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USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60)

USS RODNEY M. DAVIS was the last but one OLIVER HAZARD PERRY - class frigate and the first ship in the Navy named after Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis. The ship was last homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash. On July 12, 2022, RODNEY M. DAVIS was sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2022 approx. 50 nautical miles north of Kauai, Hi.

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Crew List:

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

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USS RODNEY M. DAVIS Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 2014

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Navy. The heraldic grenade represents the enemy grenade upon which Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis (USMC) threw himself when it landed in the midst of his platoon in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 6 September 1967. The grenade, with chevrons representing sergeant's stripes, placed on a pale suggesting containment, further symbolizes his brave action which saved the lives of many of his fellow Marines and enabled the platoon to hold its ground.

The Crest:

The heraldic pelican, believed in antiquity to wound her breast with her long curved bill in order to draw blood for the purpose of feeding her young, is symbolic of Sergeant Davis' selfless act by which he gave his life to save others. The light blue collar with a suspended gold inverted star alludes to the Medal of Honor awarded to him for his heroic act. The sprig of bamboo signifies South Vietnam where Sergeant Davis fought and died.

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About the Ship's name, about Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis:

Rodney M. Davis was born April 7, 1942, in Macon, Georgia. He attended elementary school and high school there and graduated from Peter G. Appling High School, May 29, 1961.

Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in his hometown, August 31, 1961; then reported for recruit training with the First Recruit Training Battalion Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of recruit training in December 1961, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and under-went Individual Combat Training with the Second Battalion, First Infantry Training Regiment, graduating the following February.

He then joined Company "K", Third Battalion, Second Marines, Second Marine Division, FMF, at Camp Lejeune and served as a rifleman until May 1964. While stationed at Camp Lejeune, he was promoted to Private First Class, April 1, 1962, and to Lance Corporal, January 1, 1964.

Lance Corporal Davis was ordered to London, England, for a three year tour of duty as Guard with the United States Marine Detachment, Naval Activities. He was promoted to Corporal, January 1, 1966, and to Sergeant, December 1, 1966.

Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in August 1967, he was assigned duty as a Platoon Guide with Company "B", First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. He was operating with his unit in the Quang Nam Province on a search and clear mission during Operation SWIFT, when they were attacked by a large North Vietnamese force. Elements of the platoon were pinned down in a trench line by mortars, heavy automatic and small arms fire. He went from man to man encouraging them on and also returning fire at the same time. An enemy hand grenade fell in the trenches his men were fighting from and without hesitation he threw himself upon the grenade. He saved his fellow Marines in this selfless act and thus earned the nation's highest military decoration . . . the Medal of Honor.

His medals and decorations include: the Purple Heart; the Good Conduct Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal; the Military Merit Medal; the Gallantry Cross with Palm; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

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USS RODNEY M. DAVIS History:

USS RODNEY M. DAVIS, an OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class guided-missile frigate, was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards' Los Angeles Division at San Pedro, California. Her keel was laid on February 8, 1985, and she was launched on January 11, 1986, with Judy P. Davis, widow of Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis, as sponsor. After fitting out and sea trials, she was commissioned on May 9, 1987, at Naval Station Long Beach, California, with Commander Craig R. Heckert in command.

Following post-commissioning shakedown on the U.S. West Coast, the frigate was assigned to the forward-deployed naval forces in the western Pacific. In 1988, after completing her initial training and work-up period, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS shifted to Japan and joined Seventh Fleet, operating from her new homeport at Yokosuka. From there, she entered a sustained pattern of patrols, exercises, and port visits throughout the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, supporting the U.S. policy of continuous naval presence in Asia.

Early in her forward-deployed career, the ship was involved in a number of humanitarian and diplomatic activities that reflected the changing security environment in the late Cold War and immediate post-Cold War years. On May 1989, she was one of three Seventh Fleet ships to make a port visit to Shanghai, marking the first U.S. Navy call at a mainland Chinese port in more than four decades, a visible sign of the limited but important military-to-military engagement with the People's Republic of China at that time. Around the same period, she rendered assistance in the Strait of Malacca to the Indonesian fishing vessel HUNTER, which had encountered difficulties at sea, an early example of the frigate's recurring role in maritime safety and humanitarian support.

