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USS Trippe (FF 1075)

USS TRIPPE was the 24^th KNOX - class frigate and the fourth ship of the Navy bearing the name of LT John Trippe. Originally designated as destroyer escort (DE), the TRIPPE was redesignated as frigate (FF) on July 30, 1975. Decommissioned on July 30, 1992, the TRIPPE was subsequently leased to Greece where she was recommissioned as THRAKI. Stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the ship was finally purchased by Greece on February 9, 2001.

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Crew List:

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

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USS TRIPPE Cruise Books:

• Mediterranean / Indian Ocean Cruise 1983

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Accidents aboard USS TRIPPE:

Date	Where	Events
June 15, 1977	Persian Gulf	USS TRIPPE suffers damage to its sonar dome during a search and rescue operation for a crashed Kuwaiti helicopter.
February 1978	Caribbean	USS TRIPPE's SH-2F helicopter crash lands on the flightdeck.
April 19, 1989	500 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla.	USS TRIPPE and the USS PLATTE (AO 186) collide during exercises in the Atlantic. One minor injury is reported and the PLATTE sustains minor damage.

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History of USS TRIPPE:

The contract for USS TRIPPE was awarded on July 22, 1964. Her keel was laid at Avondale Shipyards in Westwego, Louisiana, on July 29, 1968. She was launched on November 1, 1969, sponsored by Mrs. John S. Foster Jr., and was delivered to the Navy on September 11, 1970. USS TRIPPE was commissioned at Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina, on September 19, 1970, with Commander Allen B. Higginbotham in command. Following commissioning, she was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 10 and homeported at Newport, Rhode Island.

After commissioning, USS TRIPPE remained at Charleston for fitting out, testing, completion work, and initial crew training. This period continued through the first week of February 1971. She loaded ammunition at the Charleston weapons station on February 7 and February 8 and departed Charleston on February 9. After spending approximately five weeks at Newport, she left her new homeport on March 23 for shakedown training in the Caribbean. The shakedown cruise included operations from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and visits to Frederiksted on St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and Andros Island in the Bahamas. Her crew trained in engineering, damage control, navigation, communications, gunnery, antisubmarine warfare, replenishment procedures, and the many other disciplines required before the ship could be declared ready for regular fleet employment.

The training program was interrupted between April 22 and April 28, 1971, when USS TRIPPE was directed to conduct surveillance off Haiti. President Francois Duvalier had died on April 21, and the United States monitored the situation during the transfer of power to his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier. USS TRIPPE remained offshore during the immediate period of uncertainty and resumed her shakedown program on April 29.

The Caribbean training continued until May 23. USS TRIPPE returned to Newport on May 26 and conducted final contract trials from June 14 through June 16. She remained at Newport until July 6 and entered Boston Naval Shipyard on July 7 for a post-shakedown availability. The Boston yard period corrected deficiencies discovered during trials and provided the ship with important new weapons and sensor capabilities. The most significant addition was the Basic Point Defense Missile System, which used an eight-round Sea Sparrow launcher positioned on the after portion of the ship. USS TRIPPE was the first United States Navy destroyer-type vessel equipped with this system. Sea Sparrow was intended to provide short-range protection against aircraft and antiship missiles that had penetrated the defenses of a larger formation.

USS TRIPPE also received the Interim Surface-to-Surface Missile Capability during this period. The system used Standard missiles adapted for engagement of surface targets and was fully installed and operational by December 1971. It provided a temporary long-range antiship weapon while the Navy continued developing the Harpoon missile.

USS TRIPPE completed sea trials on December 9, 1971, and returned to Newport on December 19. During the opening months of 1972, she concentrated on testing and evaluating the newly installed weapons. She departed Newport on January 10 for operations in the Caribbean and nearby Atlantic test areas. On January 26, 1972, shortly before reaching the Virgin Islands, USS TRIPPE encountered the merchant ship FIONA C burning near Culebra Island. Because the disabled vessel was in danger of drifting ashore, a boarding party from USS TRIPPE went aboard and succeeded in dropping its anchor. After reporting the vessel's exact position to the United States Coast Guard, the frigate continued to St. Thomas.

Between January 28 and February 18, USS TRIPPE conducted missile trials for the Operational Test and Evaluation Force. The work included firings associated with the Standard and Sea Sparrow weapon systems and formed part of the Navy's evaluation of the new point-defense and surface-engagement capabilities under operational conditions. USS TRIPPE returned to Newport on February 22.

