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USS Ingersoll (DD-990)
Encyclopedia
USS Ingersoll (DD-990), a Spruance-class
Spruance class destroyer
The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace a large number of World War II-built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s....
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, was the second U.S. 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...
ship to be named USS Ingersoll
USS Ingersoll
Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Ingersoll, honoring members of the Ingersoll family. DD-652 was named for Rear Admiral Royal R. Ingersoll — and for his grandson, Lieutenant Royal R. Ingersoll, II who had died in the Battle of Midway, just weeks before the ship's...
; in this case, in honor of Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Royal E. Ingersoll
Royal E. Ingersoll
Royal Eason Ingersoll was a United States Navy four-star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet from January 1, 1942 to late1944; Commander, Western Sea Frontier from late 1944 to 1946; and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S...
(1883–1976), who served as CINC, Atlantic Fleet during most of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Ingersoll was laid down on 5 December 1977 by Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
, Pascagoula, Miss.
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...
; 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 10 March 1979; 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 12 April 1980, Commander E. R. Fickenscher III in command.
Ingersoll was first homeported in San Diego, CA, then Long Beach, CA (for overhaul) and then 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...
.
Ingersoll was one of the first US Navy ships to receive the Armored Box Launcher
Armored Box Launcher
The Armored Box Launcher is a four-round protected launch container for the BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile.Fitted to the Iowa-class battleships following their 1980s recommissioning upgrade, each ABL contains four ready-to-fire Tomahawks...
(ABL) version of the Tomahawk cruise missile system in 1985. This early variant of the missile system held up to four missiles in each of two canisters located directly forward of the pilothouse on the fore deck. Unfortunately, this system proved to be very heavy and affected the ship's seakeeping. The much more capable Vertical Launch missile system
Vertical Launching System
A vertical launching system is a system for holding and firing missiles on surface ships and submarines used by many navies around the world. Each VLS system consists of a number of cells, which can hold one or more missiles ready for firing...
(VLS) quickly made the ABL obsolete.
Collision
On 20 June 1992 while transiting the Straights of Malacca, Ingersoll collided with the M/V Matsumi Maru No. 7, a Pakistani oil tanker. Flooding was minimal and the ship was able to reach port in Singapore. After temporary repairs, Ingersoll returned to Pearl Harbor where it completed repairs and began overhaul.Fate
Though Ingersoll was one of the newest ships of the Spruance class, it was one of the earliest to be decommissioned. The cost to remove the ABL system and retrofit the VLS system likely contributed to the ship's early decommissioning. Ingersoll was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy listNavy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 24 July 1998. She was sunk as a target on 29 July 2003.