Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

About the Ship's Name

History

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Bowen (FF 1079)

USS BOWEN was the 28^thKNOX-class frigate and one of the eight ships of her class transfered to the Naval Reserve Force serving as Reserve Training Frigates (FFT). Each of the eight Reserve Training Frigates had its own reserve crew, and was also assigned four "nucleus crews" which would man the 32 decommissioned KNOX-class frigates in the case of a reactivation of these ships.

USS BOWEN (FFT 1079) was last homeported in Staten Island, New York. Decommissioned on June 30, 1994, the BOWEN was subsequently leased to Turkey. Stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the ship was finally purchased by Turkey on February 22, 2002.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

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

back to top

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Name:

Vice Admiral Harold Gardiner Bowen Sr. was an American naval officer, mechanical engineer, and research administrator whose career was closely connected with the modernization of naval propulsion, the development of radar, and the establishment of permanent scientific research programs within the United States Navy.

Bowen was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 6, 1883. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1901, graduated in January 1905, and was commissioned as an ensign in 1907 after completing the required period of sea duty. His early assignments introduced him to the operation and maintenance of steam-powered warships at a time when naval machinery was developing rapidly.

He became particularly interested in engineering and later completed postgraduate studies in mechanical engineering, receiving a master's degree from Columbia University in 1914. During the following years, including the First World War, he served in engineering billets aboard ships and at naval shore establishments. His work included machinery maintenance, repair, production, and the administration of naval shipyards.

Bowen married Edith Brownlie of Vallejo, California, in 1911. Their son, Harold Gardiner Bowen Jr., later followed him into the Navy and also attained the rank of vice admiral. USS BOWEN was named for the elder Bowen rather than for his son.

In 1931, Bowen became Assistant Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Engineering. Four years later, he was appointed Chief of the bureau and promoted to rear admiral. The Bureau of Engineering was responsible for propulsion plants, boilers, electrical generating equipment, and numerous auxiliary systems installed aboard naval ships. Bowen strongly supported the development of high-pressure, high-temperature steam propulsion. The new machinery offered greater power and efficiency while reducing weight, allowing ships to carry more fuel, weapons, armor, or equipment. He promoted the technology despite resistance from officers, shipyards, and manufacturers concerned about reliability and maintenance. High-pressure steam systems subsequently became an important feature of several classes of American warships.

He also played a significant role in the early development of naval radar. In June 1936, Bowen attended a Naval Research Laboratory demonstration during which experimental radio equipment detected an aircraft approximately 17 miles away. Recognizing its military potential, he directed the laboratory to concentrate on a practical shipboard system capable of determining both the direction and range of approaching aircraft. His support helped move radar from experimental research toward operational use in the fleet.

In October 1939, Bowen became director of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., while also serving as Technical Aide to the Secretary of the Navy. His appointment came shortly after the outbreak of war in Europe and during a period of expanding American military research and industrial preparation. Under Bowen's direction, the Naval Research Laboratory grew substantially. Its funding, facilities, and workforce increased, and additional testing areas were acquired for radar, radio, and electronic-warfare research. Bowen encouraged the laboratory to conduct original scientific work rather than limiting itself to testing equipment developed elsewhere.

Bowen also supported some of the Navy's earliest research into nuclear energy. On March 20, 1939, he authorized initial funding after scientists Ross Gunn and Philip Abelson proposed that nuclear fission might eventually be used to propel submarines. Naval Research Laboratory researchers later investigated uranium-isotope separation, and their thermal-diffusion work contributed to the broader American nuclear program during the Second World War.

Although Bowen was an effective advocate for research, his direct and sometimes confrontational leadership style created conflicts with other Navy officials, industrial organizations, and civilian science administrators. Disagreements with Vannevar Bush and other leaders over control of wartime research reduced his influence in some areas. Bowen left the directorship of the Naval Research Laboratory in 1942 and became Special Assistant to Under Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. He continued in that position after Forrestal became Secretary of the Navy in 1944. During the war, Bowen was also assigned to supervise industrial facilities whose production had been interrupted by labor disputes or management problems. His responsibility was to restore production of ships and other military material.