The ship remained largely in the Newport area during March and April. From March 13 through March 17, she participated in Composite Training Unit Exercise 8-72. From April 28 through May 11, she took part in Atlantic Readiness Exercise 4-72. These exercises tested communications, tactical maneuvering, air defense, antisubmarine procedures, underway replenishment, and the ability of ships to operate as part of a coordinated task group. After returning to Newport on May 11, USS TRIPPE began final preparations for her first extended overseas deployment.

USS TRIPPE departed Newport on June 6, 1972, bound for the Pacific and Southeast Asia. She transited the Panama Canal on June 10 and crossed the Pacific with stops in Hawaii and at Guam. She arrived at Subic Bay in the Philippines on July 4. The deployment took place during the final major phase of direct American naval participation in the Vietnam War. United States aircraft carriers were conducting intensive operations from the Gulf of Tonkin during the renewed air campaign against North Vietnam. Surface escorts protected the carriers against submarine and surface threats, acted as plane guards during flight operations, conducted surveillance, and provided naval gunfire support along the Vietnamese coast.

USS TRIPPE departed Subic Bay on July 9, 1972, in company with the aircraft carrier USS AMERICA (CVA 66) and proceeded to the Gulf of Tonkin. For approximately one month, the frigate operated in the combat zone. She screened the carrier, conducted antisubmarine patrols, maintained station as plane guard, and remained prepared to recover aircrew following accidents during carrier flight operations. USS TRIPPE also carried out naval gunfire support missions near Quang Tri City and Hue. These operations occurred while South Vietnamese forces were attempting to recover territory lost during the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive. The frigate fired on designated targets ashore in support of forces operating close to the coast. Her Vietnam service later earned her one battle star.

USS TRIPPE completed this phase of operations and returned to Subic Bay on August 13, 1972. Shortly after her arrival, she was directed to proceed to the Middle East and assume duties originally intended for USS WARRINGTON (DD 843). USS WARRINGTON had been seriously damaged by mines off Vietnam and was unable to carry out the planned assignment.

USS TRIPPE departed the Philippines on August 16 and sailed westward through Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean waters. She called at Singapore and at ports in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, before reaching Manama, Bahrain, where she joined the Middle East Force. For almost three months, USS TRIPPE operated in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and western Indian Ocean. At that time, the permanent American naval presence in the region was comparatively small. Its duties included maintaining contact with friendly governments and navies, monitoring merchant and military shipping, observing Soviet naval activity, supporting American diplomatic interests, and demonstrating the ability to operate along the strategically important sea routes connecting the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf.

During the assignment, USS TRIPPE visited Bandar Shapur, Iran; Sitra, Bahrain; Karachi, Pakistan; Djibouti; Victoria in the Seychelles; Tamatave, now Toamasina, in Madagascar; and Mombasa, Kenya. The calls provided opportunities for replenishment, maintenance, crew rest, official visits, and contacts with regional military and civilian authorities. USS TRIPPE reached Mombasa on November 2, 1972, and turned over her Middle East Force responsibilities to USS SELLERS (DDG 11). She then began a westward return to the United States. Her itinerary included Lourenco Marques, now Maputo, in Mozambique; Luanda, Angola; Dakar, Senegal; and Bermuda. USS TRIPPE arrived at Newport on December 2, 1972. The cruise had carried her through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, into the South China Sea, through the Indian Ocean, around southern Africa, and across the Atlantic. She thereby completed a circumnavigation of the world and became the first KNOX-class escort to do so.

After post-deployment leave and upkeep, USS TRIPPE prepared for another major shipyard period. Between January 9 and January 12, 1973, she visited Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey, to offload ammunition. On February 6, she entered Boston Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability lasting almost five months. The principal purpose of the 1973 work was to adapt USS TRIPPE for the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System. Her flight deck and hangar were enlarged and modified for the manned SH-2 Seasprite. The helicopter substantially increased the area over which the ship could search for submarines and surface vessels. It could investigate contacts beyond the range of the ship's hull-mounted sonar, deploy sonobuoys, carry lightweight antisubmarine torpedoes, identify shipping, and assist with rescue and general utility missions.

