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USS Elmer Montgomery (FF 1082)

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was the 31^st KNOX-class frigate. Decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on June 30, 1993, the ELMER MONTGOMERY was transferred to Turkey on December 13, 1993.

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Crew List:

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

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

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USS ELMER MONTGOMERY Cruise Books:

• Northern Europe Cruise Book 1982

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Accidents aboard USS ELMER MONTGOMERY:

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About the Ship's Name:

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was named in honor of Sergeant Elmer Foster Montgomery of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Montgomery was born in Kalispell, Montana, on April 3, 1913. During World War II, he served as a rifleman with Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

Montgomery took part in the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most difficult amphibious operations of the Pacific War. On March 11, 1945, his platoon advanced beyond the established American lines and came under intense fire from a strongly fortified Japanese position. The Marines were unable to move forward and faced serious difficulty withdrawing from the exposed area. Montgomery advanced toward the enemy position and deliberately drew its fire away from the rest of his platoon. His actions enabled the other Marines to disengage and return to safer ground, but he was killed during the engagement. He was 31 years old.

For his conduct on Iwo Jima, Elmer Foster Montgomery was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest United States military decoration for valor in combat.

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USS ELMER MONTGOMERY History:

The Navy awarded the construction contract for USS ELMER MONTGOMERY on August 25, 1966. Avondale Shipyards laid her keel at Westwego, Louisiana, on January 23, 1970. She was launched and christened on November 21, 1970. Her sponsor was Mrs. Daniel Webster, Sergeant Montgomery's sister. Fitting-out continued at Avondale during the following months. The ship conducted builder's trials in the Gulf of Mexico on September 14, 1971, and was delivered to and acquired by the Navy on October 14.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard on October 30, 1971, with Commander Leslie N. Palmer in command. She was assigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Four and initially operated from Norfolk, Virginia. Her first weeks in commission were devoted to completing fitting-out work, correcting material deficiencies and preparing the newly assembled crew for trials and fleet training. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY remained at Boston through the end of 1971 and the opening weeks of 1972. She subsequently moved to Norfolk and began the program of trials and training required of a newly commissioned escort. She was at Port Everglades, Florida, on February 18, 1972, while conducting early tests of her sonar and associated equipment.

The ship then proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for shakedown training with the Fleet Training Group. The program tested navigation, engineering, communications, damage control, gunnery, antiaircraft procedures, anti-submarine warfare and the crew's ability to sustain operations under simulated combat conditions. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was at Guantanamo Bay on March 10 and departed the Caribbean for Norfolk on March 30. After completing shakedown training, she underwent the normal program of repairs and adjustments intended to correct deficiencies discovered during her first months at sea. The remainder of 1972 was occupied by local operations, engineering exercises, sonar training, helicopter work and integration with other Atlantic Fleet ships. The crew also developed proficiency in underway replenishment, formation manoeuvring and screening duties around aircraft carriers and support ships.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY began her first extended overseas deployment during 1973. The deployment took her to the Mediterranean and also involved operations in the North Atlantic and northern European waters. At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained substantial naval forces in the Mediterranean. American Sixth Fleet carrier groups, amphibious forces and escorts monitored Soviet ships and submarines while supporting NATO's southern flank. The frigate operated with the carrier group centred on USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CVA 67). USS ELMER MONTGOMERY's duties included anti-submarine screening, radar surveillance, plane-guard service, helicopter operations and participation in multinational exercises.

