USS Barbey (DE-1088/FF-1088) was a of the US Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. Barbey (DE-1088) was laid down on 5 February 1972 by Avondale Shipyard

Avondale Shipyard

Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi...

s, Inc., Westwego, La.; launched on 4 December 1971; sponsored by Mrs. Daniel E. Barbey

Daniel E. Barbey

Vice Admiral Daniel Edward Barbey was an officer in the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he participated in the 1912 United States occupation of Nicaragua and the 1915 United States occupation of Veracruz. While serving with the War...

, widow of Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral

Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...

 Barbey; and placed in commission at Long Beach Naval Shipyard

Long Beach Naval Shipyard

thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...

 on 11 November 1972, Comdr. Theodore B. Shultz in command.

Pacific

After fitting out and completing sea trials at Long Beach Naval Shipyard

Long Beach Naval Shipyard

thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...

, Barbey got underway on 4 February 1973 for shakedown training in the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

. Before post-shakedown availability at Long Beach, which commenced on 12 May, the ship enjoyed a three-day liberty at Acapulco, Mexico

Acapulco

Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...

, plane guarded for and conducted acoustic tests at Seattle. The availability included a drydock period from 5 June to 9 October during which workers at Long Beach Naval Shipyard modified her flight deck

Flight deck

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...

 and hangar to accommodate a light airborne multi-purpose system

Light airborne multi-purpose system

Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System is the United States Navy's program that developed manned helicopters that assist the surface fleet in anti-submarine warfare.*SH-2 Seasprite *SH-60 Seahawk...

 (LAMPS) helicopter and installed an experimental controllable pitch propeller

Controllable pitch propeller

A controllable pitch propeller or variable pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change their pitch...

 (CPP). Testing and adjusting the new propeller system occupied the ship through January 1974.

After further acoustic trials near Seattle in February and two days as plane guard for Hancock in early March, Barbey embarked the Commander, Destroyer Squadron

DESRON

A destroyer squadron is a naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be used for larger and "flotilla" for smaller vessels, both may be used...

 13, on 8 March for the joint U.S.-Canadian Navy exercise COMPTUEX 2B-74. During the next six days, the destroyer escort stood by to rescue pilots from . She returned to San Diego for upkeep and minor repairs which included the installation of a steel ball 35-feet in diameter on the helo hangar and the correction of an oil leak in the CPP hub. On 2 May, towed her to drydock at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for ten days of further repairs to her CPP. On 16 May, she returned to San Diego for local operations that included plane guarding for .

In late June, Barbey joined for three days of operations near Seattle before returning to San Diego on the 28th. On 12 July, the destroyer escort departed the west coast for several weeks of refresher training in Hawaii, her crew honing their antisubmarine warfare skills enroute. On 30 August, following her return to San Diego, Barbey lost all of the blades of the CPP during tests and had to be towed by to Long Beach Naval Shipyard.

Redesignation

During the first six months of 1975, the warship reinstalled the CPP and subjected the new propeller to extensive trials at sea. During late May and early June, she interrupted this routine to undergo refresher training at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

 prior to returning to San Diego. On 30 June 1975, Barbey and all other destroyer escort

Destroyer escort

A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...

s were reclassified frigates, and she was redesignated FF-1088. Local operations, training, and upkeep kept the ship busy until 17 November when she commenced removal of the equipment associated with CNO project DS 523 (the 35-foot ball). During the first five days of December, Barbey conducted sonar sound trials and engineering drills before serving as an engineering and ASW school for most of the ensuing two weeks.

On 6 January 1976, the warship entered drydock at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs and modifications which primarily entailed the removal of the experimental CPP in favor of a standard, fixed-blade propeller. Following sea trials and deperming, Barbey conducted refresher training from 26 April to 7 May, then returned to San Diego for a month of preparation for upcoming inspections and tests. She completed a combat readiness test in mid-June before participating in readiness exercises in the eastern Pacific during the last week in June.