USS TRIPPE completed the Boston availability in late June 1973. She loaded ammunition at Charleston on June 29 and proceeded to Guantanamo Bay for refresher training. After completing missile and naval gunfire qualifications near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, she operated with Carrier Division Six late in July. USS TRIPPE returned to Newport on July 29 and entered the final preparation period for her first Mediterranean deployment.

On August 30, 1973, USS TRIPPE departed Newport in company with USS DEWEY (DLG 14) and USS HARRY E. YARNELL (DLG 17). The ships crossed the Atlantic, and USS TRIPPE reported for duty with the Sixth Fleet at Lisbon, Portugal, on September 7. Beginning on September 10, USS TRIPPE participated in Exercise Quickshave with ships and aircraft from other North Atlantic Treaty Organization navies. The exercise continued through September 20 and tested allied communications, antisubmarine tactics, air defense, surface maneuvering, and the ability of units from several countries to operate as a coordinated force. After the exercise, USS TRIPPE visited Falmouth, England, before proceeding to the Mediterranean. During the remainder of the deployment, she operated principally with the Sixth Fleet carrier force. Her duties included screening aircraft carriers, conducting gunnery and missile exercises, operating her embarked helicopter, and searching for and tracking submarines belonging to the Soviet Mediterranean Squadron.

The Soviet Union had developed a substantial permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean, including submarines, cruisers, destroyers, intelligence-collection ships, and support vessels. Locating Soviet submarines and observing their movements formed a regular part of Sixth Fleet activity. USS TRIPPE's bow sonar, embarked helicopter, torpedoes, and antisubmarine rocket system made her particularly suited to this work. USS TRIPPE completed turnover with her relief at Rota, Spain, on January 14, 1974, and departed for the United States. She reached Newport on January 24 and began a post-deployment standdown.

USS TRIPPE departed Newport on February 28, 1974, ending her assignment as a Rhode Island-based ship. She arrived at Charleston on March 1 and began operating from her new homeport. The remainder of 1974 was devoted to local and regional training, inspections, upkeep, engineering work, helicopter operations, and preparations for another Middle East deployment.

USS TRIPPE departed Charleston on January 9, 1975, for her second assignment with the Middle East Force. Because the Suez Canal remained closed as a consequence of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, she sailed across the Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope. USS TRIPPE reached Mombasa on February 13 and formally reported for Middle East Force duty. She departed four days later and arrived at Bandar Abbas, Iran, on February 27.

Iran was then governed by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was one of the principal United States security partners in the region. The Imperial Iranian Navy was expanding rapidly with Western ships, weapons, and training. During the Bandar Abbas visit, USS TRIPPE hosted Prince Shahriar Shafiq, a nephew of the Shah, an Imperial Iranian Navy officer, and the commander of an Iranian destroyer squadron.

USS TRIPPE continued a series of operations and port visits throughout the Indian Ocean and adjacent waters. Her itinerary included Karachi, Pakistan; Djibouti; and Hodeidah, Yemen. Her duties combined surveillance, training, diplomatic representation, and the maintenance of an American naval presence over an extensive operating area. Late in March 1975, USS TRIPPE was directed to remain available in connection with political developments in Saudi Arabia following the assassination of King Faisal on March 25. The death of the Saudi monarch created an immediate period of uncertainty in a country of central importance to regional security and international oil supplies. The succession to King Khalid proceeded without a prolonged internal crisis.

On April 1, 1975, USS TRIPPE called at Jidda, Saudi Arabia, and embarked Saudi naval personnel for training. She then proceeded toward Bahrain. During the passage, she encountered ships of the Soviet Indian Ocean Squadron near Socotra. Soviet naval activity in the Indian Ocean had expanded during the early 1970s and included the regular deployment of surface combatants, submarines, auxiliaries, and intelligence-collection vessels.

After spending five days at Manama, USS TRIPPE returned to sea on April 16 to observe Soviet ships taking part in Exercise Okean 75. The Soviet exercise involved widely dispersed naval forces and was intended to test command arrangements and demonstrate the ability of the Soviet Navy to operate simultaneously in several oceans. USS TRIPPE monitored the Soviet formation and reported its movements and activities. After being released from the surveillance assignment, she returned to Bandar Abbas on April 30.

