USS Gary (FFG-51) is an in the United States 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...

. She was named for Commander Donald A. Gary

Donald A. Gary

Commander Donald Arthur Gary was an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the fires on on March 19, 1945.-Biography:...

 (1903–1977).

Gary was laid down on 18 December 1982 at San Pedro, California, by the Todd Pacific Shipyards

Todd Pacific Shipyards

Vigor Shipyards was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company of Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York, the Tietjen & Long Dry Dock Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company...

 Co., Los Angeles Division; launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

 on 19 November 1983; and commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 on 17 November 1984.

Recent news

Gary is homeported at Naval Station San Diego

Naval Station San Diego

Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...

, CA as of July 2007, when the replaced her at Yokosuka Naval Base

United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka

U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...

 in Yokosuka, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and part of Destroyer Squadron 15 and the U.S. Navy's Forward Deployed Naval Forces.

On 9 February 2007 Gary docked at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville , also known as Kampong Saom, is a province in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing Cambodian urban center, located southwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The province is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the...

. It is the first time since the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 that an American warship has docked in Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

.

Gary has an active VBSS team onboard to facilitate its new homeport with Maritime Interdiction Operations, anti-drug, and anti-smuggling missions.

External links

• USS Gary official website
• Yokosuka Naval Base Community Website
• navsource.org: USS Gary
• navysite.de: USS Gary
• MaritimeQuest USS Gary FFG-51 pages
• USS Gary leaves Cambodia after historic visit
• U.S. ship makes historic return to Cambodia
• Eye on the Fleet Photo Gallery
• USS Gary News
• USS Gary command histories at the Naval History & Heritage Command