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USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974)
Encyclopedia
USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974), named for Admiral Francois-Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse (1722–1788), was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding
Division of Litton Industries
at Pascagoula, Mississippi
.
She was laid down 4 April 1975, launched 26 March 1976 and commissioned 5 August 1978. The sponsor of Comte de Grasse was Madame Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes
, wife of the then-President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
.
In late February-early March 1980, Comte de Grasse took part in Exercise Safepass-80. Comte de Grasse sailed on her maiden Mediterranean deployment in April 1980, returning home in December. Since then she deployed there six times.
In February 1981, Comte de Grasse went to the Vieques NGFS Range. The following month, she took part in READEX 1-81. In May, she took part in a Comprehensive Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Virginia Capes
Operations Area. In late August, she took part in Ocean Venture-81 and exercise Magic Sword. In September, she took part in Exercise Ocean Safari-81. She was drydocked for a short period in November for voyage repairs and replacement of her Sonar Dome Rubber Window, before departing for a Mediterranean deployment on 1 December.
1982 saw Comte de Grasse take part in Exercise Sardinia-82 from 27 February to 9 March. She then took part in Exercise Norther Wedding/United Effort-82 from 23 August to 20 October. From 7 December to 14 December, she took part in COMPTUEX 1-83.
From 8 January to 10 July 1983, she deployed to join NATO's Standing Naval Forces Atlantic. During that time, she took part in Exercise Roebuck near Scotland
, Spring Train off Gibraltar
, Bright Horizon and May West off Norway
, Nor Ops, and Ocean Safari. Upon her return home, she was drydocked from 28 October 1983 to 10 July 1984 for a routine overhaul at Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagoula, MS.
From 4 September to 13 September, she underwent Harpoon Certification, Tomahawk
Material Certification, and from 24 September to 26 September, Combat Systems Ship Qualification Test (CSSQT), at the Virginia Capes Operations Area.
From 19 March to 23 March 1985, Comte de Grasse underwent Tomahawk Tactical Qualification Test (TTQT). Then from 22 April to 7 May, she participated in COMPTUEX 2-85, before deploying to join the Middle East Force on 6 June. She transited the Suez Canal
into the Red Sea
on 26 June and entered the Persian Gulf
on 4 July. She took part in Exercise Inferno Creek/Bright Star-85 from 11 August to 17 August. Transiting though the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea on 15 November, she returned home on 5 December.
1986 saw Comte de Grasse take part in a number of gunnery, air targeting and submarine
tracking exercises in the Virginia Capes and Puerto Rico
operations areas. From 4 September to 8 September, she took part in drug interception operations in the Caribbean.
Comte de Grasse took part, from 9 January to 28 January 1987, in BLASTEX 1-87, and from 10 February to 1 March, in FLEETEX 1-87. Then after being drydocked in March on , she took part in Solid Shield 87, from 30 April to 8 May, and FLEETEX 2-87 from 9 May to 10 May. She departed for her Mediterranean deployment 3-87 on 6 June and returned home on 17 November.
From 11 May to 23 May 1988, Comte de Grasse took part in a USN/FGN missile exercise. Then from 15 June to 1 July, she participated in FLEETEX 2-88 (BASIC). From 12 August to 1 September, she assisted United States Coast Guard
law enforcement operations in the Caribbean operations area. Then, from 7 November to 22 November, she participated in FLEETEX 1-89 (ADV) and SOCEX 1-89.
From 8 February to 1 March 1989, Comte de Grasse took part in FLEETEX 1-89. She was in drydock from 14 April to 7 May at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
, Portsmouth, Virginia
, for replacement of its sonar dome rubber window. She deployed on 11 May for her Mediterranean/Indian Ocean
deployment 2-89. She transited on 25 June through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, then from 4-6 July, conducted operations in the Strait of Hormuz
, Eastern Patrol Area (SOHEPA). Entering the Persian Gulf on 14 August, she transited the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea on 6 September before returning home on 9 November.
From 16 January to 28 January 1990, Comte De Grasse spent time at the Vieques Gunnery Range where she earned the designation of Top Gun of the Year. On 15 February 1990, she was visited by a delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, Les Aspin
.
1991 saw Comte de Grasse undergo a number of qualification training and tests.