On May 19, 1945, Forrestal established the Office of Research and Inventions and appointed Bowen as its first chief. The organization coordinated naval scientific research, patent matters, and long-term technical development. It also assumed administrative responsibility for the Naval Research Laboratory. Bowen worked to preserve the wartime cooperation between the Navy, universities, private industry, and civilian scientists. He supported a permanent system through which the Navy could finance both applied projects and fundamental scientific research whose military value might not become apparent for many years.

On August 3, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed legislation establishing the Office of Naval Research. Bowen consequently became the first Chief of Naval Research. The new office was the first permanent American military organization created specifically to support civilian scientific research during peacetime and became an important part of the postwar relationship between the federal government and American universities.

Bowen continued to promote naval nuclear research. In January 1946, he proposed a coordinated program covering nuclear propulsion, weapons, defensive measures, medicine, basic science, and the education of naval personnel. The Navy later placed the engineering development of nuclear propulsion under the Bureau of Ships and the organization led by Captain Hyman G. Rickover. Bowen therefore did not direct the program that produced the first operational nuclear-powered submarines, but the earlier research he supported helped establish the Navy's interest in nuclear propulsion.

Bowen retired from active service on June 1, 1947, with the rank of vice admiral. His career had extended from the conventional steam machinery of the early twentieth century to radar, advanced propulsion plants, nuclear research, and the establishment of permanent naval sponsorship of scientific work. In 1954, he published his autobiography "Ships, Machinery and Mossbacks: The Autobiography of a Naval Engineer". Its title reflected his long-running disputes with officers and administrators whom he believed were resistant to technological change.

Bowen died in Rhode Island on August 1, 1965, at the age of 81 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His name continued to be associated with naval technology through the Vice Admiral Harold G. Bowen Award for Patented Inventions, which recognizes inventions providing significant benefits to the Navy.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS BOWEN History:

USS BOWEN was a KNOX-class destroyer escort, later redesignated as a frigate, constructed primarily for antisubmarine warfare and the protection of carrier groups, amphibious formations, replenishment forces, convoys, and other high-value shipping. The contract for the new destroyer escort was awarded on August 25, 1966. Her keel was laid at Avondale Shipyards in Westwego, Louisiana, on July 11, 1969. She was launched and christened on May 2, 1970. Her sponsors were Constance K. Bowen, the namesake's daughter-in-law, and Constance R. Camp, his granddaughter. The Navy accepted the completed ship on May 17, 1971.

USS BOWEN was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on May 22, 1971, with Commander Donald L. Howard as her first commanding officer. She was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, initially homeported at Newport, Rhode Island, and placed under Destroyer Squadron 20. Her commissioning occurred during a period in which the United States Navy was placing increasing emphasis on the protection of Atlantic sea routes against the expanding Soviet submarine fleet.

Following commissioning, USS BOWEN completed fitting-out work, acceptance trials, engineering qualifications, weapons testing, sonar evaluation, aviation training, inspections, and the correction of deficiencies discovered after delivery. Operating from Newport, she progressed from basic individual-ship training toward readiness for extended operations with the Atlantic Fleet. In August 1972, USS BOWEN departed on her first Mediterranean deployment. Commander Harry K. Fiske assumed command on September 10, 1972 while the ship was overseas. The deployment continued until December and introduced the recently commissioned escort to the operating methods and strategic environment of the United States Sixth Fleet.

The Mediterranean was one of the most closely monitored naval regions of the Cold War. Soviet submarines, cruisers, destroyers, intelligence-gathering ships, and auxiliary vessels maintained a regular presence there, while American and allied forces operated carrier groups, amphibious formations, maritime patrol aircraft, and surface escorts. USS BOWEN's duties included antisubmarine screening, surveillance, communications exercises, formation maneuvering, helicopter operations, and readiness to support American forces during regional emergencies. After completing the deployment, she returned to Newport in December 1972.