In June 1991, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS took part in Operation FIERY VIGIL, the emergency evacuation of U.S. military personnel, dependents, and civilians from the Philippines after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. On June 16, 1991, she was among the first ships to embark evacuees from Subic Bay. Together with USS CURTS (FFG 38) and USS ARKANSAS (CGN 41) she helped remove hundreds of people from the affected area and transport them to safety, contributing to a maritime effort that eventually evacuated more than 20,000 people.

That same year, she was the first U.S. Navy ship to make operational use of a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force anti-submarine warfare facility at Sasebo, reflecting growing U.S.-Japan interoperability in undersea warfare.

In 1992, the frigate underwent a major repair and modernization period at the Ship Repair Facility in Yokosuka. Contemporary Navy documentation notes that she completed the most extensive repair availability ever carried out there on a cruiser/destroyer-type hull, underscoring both the age of the facility and the increasing complexity of forward-deployed surface combatants. Later that same year, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS was tasked to provide humanitarian relief to Guam after Typhoon Omar struck the island on August 28, 1992. Operating as part of Joint Task Force Marianas, she contributed to efforts to restore essential services, including potable water and basic infrastructure support, in cooperation with other U.S. services and local authorities.

In 1993, she continued to work across the wider region. That year, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS became the first U.S. Navy ship to complete a maintenance availability at Surabaya, Indonesia, marking a practical expansion of U.S.-Indonesian naval cooperation. She also rendered assistance to the Indonesian motor vessel CAHAYA MANDAR, found adrift after six days at sea, providing humanitarian relief to the crew.

On August 12, 1994, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS commenced her first clearly documented deployment to the Arabian Gulf. She joined U.S. naval forces supporting regional security and sanctions enforcement against Iraq in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, operating under U.S. Central Command's maritime component. Available command summaries indicate that this deployment involved extended patrols in the Gulf and North Arabian Sea, but surviving public records provide only limited detail on her day-to-day activities and specific port visits.

From November 22, 1995, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS continued her forward-deployed service with the Seventh Fleet at Yokosuka under a new commanding officer, Commander Peter M. Leenhouts, who relieved Commander Dennis L. Hopkins on that date. She remained assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 and the forward-deployed surface force, supporting the usual mix of Western Pacific patrols, exercises and theater presence.

The ship's next clearly documented deployment began on February 9, 1996, when an embarked SH-60B LAMPS III detachment from HSL-43 Detachment 8 reported aboard RODNEY M. DAVIS for a six-month cruise. On February 26, 1996, the frigate departed Yokosuka in company with the sister frigate USS THACH (FFG 43), both ships proceeding en route to Phuket, Thailand, according to THACH's command history. The deployment with HSL-43 Det 8 is recorded as running from February 9 to August 9, 1996, marking a full six-month period in which the ship operated with an embarked helicopter detachment. The surviving aviation records, however, do not specify all intermediate ports of call or individual exercises by name. After the detachment's return in August 1996, RODNEY M. DAVIS remained with Seventh Fleet, alternating routine patrols and local training with upkeep periods at Yokosuka. Open sources do not provide a more granular log for the final months of 1996.

In early 1997, the frigate entered a major maintenance period. A contemporaneous dry-dock photograph and caption place USS RODNEY M. DAVIS in a Docking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) in Yokosuka from roughly January 1997 through April 1997, with work carried out by Japanese yard workers. During this period, she was temporarily out of normal patrol rotation while hull, machinery and combat-system work were performed. After the availability, she supported fleet training: on March 1, 1997, cruiser USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53) recorded that she conducted MISSILEX 97-2, firing a Standard Missile at a supersonic high-altitude drone with frigates USS CURTS (FFG 38) and USS RODNEY M. DAVIS in formation. On May 9, 1997, the ship marked her tenth commissioning anniversary.

Shortly after this anniversary, on July 3, 1997, command passed from Commander Leenhouts to Commander Jonathan E. Will, who remained in command until February 4, 1999. Through the rest of 1997, RODNEY M. DAVIS resumed the normal pattern of a post-availability forward-deployed frigate - training, patrols and exercises under Seventh Fleet - though available unclassified summaries do not enumerate every event.