From 6 January to 10 January 1992, Comte de Grasse took part in the SWET Competition. Then from 13 January to 13 February, she took part in FLEETEX 2-92; followed by Exercise Fabric Falcon Brave form 26 February to 3 March.
Comte de Grasse's superior performance was again recognized in March 1992 when she was awarded a second consecutive Battle Efficiency Award, representative of the best destroyer in Cruiser - Destroyer Group Eight. This prestigious award encompassed Mission Area Excellence Awards in Navigation and Deck Seamanship, Anti-Submarine Warfare
(ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare
(ASUW), Electronic Warfare
(EW), Anti-Aircraft Warfare
(AAW), Engineering, Damage Control, Surface Ship Safety, and Command Control and Communications.
In preparation for her next deployment, Comte de Grasse completed Refresher Training in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
, conducted various battle group exercises in the Caribbean Sea, such as FLEETEX 2-92, and successfully passed a myriad of pre-deployment inspections and exercises, including a Combat Systems Assessment (CSA), in which Comte de Grasse received the highest grade of any unit in the entire U.S. Atlantic Fleet
during 1991.
Comte de Grasse departed on her next Mediterranean deployment 2-92 on 6 May. She sailed with the carrier battle group
to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. During the deployment, she took part in intense battle group operations, developed and integrated new tactics for small combatants, conducted maritime interdiction operations in the Red Sea, took part in major exercises, such as NATO Display Determination, and supported United Nations
humanitarian efforts in the Adriatic Sea
near the troubled lands of the former Yugoslavian Republic
.
Comte de Grasse transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea on 7 September, at which point she conducted maritime interdiction force operations until 20 September when she transited the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. She returned home on 6 November.
One of the highlights of Comte de Grasse's deployment, was her participation in Grasse Day on 19 October 1992. On the occasion, which honors the French Admiral Francois-Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, the officers and crew of the ship took part in ceremonies in Grasse
and Bar sur Loup, France. In commemorating the day, which is built on and symbolized by Franco-American friendship, the town of Grasse adopted the warship Comte de Grasse, and proclaimed the town's populace as sponsors of Comte de Grasse.
From 18 January to 15 February 1993, Comte de Grasse took part in Operation Sea Signal
in the Caribbean Sea. Then from 3 May to 25 May, she conducted counter drug operations in the Caribbean. She spent time dry docked in August, then participated in COMPTUEX, in the Caribbean Sea from 19 October to 22 October, before finishing off the year with a fleet exercise in the Cherry Point operations area from 1 December to 15 December.
On 12 January 1994, the ship's port main reduction gear was discovered to have been sabotaged, resulting in a delay in its deployment. It finally got underway for its Mediterranean deployment on 5 February. She conducted operations in the Southern Adriatic in support of Operation Sharp Guard and returned home on 24 June. From 6 September until 1 October, Comte de Grasse took part in Operations Support/Uphold/Restore Democracy in the Haiti
an operations area.
1995 saw Comte de Grasse take part in CART II, from 7 January to 16 January; in COMPTUEX in the Caribbean from 24 April to 14 May; then from 1 July until 3 December, in UNITAS XXXVI-95. UNITAS 95 included operations and port calls in Puerto Rico, Venezuela
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Peru
, Chile
, Argentina
, Uruguay
and Brazil
.
From 24 February to 12 March 1996, Comte de Grasse conducted counter drug operations in the Caribbean Sea.
In 1997, she took part in SPONTEX 97-1, from 4 March to 10 April. Then she took part in INDEX 97-3 from 9 May to 16 May in the Puerto Rican operations area. Comte de Grasse then took part in UNITAS XXXVIII-97 form 1 July to 26 November 1997.
On 7 June, 2006, Comte De Grasse was towed approximately 275 miles off the coast of North Carolina
and sunk along with her sister ship, , as a target during naval training exercises in a water depth of 12,000 ft.
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
Division of Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
at Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
.
She was laid down 4 April 1975, launched 26 March 1976 and commissioned 5 August 1978. The sponsor of Comte de Grasse was Madame Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes
Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes
Anne-Aymone Marie Josèphe Christiane Sauvage de Brantès is the wife of former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.-Biography:...
, wife of the then-President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
.