During 1973, USS BOWEN continued Atlantic Fleet training, maintenance, inspections, and aviation operations. In August, her home port was transferred from Newport to Charleston, South Carolina, where she became part of Destroyer Squadron 4. Charleston was one of the principal Atlantic Fleet bases for destroyers, frigates, and amphibious ships and provided access to operating areas off the southeastern United States, in the Caribbean, and along the Atlantic approaches.

Commander John P. Burke assumed command on January 17, 1974. Later that year, USS BOWEN deployed to the Mediterranean during a period of rapidly increasing tension on Cyprus. On July 15, 1974, officers of the Greek Cypriot National Guard, supported by the military government in Athens, overthrew the government of President Archbishop Makarios. Turkey responded by landing troops on the northern coast of Cyprus on July 20. Fighting, population movements, and uncertainty concerning the safety of foreign nationals led the United States and other countries to organize evacuation and contingency forces. USS BOWEN was among the American ships assembled in connection with the crisis. American naval forces supported the evacuation of civilians and remained prepared to respond if the security situation deteriorated further. A total of 752 evacuees, including 498 American citizens, were removed through the combined efforts of the participating ships and supporting units.

USS INDEPENDENCE (CVA 62) arrived southwest of Crete on August 4, 1974 to reinforce the American naval presence. Some ships began to disperse when the immediate danger appeared to lessen, but American forces were recalled after United States Ambassador Rodger Davies was killed during an attack on the embassy in Nicosia on August 19. USS BOWEN and the other ships again supported contingency planning in the eastern Mediterranean. The Cyprus crisis contributed to the collapse of military rule in Greece, a serious deterioration in relations between Greece and Turkey, and the effective division of Cyprus into Greek and Turkish-controlled areas. The United States Navy did not intervene directly in the fighting, but its ships maintained the ability to evacuate civilians, protect American interests, and respond to further instability.

USS BOWEN returned to Atlantic Fleet duties after completing her Mediterranean assignment. On June 30, 1975, the United States Navy revised its ship classification system, and her designation changed from DE 1079 to FF 1079. She was thereafter officially classified as a frigate. During the latter part of 1975, USS BOWEN participated in North Atlantic operations connected with Exercise Ocean Safari. The large multinational exercise tested the ability of North Atlantic Treaty Organization naval forces to protect reinforcements and shipping moving between North America and Europe. Its activities included antisubmarine warfare, air defense, surface surveillance, convoy protection, communications drills, and coordinated operations under multinational command.

USS BOWEN visited Portsmouth, England, from November 22 through November 28, 1975, in company with USS AINSWORTH (FF 1090). The port period followed several weeks of North Atlantic activity and allowed maintenance, replenishment, operational conferences, and crew rest before the ships resumed their schedules.

Commander Clarence T. Vaught assumed command on January 3, 1976. During that year, USS BOWEN remained engaged in Atlantic Fleet training, upkeep, inspections, and preparations for later overseas service. Her training requirements included engineering readiness, navigation, damage control, gunnery, sonar operations, helicopter control, communications, and the coordinated detection and tracking of submarines.

In 1977, USS BOWEN deployed to the Indian Ocean and operated in support of the United States naval presence in the wider Middle Eastern region. The voyage carried her through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal into an area whose strategic importance was increasing because of its oil routes, Soviet naval activity, political instability around the Horn of Africa, and continuing competition for influence around the Persian Gulf. The United States maintained a relatively small permanent naval presence in the Indian Ocean during the early and middle 1970s. Ships assigned to the region conducted surveillance, presence operations, training, port visits, and contingency planning over a very large geographical area. Suitable maintenance facilities and support ports were widely separated, requiring careful use of replenishment ships and strict attention to engineering reliability.

USS BOWEN's deployment occurred during major political changes around the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia was moving closer to the Soviet Union, Soviet relations with Somalia were deteriorating, and conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia over the Ogaden region intensified during 1977. USS BOWEN did not take part in the land conflict, but her presence contributed to American monitoring of developments and to the maintenance of access along the sea routes connecting the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf.