Tests, inspections, and training in preparation for her upcoming Pacific deployment consumed the entire month of July. On the 30th, the frigate embarked a detachment of ASW helicopters and got underway accompanied by , , , , , and . Barbey took part in the exercise Comptuex 1-77 in the Hawaiian Islands and then put in at Pearl Harbor from the 12th to the 17th. During the frigate’s passage to the Philippines, her crew guided the ship through multi-ship ASW exercises and various tactical drills. Following her arrival at Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

 on 6 September, nearly three weeks of intensive upkeep readied the warship for the combined Exercise "Kangaroo II" with the Australians off the east coast of Australia from 12 to 25 October. She visited Geelong, Australia

Geelong, Victoria

Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...

 during the first week of November before returning to Subic Bay for upkeep and replenishment until 11 December. The remainder of the deployment primarily involved exercises in the South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

. In December, the warship articipated in ASW exercises, Exercise “Multiplex 1-77” and missile exercises, returned to Subic Bay for upkeep, and then closed out the year with a liberty call at Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. In mid-January 1977, Barbey served as plane guard for Enterprise during readiness exercises. Three weeks of upkeep and replenishment at Guam and briefings at Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...

, preceded the ship’s participation in the Exercise “Sharkhunt XX” in late February. Following a brief liberty at Kaohsiung and a sojourn at Subic Bay, the frigate returned to San Diego, where she arrived on 21 March.

During the first two weeks of June, the warship sailed to the Pacific northwest for tactical exercises and a goodwill visit to Portland, Oreg. With the exception of a brief respite at Aberdeen, Wash., in mid-October, she remained in or near San Diego for the remainder of the year engaging in various exercises and drills designed to maintain the ship in a high state of readiness. On 23 January 1978, Barbey commenced an eleven-month overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which became her homeport while the overhaul lasted. During the overhaul, the warship received a Harpoon missile system among the improvements to her combat systems and engineering plant. In late November and early December, Barbey conducted sea trials to assess her engineering and sonar capabilities.

Upkeep, training, and drills occupied the ship through the first half of 1979 culminating in the successful completion of her operational propulsion plant examination (OPPE) in late June. In July, the ship underwent refresher training until a problem with the emergency diesel generator

Diesel generator

A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....

 forced her to return to San Diego for another overhaul on the 27th. Upon completion of the overhaul on 24 September until mid-October, Barbey participated in fleet exercises which she interrupted for a brief liberty at New Westminster, British Columbia

New Westminster, British Columbia

New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....

. Following a month of upkeep at San Diego, she completed readiness exercises in November, including a combat systems readiness test, and the Exercise “Comptuex 1-80” in early December as a prelude to her upcoming Pacific deployment.

On 11 January 1980, the frigate set sail for Pearl Harbor where she concluded a week of training before continuing west to join the 7th Fleet

United States 7th Fleet

The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...

 at the end of the month. The warship enjoyed upkeep at Yokosuka and Subic Bay during February and visited Singapore and Thailand while serving as an escort for Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) “Alpha” during operations in the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 in March and April. After putting in at Diego Garcia Island on 5 May, Barbey began the return voyage to San Diego which included stops at Fremantle, Australia; Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

, Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

. After arriving at San Diego on 12 July, she resumed the usual routine of upkeep, availability, inspections, and training during the remainder of 1980.

In June 1990 Barbey sailed from her homeport of San Diego on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. During her transit to the Western Pacific she made port visits in Hawaii, the Philippines, Singapore and Penang Maylasia. She arrived at her destination on August 1, 1990. The Barbey and her crew transitioned from a peacetime deployment in a moderate threat environment, to a wartime deployment when the forces of Iraq, under the orders of Saddam Hussein, invaded the Emirate of Kuwait. The Barbey, and her sailing mate for the transit, the USS England, were immediately employed in Naval Operations to enforce the sanctions specified by UN Resolutions. During her deploymnet in the AG the USS Barbey and her embarked helicopter detachement, HSL-35 "Magus 32" provided support for the UN Resolutions and performed more surface ship interdiction intercepts than any other fleet unit in the AG during the period. Throughout the build up of forces in support of Operation Desert Shield, Barbey's assets were utilized in interdiction and escort oeprations until she was relieved by the USS Marvin Shields. Upon detaching from COMMIDEASTFOR she made her way back home with stops in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Hawaii. The Barbey arrived in San Diego on 21 December 1990 and commenced a repair availability.

In April 1991 the Barbey deployed in support of Law Enforcement and Drug Interdiction Operations to the coast of Baja California and Central Mexico. During this period Barbey's crew and her embarked Helicopter detachment SH2-F "Sea Snake 11" conducted three at sea rescues, of which, two were from merchant ships of foreign registry. Upon completion of her LEO assignment the USS Barbey paricipated in several fleet exercises and then entered another repair availability.

Barbey was decommissioned on 20 March 1992 and struck from the Navy list

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

on 11 January 1995. She was disposed of through the Security Assistance Program, foreign military sale to Taiwan on 29 September 1999, where she served as ROCS Hwai Yang (FFG-937).