Operational history
After being commissioned in August 1978, the "Count" journeyed to homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. She would make a deployment to the Caribbean to participate in training in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. While there she also made a port call in Nassau, Bahamas. In the Fall of 1979, she deployed to Northern Europe to participate in NATO Exercises. She visited Breast France, "Dunkirk", France, Hamburg, Germany, and Portsmouth, England. In the early Spring of 1980, the "Count" visited New York City, the hometown of Captain Frank J. Lugo.In late February-early March 1980, Comte de Grasse took part in Exercise Safepass-80. Comte de Grasse sailed on her maiden Mediterranean deployment in April 1980, returning home in December. Since then she deployed there six times.
In February 1981, Comte de Grasse went to the Vieques NGFS Range. The following month, she took part in READEX 1-81. In May, she took part in a Comprehensive Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
Operations Area. In late August, she took part in Ocean Venture-81 and exercise Magic Sword. In September, she took part in Exercise Ocean Safari-81. She was drydocked for a short period in November for voyage repairs and replacement of her Sonar Dome Rubber Window, before departing for a Mediterranean deployment on 1 December.
1982 saw Comte de Grasse take part in Exercise Sardinia-82 from 27 February to 9 March. She then took part in Exercise Norther Wedding/United Effort-82 from 23 August to 20 October. From 7 December to 14 December, she took part in COMPTUEX 1-83.
From 8 January to 10 July 1983, she deployed to join NATO's Standing Naval Forces Atlantic. During that time, she took part in Exercise Roebuck near Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Spring Train off Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Bright Horizon and May West off Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Nor Ops, and Ocean Safari. Upon her return home, she was drydocked from 28 October 1983 to 10 July 1984 for a routine overhaul at Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagoula, MS.
From 4 September to 13 September, she underwent Harpoon Certification, Tomahawk
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...
Material Certification, and from 24 September to 26 September, Combat Systems Ship Qualification Test (CSSQT), at the Virginia Capes Operations Area.
From 19 March to 23 March 1985, Comte de Grasse underwent Tomahawk Tactical Qualification Test (TTQT). Then from 22 April to 7 May, she participated in COMPTUEX 2-85, before deploying to join the Middle East Force on 6 June. She transited the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
into the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
on 26 June and entered 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...
on 4 July. She took part in Exercise Inferno Creek/Bright Star-85 from 11 August to 17 August. Transiting though the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea on 15 November, she returned home on 5 December.
1986 saw Comte de Grasse take part in a number of gunnery, air targeting and submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
tracking exercises in the Virginia Capes and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
operations areas. From 4 September to 8 September, she took part in drug interception operations in the Caribbean.
Comte de Grasse took part, from 9 January to 28 January 1987, in BLASTEX 1-87, and from 10 February to 1 March, in FLEETEX 1-87. Then after being drydocked in March on , she took part in Solid Shield 87, from 30 April to 8 May, and FLEETEX 2-87 from 9 May to 10 May. She departed for her Mediterranean deployment 3-87 on 6 June and returned home on 17 November.
From 11 May to 23 May 1988, Comte de Grasse took part in a USN/FGN missile exercise. Then from 15 June to 1 July, she participated in FLEETEX 2-88 (BASIC). From 12 August to 1 September, she assisted United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
law enforcement operations in the Caribbean operations area. Then, from 7 November to 22 November, she participated in FLEETEX 1-89 (ADV) and SOCEX 1-89.
From 8 February to 1 March 1989, Comte de Grasse took part in FLEETEX 1-89. She was in drydock from 14 April to 7 May at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
, Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
, for replacement of its sonar dome rubber window. She deployed on 11 May for her Mediterranean/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...
deployment 2-89. She transited on 25 June through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, then from 4-6 July, conducted operations in the Strait of Hormuz
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, strategically important waterway between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf. On the north coast is Iran and on the south coast is the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman....
, Eastern Patrol Area (SOHEPA). Entering the Persian Gulf on 14 August, she transited the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea on 6 September before returning home on 9 November.
From 16 January to 28 January 1990, Comte De Grasse spent time at the Vieques Gunnery Range where she earned the designation of Top Gun of the Year. On 15 February 1990, she was visited by a delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, Les Aspin
Les Aspin
Leslie "Les" Aspin, Jr. was a United States Representative from 1971 to 1993, and the United States Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from January 21, 1993 to February 3, 1994.-Early life:...