Commander William F. Story assumed command on December 6, 1977. During 1978, USS BOWEN was assigned to the United States force participating in Unitas XIX, the annual series of exercises conducted with South American navies. In September, she operated in the Atlantic with USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG 44) and USS DU PONT (DD 941). Unitas deployments were organized around successive exercises with the navies of participating Latin American countries. Activities normally began with planning conferences in port and continued at sea with communications drills, formation maneuvering, antisubmarine warfare, air defense, surface engagements, gunnery, replenishment procedures, and search-and-rescue training. The composition of the combined force changed as the American ships moved from one national operating area to another.

USS BOWEN's principal role during Unitas XIX remained antisubmarine warfare, but the deployment also required her to operate in formations composed of ships built to different national designs and using different communications and tactical procedures. The voyage gave the crew experience in South Atlantic and South American waters that differed from the ship's more familiar North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean environments.

Following the deployment, USS BOWEN returned to Charleston for leave, upkeep, inspections, and repairs. During 1979, she resumed Atlantic and Mediterranean operations. In February, she operated off Gibraltar as part of a multinational formation that included the Dutch frigate HNLMS EVERTSEN, the Canadian destroyer HMCS IROQUOIS, the British ships HMS SHEFFIELD and HMS ARIADNE, and the West German frigate FGS LÜBECK. The formation demonstrated the purpose of multinational North Atlantic Treaty Organization naval operations. Ships designed and operated by different countries practiced common communications, maneuvering, replenishment, air-defense, and antisubmarine procedures. Gibraltar was strategically important because it controlled the narrow entrance between the Atlantic and Mediterranean and served as a frequent concentration point for allied naval movements.

USS BOWEN arrived at Barcelona, Spain, on November 7, 1979 and remained documented there on November 11. The port visit provided maintenance, replenishment, official engagements, and crew rest during a period of Mediterranean operations. Commander William A. Estell Jr. assumed command on January 25, 1980. During the following two years, USS BOWEN continued the recurring pattern of Atlantic Fleet exercises, inspections, maintenance, helicopter training, and preparation for extended deployment. Her crew regularly worked with surface ships, submarines, helicopters, and land-based patrol aircraft to practice the detection, classification, tracking, and simulated attack of underwater contacts. By this period, USS BOWEN had been adapted to carry Harpoon antiship missiles in addition to her antisubmarine weapons. This gave the frigate an ability to engage hostile surface ships at ranges well beyond those of her 5-inch gun. Improvements to electronic-warfare and communications equipment also increased her ability to detect radar emissions, exchange tactical information, and operate within carrier or multinational formations.

In January 1982, USS BOWEN participated in Composite Training Unit Exercise 2-82. The exercise prepared the participating ships for overseas operations by combining antisubmarine, air-defense, surface-warfare, communications, engineering, and replenishment training. USS BOWEN departed Charleston on March 17, 1982 for a deployment to the Mediterranean and the wider Middle Eastern operating area. She initially sailed with USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF 1089), USS THOMAS C. HART (FF 1092), USS FORREST SHERMAN (DD 931), USS SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON (FFG 13), and USS CALOOSAHATCHEE (AO 98). The group reached Rota, Spain, on March 28. After arriving in the Sixth Fleet area, the ships separated for different operational assignments rather than remaining together as a single formation throughout the deployment.

The deployment occurred while the Iran-Iraq War was continuing and while political instability remained a concern in Lebanon and elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. USS BOWEN carried out her assigned escort, surveillance, training, and readiness duties before eventually beginning the return voyage. On July 27, 1982, USS BOWEN began crossing the Atlantic with USS FORREST SHERMAN, USS JESSE L. BROWN, USS SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON, USS THOMAS C. HART, USS CALOOSAHATCHEE, and USS BUTTE (AE 27). On August 3, USS BOWEN, USS FORREST SHERMAN, and USS JESSE L. BROWN separated from the remainder of the formation. The three ships arrived at Charleston on the morning of August 6, completing USS BOWEN's deployment after nearly five months away.

