History:
19 January 1993
Contract Signed
11 January 1996 Keel Laying
13 July 1996 Mast Stepping Ceremony
8-9 November 1996 Launch Day – Bath Iron
Works, Bath, Maine. The launch was originally scheduled for the
8th of November, but because of strong winds and the danger of
the ship entering the water under those conditions, the actual
launch was conducted the morning of the 9th. The ceremony with
all the major speakers was conducted on the 8th of November.
Mrs. Shalikashvilli, DECATUR’s sponsor christened the ship
on the 8th as part of the ceremony and then a second time on the
9th when the ship was actually launched off the rails into the
Kennebec River. 30 plus members of the Commissioning crew came
from San Diego, Rhode Island, and other commands around America
to Bath to be a part of the ceremony.
October/November 1997 Engineering Department
attended the LBES training facility in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
November 1997 "A" Trials.
25 December 1997 DECATUR’s first annual
Christmas party in DECATUR University, a renovated Reserve
center turned into training rooms for the Precommissioning Unit.
5 January 1998 Phase IV Balance Crew arrives in
Bath, ME at the Pre- commissioning unit. All 300 crew members
arrive from San Diego and other commands. The detachment in San
Diego is closed down.
21-25 January 1998 "B" Trials
January 1998 Ice Storms. Engineering Console
Operations Team Training, Newport, Rhode Island. Engineering
Department members visited the Surface Warfare Officer School to
practice operation of DECATUR’s propulsion plant in a new
simulator. They also attended the LBES training facility in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
22 February- 13 March 1998 Radioman and Electronic
Technician Team Training, St. Indigos, Maryland. All the RM’s
and ET’s practiced configuring a communications suite just
like the one onboard to provide the communications needed at
sea.
15– 30 March 1998 Combat Information Center
Team Trainer, Wallops Island, Virginia. Training provided a
series of realistic command and control scenarios to develop
methods for dealing with Anti-ship cruise missiles, attacking
aircraft, torpedoes from submarines and gunfire from surface
ships. The team completed training with praise from the staff of
instructors.
March 1998 Fire Fighting and Helicopter Crash and
Fire Fighting in Norfolk, Virginia. Donning the same fire
fighting ensembles used at sea, these trainees learned team
techniques for battling fires aboard ship and simulated battling
helicopter crashes on a flight deck.
February/March 1998 Light Off Assessment
Preparations Crew Certification Preps Publication Inventory
Supply warehouse on-load preps "C" trials
13 March 1998 Ship’s Custody Transfer, the
Navy took custody of DECATUR from BIW, at this point the ship
became an official Navy asset.
1 May 1998 Crew Move Aboard May 1998 Crew
Certification Phase I
5 – 12 June 1998 Crew Certification Phase II
Light Off Assessmen
19 June 1998 Commissioned Without Ceremony.
Commodore Pat Garrett, COMDESRON 23, put DECATUR in Commission
without Ceremony in Bath, Maine.
22 June 1998 Dry Dock. DECATUR was put into dry
dock in Portland, Maine due to a CRP leak in the starboard shaft
seal.
4 July 1998 DECATUR hosts the shipbuilders from
Bath Iron Works and their families for tours and a barbecue on
the flight deck.
6 July 1998 Sailaway from Portland, Maine
13 July 1998 Naval Weapon Station, Yorktown,
Virginia for weapons onload
20 July 1998 Mayport, Florida port visit
28 July 1998 Port visit Puerto Rico
29 July 1998 NGFS range Puerto Rico, shot over 140
five inch shells and scored 99.25% on the range, during FIREX I
3 August 1998 Panama Canal transit
11-14 August 1998 Port visit Puerta Vallarta,
Mexico
21- 23 August 1998 Port visit Longview, Washington.
The transit from Longview to Portland, Oregon provided a chance
to have many riders on board. DECATUR hosted over 200 passengers
for the transit up the Columbia River ranging from Delayed Entry
Program Candidates from the Naval Recruiting Depot in Portland
to family members and a host of media personnel.
26 – 31 August 1998 Commissioning Week in
Portland, Oregon. Television and newspaper coverage touted the
ship’s arrival for the first commissioning ceremony in
Portland, OR. DECATUR hosted for the Portland Navy League and
the Reserve Centers. General topside ship tours were open to the
public on Saturday and Sunday after the commissioning ceremony.
Over 1000 people visited the ship this weekend.