USS TRIPPE completed her Middle East Force tour at Mombasa on May 28, 1975. She then sailed north through the Red Sea. The Suez Canal reopened to international shipping on June 5 after having been closed since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. USS TRIPPE and USS JOSEPH HEWES (DE 1078) subsequently became the first United States Navy ships to make an operational passage through the reopened canal.

After entering the Mediterranean, USS TRIPPE stopped at Rota and continued across the Atlantic. She returned to Charleston on June 29, 1975. On June 30, as part of a Navy-wide revision of ship classifications, USS TRIPPE was redesignated from ocean escort DE 1075 to frigate FF 1075.

During the summer of 1975, USS TRIPPE carried out training and completed a midshipman cruise. On October 6, she entered Charleston Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul. The work included extensive attention to the steam propulsion plant, hull, electrical systems, weapons, sensors, communications equipment, living spaces, and aviation facilities. The overhaul was intended to restore the ship's material condition after several demanding long-distance deployments.

USS TRIPPE completed the overhaul in June 1976. During the following months, she operated in the Caribbean and underwent refresher training. The program included engineering casualty drills, damage-control exercises, navigation, weapons qualifications, antisubmarine operations, communications training, helicopter work, and tactical evaluation. She returned to Charleston on October 8 and spent the remainder of the year undergoing inspections and preparing for another Middle East Force assignment.

A technical restricted availability began on December 27, 1976, and continued through January 29, 1977. USS TRIPPE departed Charleston on January 31. During the outward voyage, she made goodwill visits to three West African ports and then continued through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. USS TRIPPE came under the operational control of the Middle East Force on March 8, 1977. Her assignment continued until July 14 and again involved presence operations, port visits, regional contacts, surveillance, and training across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf.

On June 15, 1977, USS TRIPPE assisted in a search-and-rescue operation after a Kuwaiti helicopter crashed in the Persian Gulf. During the operation, the frigate sustained damage to her sonar dome. Because the dome formed the lower forward portion of the hull and contained the ship's principal active sonar equipment, the damage affected one of her most important antisubmarine sensors and required repair. USS TRIPPE completed her Middle East Force assignment on July 14 and began the return voyage. She arrived at Charleston on September 15, 1977. Post-deployment leave and upkeep were followed by inspections, maintenance, and readiness evaluations in port and at sea.

December 1977 and January 1978 were devoted to preparations for another Mediterranean deployment. In February 1978, USS TRIPPE participated in Exercise Readiex 1-78 in the Caribbean. During operations at Roosevelt Roads, an embarked SH-2F Seasprite crashed onto the ship's flight deck and came to rest on its side.

USS TRIPPE departed Charleston for the Mediterranean on April 4, 1978. During the deployment, she operated with the Sixth Fleet in carrier-screening, antisubmarine, surveillance, gunnery, helicopter, and allied-training missions. The deployment occurred during a period of continuing Cold War competition in the Mediterranean, where American and allied forces regularly monitored Soviet submarines and surface ships and maintained readiness for crises in southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

USS TRIPPE returned to Charleston on October 26, 1978. Between October 1978 and June 1979, she remained based at Charleston and combined maintenance and inspections with local and regional training. Among the most significant events was her participation in Exercise Sharem 29, a submarine-warfare measurement exercise designed to evaluate sensors, weapons, acoustic conditions, and antisubmarine tactics under controlled but operationally realistic conditions.

On June 16, 1979, USS TRIPPE departed for Exercise Unitas XX as part of a United States task group led by USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF 1089), which carried Captain Donald L. Howard, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 20. USS DEWEY (DDG 45) was the third principal surface combatant, and USS BONEFISH (SS 582) joined the formation after it reached the Caribbean.

Unitas was an annual series of exercises and port visits conducted with South American navies. It was intended to improve interoperability, familiarize crews with regional operating conditions, provide training in antisubmarine, surface, air-defense, and gunnery procedures, and maintain naval contacts between the United States and Latin American countries. The ships rendezvoused at Roosevelt Roads and departed on June 20, 1979. They first exercised with the Navy of Trinidad and Tobago and visited Port of Spain from June 24 through June 25. The task group then refueled at Puerto de Hierro, Venezuela, and conducted antisubmarine, gunnery, communications, and electronic-warfare exercises with Venezuelan naval forces.