A major structural change in the ship's career came in 1998. Background material on Naval Station Everett and associated Navy basing decisions records that, after the decommissioning of USS CALLAGHAN (DDG 994), two ships based in Japan - destroyer USS FIFE (DD 991) and frigate USS RODNEY M. DAVIS - made their official change of homeport from Japan to Naval Station Everett, Washington, on May 5, 1998. This move ended her decade as a forward-deployed unit at Yokosuka and reassigned her to Destroyer Squadron 9 in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

After the shift, RODNEY M. DAVIS began operating primarily from Everett. A dated photograph from July 20, 1998, shows the frigate clearing Victoria Harbor, Victoria, British Columbia, as seen from the cruise ship SS UNIVERSE EXPLORER, confirming at least one port visit to Victoria as the ship began working routinely in the Northeast Pacific from her new homeport.

With homeport now at Everett, RODNEY M. DAVIS settled into a cycle of training and deployment that increasingly emphasized counter-narcotics and presence operations in the eastern Pacific and South Pacific. On February 5, 1999, Commander Thomas E. Mangold Jr. relieved Commander Will as commanding officer, marking a leadership handover early in the Everett period. Naval Aviation News records that from January 19 to July 21, 1999 the ship embarked SH-60B helicopters from HSL-49 Detachment 4, indicating a roughly six-month deployment with that detachment. The aviation summary does not specify the precise operating areas for this 1999 cruise, but the length and timing match a standard Pacific deployment from an Everett homeport. Philatelic evidence from a Veterans Day cover dated November 11, 1999, produced aboard USS RODNEY M. DAVIS, notes that the ship departed Naval Station Everett that year for a deployment to the South Pacific, further underscoring her growing role in Pacific-wide patrols from Everett.

Publicly available sources do not provide a day-to-day breakdown of the 1999 deployment beyond the dates of the embarked helicopter detachment and the general indication of South Pacific operations.

In 2000, RODNEY M. DAVIS continued to operate from Everett under Commander Mangold until September 1, 2000, when Commander Eldridge Hord III assumed command. Reference compilations on the ship's career note that in 2000, she received at least two warfare-area excellence awards - Engineering/Survivability Warfare Excellence and Logistics Management Excellence - reflecting high inspection and readiness grades in those disciplines during this period.

Open documentation for late 2000 once again becomes sparse. The available record suggests routine operations, training and work-ups for her next deployment, but specific port visits or named exercises are not preserved in the same level of detail as her later deployments in the 2000s.

Her next deployment took RODNEY M. DAVIS to the South Pacific again for a counter-narcotics deployment in 2001. Naval Aviation News' "Year in Review" for 2002 lists HSL-43 Detachment 3, embarked in RODNEY M. DAVIS, as deployed from March 19, 2001 to August 6, 2001, confirming a deployment of more than four months with the SH-60B detachment aboard. During this period, RODNEY M. DAVIS was assigned to counter-narcotics operations under joint interagency tasking in the eastern Pacific and South Pacific. The most famous event of the 2001 deployment came with the interception and search of the Belize-flagged fishing vessel SVESDA MARU. A detailed international law commentary notes that in March 2001, the frigate USS RODNEY M. DAVIS intercepted SVESDA MARU in international waters off the coast of southern Mexico after the vessel's behavior and appearance aroused suspicion.

U.S. Customs aircraft had earlier observed SVESDA MARU loitering without functioning fishing gear, further increasing concern. A U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) embarked in RODNEY M. DAVIS began an exhaustive search, which took several days to uncover a concealed compartment beneath the fish hold. On April 28, 2001, the LEDET, still assigned to RODNEY M. DAVIS and now assisted by the medium endurance cutter USCGC ACTIVE, boarded SVESDA MARU again approximately 1,500 miles south of San Diego and discovered 26,931 pounds (about 12.2 metric tons) of cocaine concealed aboard. Coast Guard historical summaries and later retrospective articles describe this as at that time the largest single cocaine seizure in maritime history.

The operation, conducted under Operation Panama Express and broader U.S. counter-narcotics strategy in the eastern Pacific, illustrates how by 2001, RODNEY M. DAVIS's mission profile from Everett had shifted significantly toward law-enforcement support and maritime interdiction, while still operating as a fully capable guided-missile frigate.