Commander Arthur P. Drennan II assumed command on January 7, 1983. That year became one of the most operationally significant periods of USS BOWEN's career. She departed Charleston on April 29 in company with USS MAHAN (DDG 42), USS JOSEPH HEWES (FF 1078), and USS JOHN RODGERS (DD 983). The ships were associated with forces deploying to the Mediterranean in support of USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69), although the individual escorts were assigned separate duties as the cruise progressed. On May 18, 1983, USS BOWEN and USS JACK WILLIAMS (FFG 24) passed southward through the Suez Canal for an assignment in the Persian Gulf. USS BOWEN remained in the region until the two ships returned northward through the canal on August 3.

The deployment took place during the Iran-Iraq War, which had begun in September 1980 and had developed into a prolonged conflict involving large-scale ground fighting, air attacks, missile strikes, and increasing danger to oil installations and commercial shipping. American ships in the Persian Gulf maintained surveillance, monitored military and merchant traffic, protected United States interests, and remained prepared to respond to a rapidly changing regional situation. The confined waters of the Gulf, the concentration of commercial traffic, proximity to the opposing states, and limited warning time placed continuous demands on USS BOWEN's bridge, combat information center, engineering plant, communications teams, and weapons personnel. Her performance during what was officially described as a particularly hazardous period of operations was recognized by the award of the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

After returning through the Suez Canal, USS BOWEN resumed operations in the Mediterranean. During August and early September, she participated in Exercise Bright Star 83, a major American-Egyptian training event. She operated with USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, USS BELKNAP (CG 26), USS MAHAN, and Egyptian missile craft. Bright Star included naval, air, and ground activities and reflected the expanding strategic relationship between the United States and Egypt following the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement.

At the same time, conditions in Lebanon were deteriorating. Lebanon had been divided by civil war since 1975, and the Israeli invasion of 1982 had added further military and political complications. American, French, Italian, and British contingents had been deployed around Beirut as part of a multinational force. United States Marines occupied positions near Beirut International Airport, where they increasingly came under mortar, rocket, and artillery fire from militia-controlled territory in the surrounding hills. On September 8, 1983, a Druze militia artillery battery fired on the airport area. USS BOWEN responded with her 5-inch gun and suppressed the position. The action represented the first use of United States naval gunfire in the Mediterranean since the Second World War. It also marked an important change in the role of the American naval force off Lebanon, which had previously concentrated primarily on presence, evacuation readiness, communications, aviation support, and protection.

The fighting continued during the following days. During the night of September 16-17, USS BOWEN and USS JOHN RODGERS fired on artillery positions in Syrian-controlled territory after renewed shelling threatened the Lebanese Defense Ministry and the residence of the United States ambassador. Their targets included gun and rocket positions and associated command facilities. The exchange of fire increasingly involved United States forces in the Lebanese conflict at a time when the Marines were still officially described as part of a peacekeeping force.

USS BOWEN remained off the Lebanese coast during a period in which militia artillery, Lebanese government units, Syrian forces, Israeli forces, and the multinational contingents were operating within a relatively small and densely populated area. Personnel assigned or attached to the ship who met the applicable participation requirements became eligible for the Navy Expeditionary Medal for their service during the Lebanon operation.

During the winter of 1984, USS BOWEN conducted a demanding deployment to the North Atlantic and Arctic regions. She participated in two major North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises intended to test the ability of allied naval forces to operate along the maritime approaches to northern Europe. The Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic would have been central operating areas in any major conflict with the Soviet Union. Submarines, carrier groups, maritime patrol aircraft, amphibious forces, and reinforcement convoys would all have depended on the ability of allied ships to function in severe weather and maintain effective surveillance. USS BOWEN's tasks included antisubmarine screening, communications, formation maneuvering, surface surveillance, and coordination with allied ships and aircraft. Cold temperatures, reduced visibility, heavy seas, and icing conditions complicated flight-deck operations, replenishment, sonar use, maintenance, and routine movement around the ship. The deployment therefore tested both combat proficiency and the crew's ability to sustain the frigate under difficult environmental conditions.