USS TRIPPE and the accompanying ships visited La Guaira, Venezuela, from July 2 through July 5. They subsequently trained with Venezuelan and Colombian units and called at Cartagena, Colombia, from July 13 through July 16. The Dutch frigate GRONINGEN joined the American and Colombian ships for antisubmarine and gunnery exercises during the passage toward the Netherlands Antilles. The task group visited Aruba from July 20 through July 22 and conducted further operations before transiting the Panama Canal. The ships stopped at Naval Station Rodman and departed the Pacific side of the canal on July 28. USS TRIPPE crossed the equator on July 29 and reached Manta, Ecuador, on July 30.

Beginning on July 31, the American ships exercised with Ecuadorian naval units. They visited Guayaquil from August 4 through August 7 and then continued southward for antisubmarine, antiaircraft, surface-warfare, and gunnery exercises with the Peruvian Navy. USS TRIPPE visited Callao, Peru, from August 16 through August 19. She resumed exercises on August 20 and stopped at Ilo for fuel on August 23. She reached Iquique, Chile, on August 25 and Puerto Aldea on August 28. The American and Chilean forces then conducted free-play exercises in which ships and aircraft operated against one another without every tactical development being predetermined. After anchoring near Robinson Crusoe Island on August 31, 1979, the ships conducted gunnery training while proceeding toward Valparaiso. They visited Valparaiso from September 3 through September 6 and Talcahuano from September 8 through September 13. The latter call provided time for maintenance and repairs after the long passage down the Pacific coast. USS BONEFISH detached from the formation on September 15.

USS TRIPPE, USS JESSE L. BROWN, and USS DEWEY continued through the Chilean Inland Waterway and the Strait of Magellan. They made their final Chilean call at Punta Arenas from September 19 through September 20. The passage through the narrow southern waterways required careful navigation in an area known for rapidly changing weather and limited support facilities. After entering the South Atlantic, the ships reached Puerto Madryn, Argentina, on September 24. USS GREENLING (SSN 614) joined the group there. The force departed on September 25 and conducted antisurface and antisubmarine exercises with Argentine naval units. USS TRIPPE visited Puerto Belgrano from September 29 through September 30 before continuing to Montevideo, Uruguay. Planned training with the Uruguayan Navy was conducted in port because the participating Uruguayan ships were unable to put to sea.

The American ships departed the Montevideo area on October 9 and arrived at Rio de Janeiro on October 12. They remained there through October 16 and then conducted approximately one week of exercises with the Brazilian Navy while proceeding northward. USS TRIPPE visited Salvador from October 23 through October 25. After departing on October 26, the ships participated in free-play operations involving Brazilian aircraft, submarines, and surface ships. The Unitas phase concluded with a visit to Recife from October 30 through October 31.

On November 1, 1979, USS TRIPPE, USS JESSE L. BROWN, and USS DEWEY departed Recife to begin a West African training and goodwill cruise. The ships separated for individual visits after crossing the South Atlantic. USS TRIPPE called at ports in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and the Cape Verde Islands. The visits maintained American naval contacts along a coast affected by decolonization, changing political alignments, and competition for influence between the United States and the Soviet Union.

USS TRIPPE rendezvoused with USS JESSE L. BROWN on December 1, 1979. The two frigates crossed the Atlantic together and arrived at Charleston on December 10. The deployment had taken USS TRIPPE around the entire South American continent and to ports in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and West Africa.

In January 1980, USS TRIPPE entered Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine, for another major overhaul. The work continued through December and substantially improved her ability to operate in the more demanding antisubmarine and missile-threat environment of the 1980s. A new electronic-warfare suite improved the ship's ability to detect, identify, and respond to radar emissions. USS TRIPPE also received a tactical towed-array sonar. The array could be streamed behind the ship, placing its acoustic sensors away from the noise generated by the hull and machinery and improving passive detection of submarines under suitable conditions. The Interim Surface-to-Surface Missile Capability installed in 1971 was removed and replaced by Harpoon missiles. Harpoon gave USS TRIPPE a more effective and purpose-designed antiship weapon with a substantially improved ability to attack surface vessels beyond gun range. The overhaul also included extensive work on the propulsion plant, hull, weapons, sensors, communications equipment, aviation facilities, and habitability.

