extended deployment.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT joined the battle group centered on USS KITTY HAWK for a western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment that began on January 13, 1984. USS HAROLD E. HOLT's principal responsibilities included antisubmarine screening, surface surveillance, helicopter operations, and the protection of the carrier and its support ships. The force operated in Hawaiian waters before crossing the Pacific and later used Subic Bay as a forward logistics and maintenance base.

In March 1984, the battle group participated in Exercise Team Spirit 84 with South Korean forces. Team Spirit was a large annual exercise intended to test the ability of the United States to reinforce South Korea and conduct combined operations on and around the Korean Peninsula. North Korea and the Soviet Union regularly criticized the exercise, while Soviet ships, submarines, and aircraft closely monitored American carrier movements.

At approximately 10:05 p.m. on March 21, 1984, the Soviet VICTOR I-class nuclear-powered attack submarine K-314 collided with USS KITTY HAWK in the Sea of Japan. The carrier suffered damage beneath the waterline and a fuel tank was punctured. The submarine sustained more serious damage to its propeller and was unable to continue under its own power. The collision occurred during a period of close Cold War surveillance in which Soviet submarines attempted to observe American carrier tactics while avoiding detection. USS HAROLD E. HOLT remained near the disabled submarine, monitored its condition, and repeatedly offered assistance. The Soviet commanding officer declined the offers. The frigate remained nearby until Soviet assistance arrived.

The incident required a balance between maritime assistance and military caution. K-314 was a nuclear-powered submarine belonging to a potential adversary, but it was also a disabled vessel at sea. USS HAROLD E. HOLT maintained surveillance without interfering with the Soviet recovery operation.

On April 2, 1984, USS HAROLD E. HOLT was involved in another close encounter with a Soviet warship when she approached the Soviet aviation cruiser MINSK in the South China Sea. The Soviet ship requested that the American frigate remain clear, but USS HAROLD E. HOLT passed approximately 300 meters from its starboard side while conducting surveillance. MINSK fired eight signal flares toward USS HAROLD E. HOLT. Three struck the frigate, but they caused no significant damage and no injuries. The episode illustrated the close-range encounters that occurred when American and Soviet ships observed one another during Cold War deployments.

The battle group continued operations in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. Port calls during the broader deployment included Subic Bay; Pusan, South Korea; and Perth, Australia. At sea, USS HAROLD E. HOLT conducted antisubmarine patrols, helicopter searches, gunnery and missile training, surface tracking, and underway replenishments. USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned from the deployment with the USS KITTY HAWK battle group on August 1, 1984.

During the second half of the 1980s, USS HAROLD E. HOLT received further modifications intended to keep her operationally useful. Her later configuration included Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles, improved electronic-warfare equipment, and a tactical towed-array sonar. The towed array could be streamed behind the ship, placing its acoustic sensors away from some of the noise generated by the hull, machinery, and propeller. Under favorable conditions, it could detect submarines at greater ranges than the bow-mounted sonar. The embarked helicopter could then investigate and help classify the contact. A raised bulwark was added around the bow to reduce the volume of water taken over the forecastle in heavy seas. The after Sea Sparrow launcher was eventually removed and replaced by a Phalanx close-in weapon system. The radar-controlled 20-millimeter gun provided a final defensive measure against aircraft and antiship missiles that had penetrated the ship's other defenses.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT participated in a major northern Pacific operation during 1986. On September 23, she sailed north as part of a large formation that included the battleship USS NEW JERSEY (BB 62), the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV 61), the nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser USS LONG BEACH (CGN 9), USS WILLIAM H. STANDLEY (CG 32), USS THACH (FFG 43), USS MERRILL (DD 976), USS WABASH (AOR 5), and USS WILLAMETTE (AO 180).

The force reached Juneau, Alaska, on October 11. Its movement demonstrated the ability of a large Pacific Fleet formation to conduct coordinated carrier, battleship, cruiser, destroyer, frigate, and logistics operations in northern waters. For USS HAROLD E. HOLT, the colder temperatures and rougher seas placed different demands on engineering reliability, helicopter operations, and seakeeping than her normal deployments in tropical waters.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT deployed again to the western Pacific and Indian Ocean during 1987. The organization of American naval forces in the region changed during the cruise as carrier groups entered and departed the operating area and individual escorts were assigned to different surveillance, convoy-support, and screening duties. On August 26, 1987, carrier forces associated with USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64) and USS RANGER (CV 61) conducted a turnover in the Indian Ocean. The deployment coincided with a dangerous phase of the Iran-Iraq War. Both belligerents had attacked merchant shipping associated with the other side, producing the series of maritime confrontations commonly known as the Tanker War. Mines, aircraft, missiles, small attack craft, and coastal forces threatened naval and merchant vessels in and near the Persian Gulf. The United States began Operation Earnest Will in July 1987 to protect Kuwaiti tankers placed under the American flag. USS HAROLD E. HOLT operated in support of the expanded American naval presence associated with that operation. Her officially recognized expeditionary-service periods extended from September 3 through September 10 and from September 12 through September 25.

During these periods, USS HAROLD E. HOLT conducted surveillance, antisubmarine screening, surface tracking, helicopter patrols, communications support, and readiness operations in waters connected with the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf mission. The threat environment differed from the open-ocean antisubmarine operations for which the KNOX-class had originally been designed. Mines, small craft, coastal missiles, and aircraft required continuous surface and air surveillance. After completing the deployment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned to Pearl Harbor late in 1987. Maintenance and training continued during the first half of 1988 as the ship prepared for another extended cruise.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT departed with the battle group centered on USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) on September 2, 1988. The deployment took USS HAROLD E. HOLT through the western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea. Port calls during the broader cruise included Pusan, South Korea; Subic Bay; Hong Kong; Singapore; and Pattaya, Thailand. The ship spent long periods at sea between these visits, conducting carrier screening, antisubmarine surveillance, helicopter patrols, surface tracking, and replenishment operations.