Commander Michael J. Brown relieved Commander Leslie N. Palmer on May 3, 1973. The change of command occurred while the ship was entering the established operational cycle of a deployed Atlantic Fleet escort. During the following months, she operated in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, North Sea and waters connected with NATO's northern maritime approaches. The strategic situation changed sharply on October 6, 1973, when Egypt and Syria attacked Israeli positions at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. The conflict quickly became connected with the wider rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union supplied Egypt and Syria, while the United States organized an airlift to Israel. Both superpowers increased naval readiness and concentrated additional ships in the Mediterranean.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was present in the Mediterranean during the crisis as the United States strengthened the Sixth Fleet. During October she was photographed in Naples harbor with the destroyer USS GLENNON (DD 840) and the guided missile cruiser USS SPRINGFIELD (CLG 7). Other American escorts and carrier-group units operated nearby as the Sixth Fleet increased surveillance and prepared for possible evacuation or contingency missions. The American ships did not enter the Arab-Israeli fighting directly. Their tasks included protecting the carrier formations, monitoring Soviet naval movements and providing the United States government with military options if the war expanded. The crisis eased after a ceasefire late in October, although tensions continued and the deployed forces remained at an increased state of readiness.

After returning to the United States, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY underwent maintenance and resumed Atlantic training. Her first major deployment had required her to operate in several different environments and had culminated in one of the most serious superpower confrontations in the Mediterranean during the Cold War.

During 1974, the ship undertook another long overseas deployment extending beyond the normal Mediterranean operating area toward the Middle East. The Suez Canal remained closed as a consequence of the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War and would not reopen until 1975. American ships moving between the Atlantic and Indian oceans therefore had to sail around southern Africa. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY crossed the equator and followed the long route around the Cape of Good Hope. After rounding southern Africa, she continued into the Indian Ocean and toward the Red Sea and Middle Eastern operating areas.

The United States Middle East Force maintained a limited but continuous naval presence in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and adjoining waters. Its ships monitored regional military activity, visited friendly ports and demonstrated American interest in the security of the maritime routes serving the major oil-producing states. Such duties had become particularly important after the oil embargo and economic disruption that followed the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

On December 14, 1974, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY arrived at Aqaba, Jordan, for a five-day visit. She was the first United States Navy ship to visit Jordan since the 1967 war. Aqaba lay at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, close to Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and the visit therefore carried diplomatic as well as operational significance. The ship remained until approximately December 19 before continuing her deployment.

Commander Edwin McLean Baldwin relieved Commander Michael J. Brown on March 21, 1975. During the opening months of the year, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY completed maintenance, training and preparations for further Atlantic Fleet service. The conclusion of the Vietnam War in April reduced one major demand on the Navy, but the Soviet submarine fleet continued to expand and remained the principal reason for maintaining a large force of ocean escorts.

On June 30, 1975, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was redesignated from destroyer escort DE 1082 to frigate FF 1082 as part of a Navy-wide revision of surface-warship classifications. During the remainder of 1975, the frigate conducted Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean training. Her activities included sonar tracking exercises, weapons qualification, engineering drills, helicopter operations and participation in larger formations. These periods at sea alternated with maintenance at Norfolk and other Atlantic coast facilities.

On March 30, 1976, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY suffered a fire in a storeroom while moored at Naval Station Norfolk. The crew fought the fire with assistance from personnel of the guided-missile destroyer USS MITSCHER (DDG 35) and the naval station fire department. The fire was extinguished without injuries, and the resulting damage was limited. The affected compartments and systems were inspected and repaired before normal operations resumed.

After the fire, the ship returned to training and fleet exercises. The work of an Atlantic Fleet frigate during this period consisted largely of maintaining proficiency in anti-submarine warfare while remaining available for overseas deployment. NATO planning assumed that escorts such as USS ELMER MONTGOMERY would protect reinforcement convoys crossing the Atlantic in the event of a major European crisis. Commander James Hurst McCoy relieved Commander Edwin McLean Baldwin on December 26, 1976. During 1977, the frigate alternated between local operations, inspections and an extended period of maintenance. Work was conducted on the propulsion plant, sonar, electrical systems, weapons and accommodation spaces to correct the effects of several years of intensive service.

Following the extended overhaul, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY conducted sea trials and a progressive return to full operational readiness. The crew requalified in engineering, damage control, gunnery, sonar operation, helicopter support and formation manoeuvring. The ship subsequently shifted her base of operations from Norfolk to Mayport, Florida. She was officially listed at Mayport by April 1979 and remained associated with that port for the rest of her American service.