In early 2003, the frigate entered a period of higher operational tempo linked to the Global War on Terrorism and the invasion of Iraq. On March 3, 2003, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS departed Naval Station Everett for a scheduled deployment with the NIMITZ (CVN 68) carrier strike group. Before the deployment the strike group had completed Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) on January 29, 2003, to certify as a ready carrier group.

During the deployment, the frigate operated extensively in the North Arabian Gulf in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, serving as flagship for the commander of Maritime Interception Operations. She was heavily involved in the boarding and inspection of merchant vessels suspected of carrying prohibited cargo to or from Iraq, and also conducted similar interception and escort duties alongside coalition units in the southern Arabian Gulf. USS RODNEY M. DAVIS returned to Everett on November 10, 2003, after roughly eight months deployed.

On April 29, 2005, the ship again sailed from Everett, this time for Southeast Asia to participate in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series. Over approximately six months she took part in multiple bilateral phases. CARAT Singapore ran from May 30 to June 13; on June 17 she pulled into Sattahip, Thailand, for the Thai phase, which continued through June 26. CARAT Malaysia ran from July 8 to July 18, followed by CARAT Indonesia from July 25 to July 29, during which USS RODNEY M. DAVIS entered Tanjung Perak port at Surabaya to conduct training events. CARAT Brunei took place from August 4 to August 12, and CARAT Philippines ended the series on August 23 after final activities around Subic Bay. The frigate returned to Naval Station Everett on October 29, 2005, concluding a deployment that emphasized coalition training, small-boat defense, boarding procedures, and maritime security cooperation across Southeast Asia.

Back in Washington, the ship entered a significant maintenance period. On January 26, 2006, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS began a six-month Selected Restricted Availability, during which she received repairs and system upgrades in port. Among the improvements was installation of a man-overboard indicator (MOBI) system, completed on November 3, 2006, reflecting the Navy's emphasis on crew safety and real-time tracking of personnel in emergencies.

On November 28, 2006, the frigate left Everett again, this time bound for the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of responsibility in the eastern Pacific as part of a joint and inter-agency task force conducting counter-narcotics operations. Throughout late 2006 and the first half of 2007, her primary mission was maritime interdiction - tracking, boarding, and, where possible, seizing drug-smuggling vessels moving cocaine from South America toward Central America and Mexico. On April 7, 2007, while deployed, the crew held a ceremony marking the birthday of the ship's namesake, Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis, underscoring the connection between the frigate's service and Davis's legacy. USS RODNEY M. DAVIS returned to Everett on June 12, 2007, after about six and a half months at sea. During the deployment, she made four documented port visits (the specific ports are not fully enumerated in surviving summaries) and confiscated approximately 250 million dollars' worth of cocaine.

In early 2008, the frigate turned again to training and multinational exercises. On March 25, she was operating off southern California as part of the opposition forces during COMPTUEX for the RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) carrier strike group, providing a realistic surface threat for the carrier's air wing and escorts. Shortly before the start of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2008 exercise, she arrived at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, and then took part in RIMPAC 2008 in the Hawaiian operating areas from late June through July 31, working with ships and aircraft from numerous Pacific navies. After completing the exercise she returned to Everett on August 15, 2008, conducting a "Tiger Cruise" from San Diego for embarked family members and guests during the final transit.

On December 5, 2008, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS and Coast Guard LEDET 106 intercepted a fishing vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean carrying more than 4 metric tons of cocaine; nine suspected smugglers were taken into custody, adding another major interdiction case to the ship's record. From late 2008 into 2009, she continued counter-narcotics patrols. On April 21, 2009, she returned to Naval Station Everett after a six-month eastern Pacific deployment in support of what Navy sources describe as "counter narco-terrorism" missions. During this period, she seized six tons of cocaine and 160 pounds of marijuana and disrupted the movement of an additional 18 tons of cocaine. Port visits during the deployment included Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, at least one port in Peru, and several ports in Panama, where the crew conducted logistics and brief liberty stops between patrol cycles.