USS BOWEN continued Atlantic Fleet operations during the remainder of 1984 and prepared for another Mediterranean assignment. Commander Robert D. Moser relieved Commander Drennan and assumed command on June 15, 1985. During her 1985 Mediterranean deployment, USS BOWEN crossed the Atlantic in company with USS MOINSTER (FF 1097) and received fuel from USS KALAMAZOO (AOR 6) during an underway replenishment.

USS BOWEN served as the United States representative during the 30th activation of the Naval On-Call Force Mediterranean. The multinational formation brought together warships from several North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries for an extended period of combined operations. Its purpose was to improve communications, command procedures, tactical coordination, and the ability of ships from different navies to form an operational group during a crisis. USS BOWEN conducted antisubmarine, air-defense, surface-warfare, communications, and maneuvering exercises with the multinational force. Port periods were used for operational conferences, maintenance, official visits, and professional exchanges among the participating navies.

After returning from the Mediterranean, USS BOWEN resumed Atlantic Fleet operations. On December 11 and December 12, 1985, she participated in a detailed antisubmarine exercise involving USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67), the submarines USS L. MENDEL RIVERS (SSN 686) and USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678), and P-3 Orion patrol aircraft from Patrol Squadrons 5, 24, and 56. USS BOWEN and the aircraft accumulated 51 hours of contact against the submarines and completed 30 simulated attacks. The exercise tested detection, classification, tracking, tactical communications, and coordinated attack procedures between surface and land-based aviation units.

During 1986, USS BOWEN underwent maintenance, inspections, refresher training, engineering exercises, and local operations from Charleston. Commander Richard A. Robbins assumed command on May 29, 1987. USS BOWEN departed Charleston on June 6 for another Mediterranean deployment with forces centered on USS SARATOGA (CV 60). The ships conducted exercises in the western and eastern Mediterranean and trained with allied naval units, including forces from Spain and Egypt.

USS BOWEN participated in Exercise Display Determination 87, a major multinational exercise intended to demonstrate alliance readiness and improve cooperation among naval and air forces in the Mediterranean. The exercise included antisubmarine tracking, air defense, communications, surface surveillance, formation maneuvering, and the protection of high-value units. During the cruise, USS BOWEN was recognized as the most proficient antisubmarine-warfare combatant in her battle group. The assessment reflected the combined performance of her sonar operators, combat information center personnel, bridge teams, torpedo crews, and embarked helicopter detachment during exercises and tactical evaluations.

USS BOWEN completed the deployment and returned to Charleston on November 17, 1987, mooring at the same piers from which she had departed on June 6. She then entered a post-deployment period of leave, upkeep, maintenance, inspections, and preparation for further service.

The frigate continued Atlantic Fleet operations during 1988. She was photographed underway in the Hampton Roads area on September 26. By the late 1980s, maintaining the KNOX-class ships required increasing attention to their steam propulsion plants, piping, hulls, electrical equipment, and aging combat systems. Nevertheless, USS BOWEN continued to provide useful antisubmarine and escort capability. Commander Gregory G. Heath assumed command on May 19, 1989. USS BOWEN began another Mediterranean assignment during the autumn of that year. On October 27, 1989, at Alicante, Spain, she relieved USS KLAKRING (FFG 42) as the United States ship assigned to the Naval On-Call Force Mediterranean.

USS BOWEN subsequently operated with the multinational force in communications exercises, tactical maneuvering, antisubmarine training, surface-warfare drills, and other readiness evolutions. The assignment continued into 1990. The deployment occurred during a period of rapid political change in Europe. Communist governments were losing power across Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall opened on November 9, 1989, and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were improving. These developments did not immediately eliminate naval readiness requirements. Soviet submarines and surface ships remained operational, and the alliance continued its exercises while adapting to the changing international situation. USS BOWEN returned to the United States during 1990 and resumed Atlantic and Caribbean operations.