During the late 1970s, the frigate resumed Atlantic and NATO training in northern waters. Her duties centered on anti-submarine screening and the protection of formations operating in the North Atlantic and approaches to northern Europe. Poor weather, low temperatures and continuous sonar watches made these operations demanding for both the engineering plant and the crew.

Commander Thomas Hayes Miller relieved Commander James Hurst McCoy on January 19, 1979. The political environment in the Middle East was changing rapidly. The Iranian Revolution overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, removing one of the United States' principal regional allies. At the same time, instability on the Arabian Peninsula and growing Soviet involvement around the Horn of Africa increased the importance of American naval deployments to the Indian Ocean.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY deployed to the Mediterranean and Middle East during the spring and summer of 1979. She operated with units assigned to American carrier and surface formations and passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The canal had reopened in 1975, greatly shortening the route between the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern waters compared with her voyage around southern Africa in 1974. In Middle Eastern waters, the ship performed radar surveillance, anti-submarine screening and presence duties. American ships used Bahrain and other regional ports for support while continuing to depend heavily on underway replenishment. The deployment occurred before the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran but amid the growing political uncertainty created by the Iranian Revolution.

On August 20, 1979, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY rendezvoused with USS BARRY (DD 933) and USS SAMPSON (DDG 10) for the return movement from the Indian Ocean. The ships proceeded north through the Red Sea and transited the Suez Canal on August 25. After re-entering the Mediterranean, they continued toward the western Mediterranean and Atlantic, using Rota, Spain, and other support locations during the return voyage. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY returned to Mayport after completing the deployment. On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized the United States Embassy in Tehran and held its personnel hostage. Although the frigate had already completed her Middle East deployment, the crisis led to a long-term increase in American carrier and escort activity in the Indian Ocean.

During 1980, the ship conducted Atlantic and Mediterranean operations. Training focused on anti-submarine warfare, carrier screening and readiness for rapid movement toward the Middle East if required. The outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War on September 22 created another source of instability around the Persian Gulf and increased concern about the protection of oil routes and American naval forces. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was at Barcelona, Spain, on October 25, 1980, during a Mediterranean cruise. Mediterranean deployments normally combined periods with Sixth Fleet carrier formations, independent anti-submarine exercises, surveillance of Soviet ships and maintenance in allied ports. The frigate continued the deployment into the opening part of 1981 before returning to Mayport.

The ship subsequently resumed maintenance and local training, including sonar exercises off the southeastern coast of the United States and operations in the Caribbean. Commander Robert Haywood Pewett relieved Commander Thomas Hayes Miller on January 5, 1982. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY then prepared for a northern European deployment that differed geographically from her repeated Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cruises. During 1982, she operated with NATO forces in the North Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic approaches and participated in the major exercise Northern Wedding. Northern Wedding tested the alliance's ability to reinforce northern Europe, protect Atlantic sea routes and defend Norway and the approaches to the Baltic. The exercise required coordination among ships, submarines and aircraft from several NATO countries and included anti-submarine, surface-warfare, air-defence and replenishment phases.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY passed through the Kiel Canal during the deployment and was photographed alongside her sister ship USS McCANDLESS (FF 1084). The canal connected the North Sea with the Baltic without requiring ships to round Denmark and provided a confined navigational environment very different from their normal open-ocean operating areas. The frigate visited Stockholm, Sweden, during the Baltic phase of the cruise. Sweden was formally non-aligned but maintained substantial naval forces because of its proximity to the Soviet Union and the strategic Baltic sea lanes. The visit combined diplomatic contact with rest and replenishment for the crew. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY also visited Southampton, England. British ports supported American and NATO ships operating in the North Atlantic, and the visit was associated with additional exercises in waters around the United Kingdom. The frigate returned to Mayport after completing the deployment and resumed the regular cycle of upkeep and training.