.
1991 saw Comte de Grasse undergo a number of qualification training and tests.
From 6 January to 10 January 1992, Comte de Grasse took part in the SWET Competition. Then from 13 January to 13 February, she took part in FLEETEX 2-92; followed by Exercise Fabric Falcon Brave form 26 February to 3 March.
Comte de Grasse's superior performance was again recognized in March 1992 when she was awarded a second consecutive Battle Efficiency Award, representative of the best destroyer in Cruiser - Destroyer Group Eight. This prestigious award encompassed Mission Area Excellence Awards in Navigation and Deck Seamanship, Anti-Submarine Warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
(ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare
Anti-Surface Warfare
Anti-surface warfare is a type of naval warfare directed against surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's surface ships....
(ASUW), Electronic Warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
(EW), Anti-Aircraft Warfare
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
(AAW), Engineering, Damage Control, Surface Ship Safety, and Command Control and Communications.
In preparation for her next deployment, Comte de Grasse completed Refresher Training in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, conducted various battle group exercises in the Caribbean Sea, such as FLEETEX 2-92, and successfully passed a myriad of pre-deployment inspections and exercises, including a Combat Systems Assessment (CSA), in which Comte de Grasse received the highest grade of any unit in the entire U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
during 1991.
Comte de Grasse departed on her next Mediterranean deployment 2-92 on 6 May. She sailed with the carrier battle group
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. During the deployment, she took part in intense battle group operations, developed and integrated new tactics for small combatants, conducted maritime interdiction operations in the Red Sea, took part in major exercises, such as NATO Display Determination, and supported United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
humanitarian efforts in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
near the troubled lands of the former Yugoslavian Republic
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
Comte de Grasse transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea on 7 September, at which point she conducted maritime interdiction force operations until 20 September when she transited the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. She returned home on 6 November.
One of the highlights of Comte de Grasse's deployment, was her participation in Grasse Day on 19 October 1992. On the occasion, which honors the French Admiral Francois-Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, the officers and crew of the ship took part in ceremonies in Grasse
Grasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
and Bar sur Loup, France. In commemorating the day, which is built on and symbolized by Franco-American friendship, the town of Grasse adopted the warship Comte de Grasse, and proclaimed the town's populace as sponsors of Comte de Grasse.
From 18 January to 15 February 1993, Comte de Grasse took part in Operation Sea Signal
Operation Sea Signal
Operation Sea Signal was a United States Military humanitarian operation in the Caribbean in response to an influx of Cuban and Haitian migrants attempting to gain asylum in the United States. As a result, the migrants became refugees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The operation took place from...
in the Caribbean Sea. Then from 3 May to 25 May, she conducted counter drug operations in the Caribbean. She spent time dry docked in August, then participated in COMPTUEX, in the Caribbean Sea from 19 October to 22 October, before finishing off the year with a fleet exercise in the Cherry Point operations area from 1 December to 15 December.
On 12 January 1994, the ship's port main reduction gear was discovered to have been sabotaged, resulting in a delay in its deployment. It finally got underway for its Mediterranean deployment on 5 February. She conducted operations in the Southern Adriatic in support of Operation Sharp Guard and returned home on 24 June. From 6 September until 1 October, Comte de Grasse took part in Operations Support/Uphold/Restore Democracy in the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an operations area.
1995 saw Comte de Grasse take part in CART II, from 7 January to 16 January; in COMPTUEX in the Caribbean from 24 April to 14 May; then from 1 July until 3 December, in UNITAS XXXVI-95. UNITAS 95 included operations and port calls in Puerto Rico, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
From 24 February to 12 March 1996, Comte de Grasse conducted counter drug operations in the Caribbean Sea.
In 1997, she took part in SPONTEX 97-1, from 4 March to 10 April. Then she took part in INDEX 97-3 from 9 May to 16 May in the Puerto Rican operations area. Comte de Grasse then took part in UNITAS XXXVIII-97 form 1 July to 26 November 1997.
Decommissioning & disposal
Comte de Grasse was decommissioned and stricken 5 June 1998 and held at Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility (NISMF) as a parts hulk.On 7 June, 2006, Comte De Grasse was towed approximately 275 miles off the coast of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and sunk along with her sister ship, , as a target during naval training exercises in a water depth of 12,000 ft.