The opening months of 1981 were devoted to post-overhaul trials, weapons testing, engineering certification, helicopter operations, training, and the gradual restoration of full operational readiness. USS TRIPPE departed for the Mediterranean in August 1981. During September 1981, USS TRIPPE operated in northern European waters. From September 22 through September 24, she participated in Exercise Sharem 44 in the approaches to the English Channel with USS JOHN RODGERS (DD 983), USS GARCIA (FF 1040), USS MOINESTER (FF 1097), and the British replenishment ship RFA TIDESPRING. The exercise concentrated on antisubmarine detection, classification, tracking, and coordinated prosecution.

USS TRIPPE subsequently continued into the Mediterranean for Sixth Fleet operations. The deployment coincided with tension between the United States and Libya, instability in Lebanon, and the continuing requirement to monitor Soviet naval activity. Her hull-mounted sonar, new towed array, embarked SH-2F helicopter, and antisubmarine weapons allowed the ship to investigate contacts over a considerably greater area than had been possible during her early service. USS TRIPPE's antisubmarine performance during the deployment earned the Sixth Fleet's Hook 'Em award. She returned to Charleston in February 1982.

During the months following her return, USS TRIPPE spent almost four months on special operations off Central America and transited the Panama Canal four times. These movements placed her alternately in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters during a period of increasing regional tension associated with the conflicts in Nicaragua and El Salvador. On June 7, 1982, Nicaragua alleged that a helicopter from USS TRIPPE had entered Nicaraguan airspace in the Gulf of Fonseca area. The United States Department of State stated that a Nicaraguan patrol boat had fired at the helicopter but that neither the aircraft nor USS TRIPPE had crossed the 12-mile territorial limit. The incident did not develop into a larger confrontation.

After completing the Central American assignment, USS TRIPPE resumed upkeep, training, inspections, helicopter qualifications, engineering work, and deployment preparations. In March 1983, she began another extended cruise that took her through the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean. The deployment continued until September. The 1983 itinerary included Bermuda, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Senegal, Liberia, Somalia, Diego Garcia, Italy, and Spain. The cruise required long open-ocean passages and demonstrated the broad geographical range expected of Atlantic Fleet frigates. One of the principal periods of crew rest and maintenance occurred at Taormina, Sicily, after a prolonged interval at sea.

The Indian Ocean portion of the deployment occurred while the United States was expanding its ability to sustain forces in the region. The Iranian Revolution, the continuing Iran-Iraq War, the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan, and the importance of maritime oil routes had increased the strategic value of facilities such as Diego Garcia. USS TRIPPE conducted surveillance, escort, antisubmarine, training, and presence missions while operating across the region. USS TRIPPE again received recognition for her antisubmarine performance during the cruise. She returned to Charleston in September 1983 and entered a period of post-deployment maintenance, inspection, and training.

During 1984, USS TRIPPE alternated between in-port maintenance and exercises in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. Her crew maintained qualifications in engineering, antisubmarine warfare, gunnery, air defense, helicopter operations, navigation, and damage control while preparing the ship for another Mediterranean assignment.

USS TRIPPE made another Sixth Fleet deployment in 1985. Her responsibilities again included antisubmarine surveillance, carrier and task-group screening, helicopter operations, allied exercises, and the monitoring of Soviet submarines and surface vessels. The Mediterranean remained an active area of Cold War naval competition, and American ships maintained readiness to respond to developments in southern Europe, North Africa, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East.

During the middle of the 1980s, USS TRIPPE received additional modifications. A raised bulwark was fitted around the bow to reduce the volume of water shipped over the forecastle and improve her handling in heavy seas. The after Sea Sparrow launcher was removed and replaced by a Phalanx close-in weapon system. The radar-controlled 20-millimeter gun was intended as a final defensive measure against aircraft and antiship missiles that had penetrated the ship's other defenses.

USS TRIPPE began her final Mediterranean deployment at the end of December 1986. Commander, Destroyer Squadron 36, was embarked, and the ship operated as part of the force associated with the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68). Early in 1987, the battle group participated in Exercise National Week '87 with the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) battle group and French and Italian naval units. The exercise tested air, surface, submarine, logistics, and command arrangements among a large multinational force.