During 1983, the ship conducted Atlantic and Caribbean exercises, inspections and maintenance. The United States Navy was expanding under the maritime strategy associated with the administration of President Ronald Reagan. The strategy emphasized forward operations against the Soviet Navy and renewed the importance of tracking submarines in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and waters near Soviet operating areas. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY received system improvements intended to keep her effective against increasingly quiet submarines. KNOX-class frigates were fitted with passive towed-array sonar, updated electronic equipment and Harpoon capability during their service lives. These additions expanded their surveillance and anti-submarine capabilities but did not reduce the maintenance demands of their high-pressure steam plants.

Commander David O. White relieved Commander Robert Haywood Pewett on January 29, 1984. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY continued work-up exercises and Atlantic Fleet operations. Her crew practised the combined use of the bow-mounted sonar, variable-depth sonar, towed array and SH-2 helicopter while maintaining proficiency with the 5-inch gun and surface-to-surface missiles. Later in 1984, the frigate began another Mediterranean deployment. On October 24, 1984, she relieved USS AYLWIN (FF 1081) near Tangier, Morocco. The turnover transferred operational responsibilities from one escort to the other as part of the continuing Sixth Fleet presence in the western Mediterranean. The deployment continued during the period of instability in Lebanon and the prolonged Iran-Iraq War. American carrier groups remained available for crisis response, while their escorts monitored Soviet submarines and surface ships and maintained surveillance of the main Mediterranean sea routes.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY operated with Sixth Fleet formations and performed anti-submarine screening, surface surveillance, plane-guard service and helicopter operations. After returning from the Mediterranean, she resumed training off the American east coast and was photographed underway off the Virginia Capes on May 7, 1985. The frigate spent portions of 1985 and early 1986 in maintenance and training. Commander John James Kearley relieved Commander David O. White on April 6, 1986. Later that year, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY participated in Display Determination, a large NATO exercise conducted in the Mediterranean and southern European region. Display Determination tested the ability of allied naval, air and ground forces to respond to a crisis affecting NATO's southern flank. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY operated as an escort within the multinational formation, carrying out anti-submarine screening and surveillance while coordinating with American and allied aircraft, submarines and surface ships.

During the late 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War increasingly affected neutral merchant shipping. Both belligerents attacked tankers and oil facilities in what became known as the Tanker War. Mines, shore-based missiles, aircraft and armed small craft threatened navigation in the Persian Gulf. The attack by an Iraqi aircraft on the frigate USS STARK (FFG 31) on May 17, 1987, killing 37 American sailors, demonstrated the dangers faced by warships operating in the region. The United States began Operation Earnest Will on July 24, 1987. Selected Kuwaiti tankers were placed under the American flag and escorted through the Persian Gulf. The Navy established a large force of cruisers, destroyers, frigates, minesweepers, support ships, aircraft and special operations units to protect the convoys and respond to Iranian actions.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY departed on April 25, 1988, as part of the battle group centred on the aircraft carrier USS FORRESTAL (CV 59). The force crossed the Atlantic, operated in the Mediterranean and passed through the Suez Canal before continuing into the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf region. The frigate operated under Joint Task Force Middle East. Her duties included supporting merchant shipping, monitoring Iranian small craft, maintaining radar and visual surveillance, escorting naval and commercial vessels and responding to distress calls. Conditions in the Strait of Hormuz and northern Persian Gulf were demanding because merchant traffic, fishing vessels, naval units and armed boats moved through the same confined waters.

On July 2, 1988, the Danish-flag merchant ship KARAMA MAERSK reported that Iranian small craft were attacking her southwest of Abu Musa. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY responded to the distress call and approached the area. The frigate observed Iranian boats operating around the merchant ship and fired a warning shot. The Iranian craft broke off the attack and withdrew.