On May 29, 2010, while deployed off Central America, Commander Scott F. Robertson relieved Commander L. Doug Stuffle as commanding officer in a change-of-command ceremony held at anchor off the coast of Panama. USS RODNEY M. DAVIS was then engaged in counter-illicit trafficking operations again in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area. On September 16, 2010, she departed Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base in Panama after a two-day port call, resuming patrols. On September 23, she intercepted a 46-foot Ecuadorian-flagged fishing vessel in the eastern Pacific and recovered about 3,500 pounds of cocaine. Returning to Everett on November 23, 2010, after more than six months underway, the frigate's crew had, over the course of the deployment, recovered roughly 2.2 metric tons of cocaine, disrupted the movement of 1.5 metric tons more, and assisted in detaining 26 suspected traffickers.

In June 2011, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS called at San Francisco, California, for a three-day port visit before resuming operations, likely in the form of training and local exercises on the U.S. West Coast. On November 18, 2011, Commander Timothy M. Gibboney relieved Commander Scott F. Robertson as commanding officer during a ceremony at Naval Station Everett, marking another leadership transition as the ship approached the final phase of her service life.

On May 24, 2013, Commander Todd E. Whalen became the ship's seventeenth commanding officer during a change-of-command ceremony at Everett. Under his command, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS prepared for what would be her last deployment. On June 12, 2014, she departed Naval Station Everett for a western Pacific cruise that combined a major multinational exercise with maritime security operations and theater engagement. She arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on June 25 for the in-port phase of RIMPAC 2014, then put to sea on July 8 for the at-sea phase, operating with a force of 48 ships from 22 nations in large-scale maritime, air, and amphibious exercises around the Hawaiian Islands. She returned briefly to Pearl Harbor from July 29 into early August to reset before continuing west.

On August 9, 2014, the frigate entered the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility to conduct operations in support of the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) together with a Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team and regional partners. On August 18, she moored at Uniform Wharf in Apra Harbor, Guam, for a short port visit, then from August 22 to 23 took part in Sail Raja Ampat, an Indonesian-hosted international maritime event off Waigeo Island in West Papua. She returned briefly to Apra Harbor from August 26 to 27. On August 30, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS moored at Harbor Master Pier West in Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, for two weeks of upkeep and embarked a detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 51. From September 5 to 7, she anchored in Yokosuka's A-12 anchorage to conduct ammunition onload and then remained in port from September 7 to 11.

Continuing her final deployment, she made a brief refueling stop at Navy Pier, White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, on September 14, 2014, and then proceeded south. On September 22 she moored at Berth 2 of the Sembawang Terminal in Singapore for a scheduled visit. Over the remaining weeks of the deployment, she also visited the Maldives, Indonesia, and Brunei, where she participated in CARAT Brunei 2014 activities with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, including shipboard training events, maneuvering exercises, and boarding drills. In the Maldives, she hosted senior defense officials and conducted boarding exercises with the Maldivian Coast Guard, marking the first U.S. Navy ship visit to the country in several years. Overall, during this 2014 cruise, the ship is recorded as having transited more than 37,000 nautical miles, conducted 13 underway replenishments, and flown nearly 300 hours of helicopter operations, while carrying out presence missions and theater security cooperation across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

USS RODNEY M. DAVIS returned to Everett on December 19, 2014, concluding her final deployment. Preparations for decommissioning followed immediately. On January 23, 2015, she was formally decommissioned at Naval Station Everett, ending 28 years of active service. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 31, 2015, and laid up at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, pending final disposition.

The frigate's career nevertheless extended symbolically beyond her decommissioning. On July 12, 2022, retired USS RODNEY M. DAVIS was sunk as a target during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) at RIMPAC 2022 off Hawaii. Multinational naval and air units used her as a live-fire target to test weapons and tactics, a final operational role that closed the circle on her long association with Pacific exercises and deployments.

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Homeports of USS RODNEY M. DAVIS:

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USS RODNEY M. DAVIS Patch Gallery:

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USS RODNEY M. DAVIS Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the RODNEY M. DAVIS at Everett, Wash., on March 13, 2010. Note the extra pad for the Mk-38 Mod. 2 25mm gun above the former Mk-13 guided missile launcher.

The photos below were taken by me and show the RODNEY M. DAVIS undergoing overhaul at Seattle, Wash., on May 12, 2012. Mount Rainier is in the background.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the RODNEY M. DAVIS laid up at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., on April 17, 2016.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the RODNEY M. DAVIS laid up at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., on October 13, 2017.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the RODNEY M. DAVIS laid up at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., on June 12, 2022 - exactly one month before being sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2022.

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