During April, May, and June 1991, USS BOWEN operated in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean in support of counter-narcotics missions. The United States Navy increasingly provided ships, aircraft, surveillance systems, communications, and logistical support to the United States Coast Guard. Coast Guard law-enforcement detachments embarked in Navy ships and exercised the legal authority to board and search suspect vessels. USS BOWEN operated as part of Task Group 4.1 more than 100 miles south of Panama. She was accompanied by USS SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON. The two frigates intercepted the 65-foot Honduran-flagged vessel ENDEAVOR 1. A Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment assigned to the naval force boarded and searched the vessel. The search uncovered approximately 2.5 tons of cocaine. At the time, the seizure was described as the largest in the history of joint United States Navy and Coast Guard counter-narcotics operations. USS BOWEN's role included locating, intercepting, monitoring, and supporting the boarding of the suspect vessel, while Coast Guard personnel carried out the law-enforcement portion of the operation.

Commander James T. Fry assumed command on July 27, 1991. On September 30, USS BOWEN was transferred to the Atlantic Naval Reserve Force and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 10 at Norfolk. The transfer reflected the rapid reduction of the active fleet following the end of the Cold War and the Navy's decision to retain a smaller number of KNOX-class frigates for reserve training and possible mobilization. On December 15, 1991, the ship was redesignated FFT 1079 to identify her role as a reserve training frigate. USS BOWEN subsequently operated from Naval Station New York at Staten Island. Her complement combined full-time active-duty personnel with drilling reservists who embarked for scheduled training periods.

As a reserve training ship, USS BOWEN usually conducted shorter periods at sea rather than the lengthy active-fleet deployments that had characterized her earlier career. Training included navigation, engineering, damage control, communications, gunnery, antisubmarine warfare, and the operation of sensors, weapons, and aviation equipment. Reservists were expected to retain the proficiency necessary to augment the active force during a mobilization.

In 1992, USS BOWEN began operating with a mixed male and female crew. The change formed part of the Navy's continuing expansion of assignments for women at sea. It required alterations to berthing and sanitary spaces as well as adjustments to personnel organization and routine shipboard arrangements. The change occurred before women were routinely assigned across the full range of the Navy's surface combatants.

USS BOWEN continued to participate in exercises with active and reserve ships. During June 1993, she operated in the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center area near the Bahamas during an integrated antisubmarine exercise with USS AINSWORTH (FF 1090). Later that summer, she participated in a tactical development exercise in New England and Canadian waters. The exercise involved USS AINSWORTH, an American nuclear-powered attack submarine, and a Canadian diesel-electric submarine.

Commander Anthony J. Abbruzzi Jr. assumed command on May 29, 1993. USS BOWEN was photographed at Staten Island on July 1 in company with other reserve training ships. Her assignment to New York placed an operational naval vessel close to a major population center from which reservists could train without being permanently assigned to a distant active-fleet base.

By 1994, the Navy had decided to withdraw the remaining reserve KNOX-class frigates. Their steam propulsion plants, large crews, and increasing maintenance requirements made them costly to operate compared with newer gas-turbine-powered ships. The reduced size of the post-Cold War fleet also decreased the need to retain large numbers of older escorts for possible mobilization. USS BOWEN was decommissioned on June 30, 1994 after approximately 23 years of commissioned service in the United States Navy. She was leased to Turkey and entered the Turkish Navy as TCG AKDENIZ, with the hull number F 257. USS YELLOWSTONE (AD 41) assisted in the preparations associated with her transfer. The Turkish Navy already operated other former American KNOX-class frigates. The common design simplified training, maintenance, logistics, and the supply of spare parts. As TCG AKDENIZ, the former USS BOWEN continued to serve primarily as an antisubmarine and escort vessel.

The United States formally struck USS BOWEN from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995. The ship initially remained in Turkish service under lease. Ownership was formally transferred to Turkey through the Security Assistance Program on February 22, 2002. TCG AKDENIZ remained in Turkish naval service until 2011.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS BOWEN Image Gallery:

back to top

Back to Frigates List.

Back to Ships List.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.