On the morning of July 3, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was patrolling near the northern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz when she observed Iranian Revolutionary Guard small boats approaching merchant traffic. The number of boats increased, and several manoeuvred near a Pakistani merchant vessel. The frigate reported the developing situation. The guided-missile cruiser USS VINCENNES (CG 49) sent an SH-60 helicopter to observe the Iranian boats. The helicopter reported that it had been fired upon. USS VINCENNES and USS ELMER MONTGOMERY moved toward the small craft. During the pursuit, both American ships crossed into Iranian territorial waters, contrary to the standing instructions governing operations in the area. When several Iranian boats turned toward and closed the American ships, USS VINCENNES and USS ELMER MONTGOMERY received permission to engage and opened fire. Two Iranian boats were sunk and another was damaged during the combined action. Later assessments credited USS ELMER MONTGOMERY with destroying one of the boats. Eligible members of her crew were subsequently authorized the Combat Action Ribbon for their participation in the engagement.

While the surface action was taking place, Iran Air Flight 655 departed Bandar Abbas for Dubai. USS VINCENNES misidentified the civilian Airbus as a hostile Iranian military aircraft and fired two Standard missiles. The aircraft was destroyed, killing all 290 people aboard. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY took part in the separate surface engagement but did not fire the missiles that destroyed the airliner.

A ceasefire between Iran and Iraq took effect on August 20, 1988. American naval forces remained in the region while the escort operation continued and the danger from mines and small craft was reassessed. During the deployment, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY participated in further fleet training, including activities connected with Exercise West Wind 88. Commander Robert A. Higgins relieved Commander John James Kearley on September 3, 1988. Operation Earnest Will formally ended on September 26. American forces subsequently reduced the special convoy system while maintaining a substantial naval presence in the Persian Gulf and its approaches. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY returned to Mayport after the deployment and entered a period of leave, maintenance and repairs. Her 1988 service brought unit and campaign recognition connected with the wider Persian Gulf operation, while the Combat Action Ribbon was awarded individually to eligible crew members rather than to the ship as a unit decoration.

During 1989, the frigate conducted Atlantic and Caribbean exercises, underwent maintenance and prepared for further deployment. The Cold War environment was changing rapidly as communist governments in Eastern Europe collapsed and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union improved. Regional crises, however, continued to require deployable naval forces.

On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United Nations imposed economic sanctions, and the United States began Operation Desert Shield to defend Saudi Arabia and assemble a multinational force in the region. Naval units were required both to deter further Iraqi expansion and to enforce the embargo on Iraqi trade. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY departed Mayport on August 7, 1990, with the battle group centered on the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA (CV 60). The group crossed the Atlantic and entered the Mediterranean before moving toward the Red Sea and Middle Eastern operating areas. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY became part of the multinational maritime interception force enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

Merchant ships sailing toward or away from Iraqi-controlled ports were called by radio, identified and questioned regarding their ownership, destination and cargo. A routine interception could consist only of this questioning process. A boarding required an inspection team to transfer to the merchant ship, examine its documents and inspect its cargo or compartments. Vessels carrying prohibited goods could be diverted or detained. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY conducted repeated interceptions in the Red Sea and near the Gulf of Aqaba. On September 27, 1990, she intercepted the Iraqi tanker TADMUR as the ship proceeded south from the Gulf of Aqaba. The tanker initially failed to comply with orders to stop. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY fired .50-calibre warning rounds across her bow, after which the merchant ship stopped. A boarding team from the frigate inspected TADMUR. No prohibited cargo was found, and the tanker was permitted to continue. The incident was the first occasion during the American embargo-enforcement operation on which warning shots were fired to compel a merchant vessel to submit to inspection.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY continued the intensive interception program through the autumn. During October she conducted the multinational force's 2,500th interception. She also became the first ship in the operating area to complete 100 actual boardings. The different totals reflected the distinction between questioning or identifying a merchant vessel and physically placing an inspection team aboard. The work was repetitive but demanding. Boarding teams transferred by small boat in open water, climbed the sides of merchant ships of varying size and condition and examined cargo spaces, machinery compartments and documents. The frigate maintained defensive watches throughout the process because of the possibility that an intercepted vessel might resist or conceal armed personnel.