USS NIMITZ began operating in the North Arabian Sea on October 29, 1988, in support of the continuing American naval presence associated with Operation Earnest Will. A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire had formally ended major fighting between Iran and Iraq on August 20, but the United States continued to protect shipping and maintain substantial forces in the region while the ceasefire remained uncertain. USS HAROLD E. HOLT screened the carrier and support ships against submarine and surface threats and monitored naval and merchant traffic moving between the Indian Ocean and the approaches to the Persian Gulf. Her operations also included tactical exercises and weapons training near Diego Garcia.

The force visited Singapore around the turn of the year after an extended period at sea and then returned to the Indian Ocean for additional operations. USS HAROLD E. HOLT completed the deployment when the USS NIMITZ battle group returned on March 2, 1989.

After the 1988-89 deployment, USS HAROLD E. HOLT entered another maintenance and training cycle. By this time, she was approaching two decades of service. Maintaining her high-pressure steam plant, single shaft, aging electrical equipment, sonar systems, missiles, and aviation facilities required increasingly extensive technical attention.

During 1989 and 1990, the frigate continued operating in Hawaiian and eastern Pacific waters. She participated in antisubmarine exercises with other surface ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, and embarked helicopters. These exercises tested the combined use of hull-mounted sonar, passive towed arrays, sonobuoys, and simulated torpedo attacks. The international environment changed substantially during these years. Political transformation in Eastern Europe, the weakening of the Soviet Union, and the reduction of the immediate Cold War threat altered American naval planning. At the same time, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, created a new requirement for large-scale American naval operations in the Middle East.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT began her final major overseas deployment on February 25, 1991, as part of the battle group centered on USS NIMITZ. Other ships in the force included USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62), USS TEXAS (CGN 39), USS RENTZ (FFG 46), USS STEIN (FF 1065), and USS CAMDEN (AOE 2). The force departed only a few days before coalition offensive operations in the Gulf War were suspended on February 28. The battle group's preparations had been shaped by Operation Desert Storm, but by the time it reached the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, its principal function was to relieve ships already in the region and support the transition to postwar operations.

After approximately three weeks of underway training and transit, the battle group entered Subic Bay on March 24, 1991. The port call allowed the ships to complete repairs, load supplies, and prepare for operations in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT continued westward with the force. Her duties included antisubmarine screening, surface surveillance, helicopter patrols, communications work, and the protection of the carrier and replenishment ships. The battle group supported the continuing American presence while coalition forces monitored Iraqi compliance with the ceasefire and United Nations resolutions. USS HAROLD E. HOLT received Southwest Asia Service Medal credit for the period from April 13 through July 12, 1991. This service occurred after the principal air and ground campaign had ended. The ship therefore participated in the immediate postwar security, surveillance, and enforcement phase.

The deployment included calls at Singapore; Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Pattaya, Thailand; Hong Kong; Subic Bay; and Pearl Harbor. These visits alternated with extended periods of operation in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and western Pacific. USS HAROLD E. HOLT returned from the deployment with the USS NIMITZ battle group on August 24, 1991. It was the final long overseas cruise of her American naval career.

During the closing months of 1991 and the first half of 1992, USS HAROLD E. HOLT continued local operations while the Navy prepared to withdraw her from service. On February 25, 1992, she participated in an antisubmarine exercise with USS CUSHING (DD 985), USS CROMMELIN (FFG 37), and USS OUELLET (FF 1077), supported by American and Canadian maritime patrol and antisubmarine-warfare organizations. The exercise demonstrated that the frigate remained capable of contributing to coordinated submarine detection and tracking only a few months before her decommissioning. At the same time, the Navy was rapidly reducing its surface force following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991.

The KNOX-class frigates were comparatively expensive to operate in relation to newer ships. Their high-pressure steam plants required large engineering departments and extensive maintenance, while their single-shaft configuration provided less propulsion redundancy than modern twin-shaft designs. Although their antisubmarine equipment remained useful, they lacked the area air-defense systems and more advanced command facilities fitted to newer cruisers, destroyers, and OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class frigates.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on July 2, 1992, after more than 21 years of active service. Unlike several other KNOX-class frigates that were transferred to allied navies, she remained in United States custody. She was laid up at Pearl Harbor and formally stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995. The former frigate remained inactive for several more years. On July 10, 2002, she was expended as a target during the multinational Rim of the Pacific exercise. The target exercise allowed participating ships and aircraft to test weapons, sensors, communications, and coordinated attack procedures against a full-sized vessel under controlled conditions.

Several units attacked the former frigate during the exercise. USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964) fired 30 rounds from her two 5-inch guns and launched one missile during the final sequence. The former USS HAROLD E. HOLT sank in deep Pacific waters, ending her physical existence more than 33 years after her launch.

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USS HAROLD E. HOLT SINKEX Gallery:

The HAROLD E. HOLT was disposed of as a target on July 10, 2002, during RIMPAC 2002. The ship was sunk by the USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964) at 023° 02' North, 160° 04' West.

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USS HAROLD E. HOLT Patch Gallery:

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USS HAROLD E. HOLT Image Gallery:

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