29 August 1998 Commissioning Ceremony, Portland,
Oregon
4 September 1998 Arrival in Homeport San Diego,
California
December 1998 Combat Systems SQT/ 14 out of 14
Missile shots hit the target, PMRF Hawaii. Returned to San Diego
just before Christmas
January 1999 Final Contract Trials, DECATUR passed
with flying colors.
February- April 1999 Post Shakedown Availability
period in Southwest Marine shipyard. The crew lived and worked
on a berthing barge. Most ships are allowed a twelve week
availability period, but DECATUR was able to complete these jobs
in only nine weeks and was awarded the AEGIS Excellence award
for efficiency during the Shakedown period
19 April 1999 DECATUR Family Day Cruise enroute to
Seal Beach, CA for an ammo onload. This was DECATUR’s first
Family day cruise with over 150 family members taking part.
DECATUR had Damage Control demonstrations of a Helicopter crash
and smash drill and Small arms static display. The Supply
department provided a Steel Beach picnic to top off the day.
25 April 1999 Decatur Island, Washington visit.
DECATUR anchored off the little island and ran the RHIB boats to
and from the ship to provide the community ship tours. In return
the community of Decatur Island held a picnic complete with a
basketball court and a campfire.
26-30 April 1999 Vancouver, British Columbia port
visit. Ship tours were provided for a few groups including the
Canadian Standards Association, the Royal Canada Sea Cadets
Corps, and the Navy League Cadet Corps.
03 August 1999 Arrived Everett, Washington - RON
04 August 1999 Embarked 150 Guest Riders. Departed
Everett, enroute Seattle Washington as a parade of ships for the
Seattle Seafair. Visitors enjoyed a steel beach picnic. Arrived
Pier 66.
07 October 1999 Pre-deployment Fair
07 January 2000 Underway for Maiden Western Pacific
Deployment
13-14 January 2000 Inport Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
26 – 29 January 2000 Sharem 2000 – Yellow
Sea (Joint USW exercise with ROKN and USN forces)
30 Jan – 03 Feb 2000 Inport Chinhae, South
Korea Community Relations Project at Good Samaritan
Rehabilitation and local Orphanage Crewmembers visit Pusan
07-12 February 2000 Inport Yokosuka, Japan
14 – 17 February 2000 Inport Nagasaki, Japan
Community Relations Project at Convent of the Holy Child Jesus
Crewmembers visited historical sites such as the Peace Park,
Atomic Bomb Hypocenter and Atomic Bomb museum, as well as
attended the Nagasaki Lantern Festival.
18 February 2000 BSF (Brief Stop for Fuel) Okinawa,
Japan
20-21 February 2000 Taiwan Strait Transit
22 – 25 February 2000 Anchored Hong Kong
Community Relations Project at Crossroads Crewmembers took tours
to places such as Victoria’s Peak, Ocean Park, Stanley
Market, and TSL Jewelry Factory.
06 – 09 March 2000 Anchored Kota Kinabalu,
Malaysia Crewmembers stay at Magellan Resort Hotel and
participate in whitewater rafting and Orangutan Sanctuary tours
13 – 17 March 2000 Inport Guam CO’s (CDR
Gumataotao) homecoming Major Flight Deck Reception Community
Relations Project at Alee Shelter and Sanctuary
29 – 31 March 2000 Inport Guam
03 April 2000 Crossing the Line Ceremony
09 – 13 April 2000 Inport Suva, Fiji Community
Relations Project at the Humane Society
14 – 19 April 2000 Inport Pago Pago, American
Samoa – Centennial Celebration Major Flight Deck Reception
Military Recognition Ceremony at Veteran Memorial Stadium CO
elected High Chieftain
26 April – 01 May 2000 Inport Sydney,
Australia Wardroom reception on host ship HMAS ARUNTA Wardroom
reception with Australian American Association
03 – 07 May 2000 Inport Brisbane, Australia
Crewmembers meet Steve (Crocodile Hunter) and Teri Irwin Ship
receives word that deployment will be shorten to 5 months.
13 – 17 May 2000 Inport Darwin, Australia
17 May 2000 USS PEARY (DD-226) Memorial Service
19 May 2000 2nd Crossing the Line Ceremony
23 – 24 May 2000 Inport Guam
01 – 02 June 2000 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii –
Tigers boarded USS MISSOURI and ARIZONA Memorials Reenlistments
Crewmembers enjoy Germaine’s Luau
08 June 2000 Arrive San Diego – Homecoming
08 June – 11 July 2000 Post Overseas Movement
Stand Down |
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