On January 17, 1991, the coalition began Operation Desert Storm after Iraq failed to withdraw from Kuwait. USS SARATOGA and other aircraft carriers launched strikes against Iraqi targets. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY screened the carrier and associated ships in the Red Sea, maintained anti-submarine and surface surveillance and continued maritime interception duties. The frigate also operated in proximity to the carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY during the Desert Shield and Desert Storm period. The carrier formations in the Red Sea supplied part of the coalition's naval air power while avoiding some of the confined operating conditions and mine dangers of the northern Persian Gulf.

Commander Fred Gregg Orchard relieved Commander Robert A. Higgins on January 29, 1991, while the deployment was in progress. Coalition ground forces liberated Kuwait, and a ceasefire took effect on February 28. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY remained in the region during the immediate postwar period while maritime forces continued enforcing restrictions and began reducing the deployed force. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY returned to Mayport on March 28, 1991, with other ships of the USS SARATOGA battle group. The deployment had lasted almost eight months. Her service during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm resulted in additional campaign and unit recognition, including the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the Saudi and Kuwaiti liberation medals.

After post-deployment leave and maintenance, the frigate resumed Atlantic operations. Later in 1991 she received an assignment connected with the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63), which had completed an extensive Service Life Extension Program at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and was transferring its home port from the Atlantic coast to San Diego. Because the carrier was too large for the Panama Canal, the voyage required a passage around South America. USS ELMER MONTGOMERY accompanied USS KITTY HAWK during the South American portion of the transfer.

On November 11, 1991, USS KITTY HAWK anchored near Mar del Plata, Argentina, with USS ELMER MONTGOMERY nearby. The frigate remained in the area for approximately two days and operated with the carrier during the broader South American transit. The ships subsequently continued toward the southern end of the continent and the route around Cape Horn. After completing her portion of the escort assignment, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY returned toward the Atlantic and Mayport, while USS KITTY HAWK continued to San Diego.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY continued training and maintenance during 1992. Commander Craig Eugene Vance relieved Commander Fred Gregg Orchard on July 15. By this stage, the Navy was reducing force levels after the end of the Cold War and reviewing the future of older steam-powered ships. KNOX-class frigates remained useful anti-submarine platforms, but their single-shaft propulsion plants, large engineering departments and aging equipment made them increasingly expensive to operate. Newer frigates and destroyers offered more modern systems, while the declining Soviet submarine threat reduced the requirement for the large escort force constructed during the Cold War.

During October and November 1992, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY participated in one of her final extended underway periods. She operated with Canadian and American ships, including the Canadian replenishment ship HMCS PRESERVER and the American frigate USS CLARK (FFG 11). The exercises provided training in replenishment, formation manoeuvring, communications and multinational operations. The frigate returned to Mayport and entered the final phase of her active service. During the opening months of 1993, training and local operations gradually gave way to preparations for inactivation. Ammunition, classified material and removable equipment were transferred ashore, and machinery and systems were prepared for decommissioning.

USS ELMER MONTGOMERY was decommissioned at Naval Station Mayport on June 30, 1993, with Commander Craig Eugene Vance as her final commanding officer. She had served for 21 years and eight months. The Navy removed her from the Naval Vessel Register on the same date. Her recorded unit and campaign recognition included the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Unit Commendation, Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation, Battle Efficiency Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal issued by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Liberation Medal issued by Kuwait. Eligible crew members received the Combat Action Ribbon for the engagement of July 3, 1988.

After decommissioning, ELMER MONTGOMERY was selected for transfer to Turkey under the United States Security Assistance Program. Congress authorized the transfer on a grant basis rather than as an operational lease. She was formally transferred to the Turkish government on December 13, 1993. Unlike several other former KNOX-class frigates transferred to Turkey, USS ELMER MONTGOMERY did not enter regular Turkish naval service under a new name. She was supplied as a parts hulk to support the operation and maintenance of former American frigates already serving in the Turkish fleet. Machinery components, weapons equipment, sensors and structural fittings could therefore be removed and used to extend the operational lives of her sister ships.

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