A renewed series of hostage abductions in Beirut led to the temporary reinforcement of United States naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean. The USS JOHN F. KENNEDY group, which had been preparing to leave the region, remained for a time alongside the USS NIMITZ group. The ships maintained readiness while the United States government evaluated the situation in Lebanon. After approximately two months of heightened operations in the eastern Mediterranean, the force shifted westward and resumed a broader program of allied exercises and port visits. In late March, ships of the group participated in a major amphibious exercise near Sardinia. The exercise involved coordinated air, surface, antisubmarine, and amphibious activities and tested the ability of allied forces to conduct complex operations around the central Mediterranean.

During the later part of the cruise, USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) replaced USS NIMITZ as the carrier associated with elements of the force. USS TRIPPE continued surveillance, antisubmarine training, carrier screening, allied exercises, and diplomatic port visits until the deployment concluded in June 1987. She then returned to Charleston.

During the final years of her American service, USS TRIPPE operated increasingly in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. The reduction of Cold War requirements and the growing use of naval ships in support of counter-narcotics operations changed the emphasis of her employment. Her endurance, radar, helicopter facilities, communications equipment, and ability to embark Coast Guard law-enforcement detachments made her suitable for detecting, tracking, and intercepting suspected smuggling vessels.

On April 19, 1989, USS TRIPPE was involved in a collision with the fleet oiler USS PLATTE (AO 186) during Fleet Exercise 3-89 approximately 500 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. One minor injury was reported. USS PLATTE suffered a substantial opening in her hull, while USS TRIPPE sustained damage that included a tear below the waterline and damage near an auxiliary diesel-generator exhaust. The frigate temporarily lost electrical power and required repairs before returning to normal service.

The collision occurred on the same day as the fatal explosion in the second gun turret aboard USS IOWA (BB 61) during the broader fleet exercise. The events were unrelated, although the loss of life aboard the battleship overshadowed contemporary reporting of the accident involving USS TRIPPE and USS PLATTE.

After completing repairs, USS TRIPPE resumed operations in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. Counter-narcotics patrols accounted for a substantial part of her activity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In these operations, Navy ships supplied surveillance, aviation, communications, and interception support, while embarked or cooperating Coast Guard personnel exercised law-enforcement authority. On January 6, 1992, USS TRIPPE supported USCGC CAMPBELL and USCGC PETREL during the interception of the Panamanian-flagged vessel HARBOUR. The operation resulted in the seizure of 9,631.6 pounds of cocaine and the arrest of 28 people. The Coast Guard cutters carried out the principal law-enforcement work, while USS TRIPPE formed part of the combined Navy and Coast Guard force supporting the interception.

By 1992, USS TRIPPE had served for almost 22 years. Although she had received extensive modernization, she remained a comparatively manpower-intensive, single-shaft, steam-powered frigate at a time when the Navy was reducing its strength following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Newer gas-turbine ships required fewer personnel and possessed more modern air-defense, sensor, and command systems. The KNOX-class was therefore withdrawn rapidly during the post-Cold War fleet reduction.

USS TRIPPE was decommissioned at Charleston on July 30, 1992, and transferred to Greece under a Security Assistance arrangement. The Hellenic Navy renamed the frigate THRAKI and assigned her the hull number F 457. She entered Greek service in April 1993. The former USS TRIPPE was formally stricken from the United States Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995. Greece purchased the ship outright on February 9, 2001. THRAKI was decommissioned by the Hellenic Navy on March 6, 2001, and was subsequently expended as a target, ending the career of the former USS TRIPPE more than three decades after her original commissioning.

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About the Ship's Name:

John Trippe was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1785. He became a Midshipman in the U.S. Navy in April 1799 and had service afloat in the frigate CONSTITUTION and schooner EXPERIMENT during the Quasi-War with France. In 1801 and 1802 Midshipman Trippe served in the frigate PRESIDENT in the Mediterranean Sea. Promoted to Master in May 1803, he returned to the Mediterranean in the schooner VIXEN and performed distinguished service during the war with Tripoli, commanding Gunboat Number 6 during battles off the enemy port in August and September 1804. In 1808, following promotion to Lieutenant, he was stationed at Charleston, South Carolina, and during the next year he commanded the schooner ENTERPRISE on a voyage to the Netherlands. Lieutenant Trippe next commanded VIXEN during a Caribbean cruise, beginning in May 1810. On 24 June he courageously handled a challenge by a British warship. A few weeks later, while sailing from Havana, Cuba, to New Orleans, Lieutenant John Trippe died on board VIXEN.

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USS TRIPPE Image Gallery:

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