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USS John Hancock (DD-981)
Encyclopedia
USS John Hancock (DD-981), a , was the second ship of that name, and the sixth ship of the United States Navy
to be named for John Hancock
(1737–1793), the President of the Continental Congress
and first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
, in Pascagoula, Miss.
; launched
on 29 October 1977; and commissioned
on 10 March 1979. John Hancock was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and homeported at Naval Station Mayport
, Florida
Following commissioning, John Hancock proceeded to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a 'shakedown' cruise and began making routine deployments. In April 1988 John Hancock provided support in the Persian Gulf for Operation Earnest Will during a 6 month deployment and was near the point where the USS Stark was hit with two Exocet missiles launched by an Iraqi Air Force aircraft in 1987.
In 1991, John Hancock deployed with the Carrier Battle Group to the North Atlantic for two months in support of Operation North Star '91.
In March 1994, while deployed in the Red Sea
, John Hancock, rendered assistance to a wounded Filipino sailor on board a merchant vessel. Shortly thereafter, John Hancock reached a milestone, while conducting multi-national maritime interdiction operations (MIO) to enforce United Nations
sanctions against Iraq
. On 1 April 1994, a team of U.S. Navy ships -- John Hancock, , and along with an embarked United States Coast Guard
boarding team—intercepted the 20,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990.
As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
's surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons, and a new Western Hemisphere Group, John Hancock was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 (DESRON 24). The re-organization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect 31 August 1995, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998.
As a precautionary measure against oncoming Hurricane Fran
, John Hancock was one of 13 Navy ships sent to sea in September 1996. The hurricane was heading, at the time, for the southeast coast of Florida
with winds gusting up to 120 mph.
In 1996, John Hancock, along with , , , and , were selected to serve as test platforms for the P2 afloat program, after studies at Navy installations indicated that a large quantity of a naval base's toxic material and hazardous waste originated from ships floating material they had accumulated and stored during deployment. The P2 Afloat Program aims to reduce hazardous material procurement costs for ships, improve safety and health aboard ship, improve quality of life, and reduce operation and support costs.
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On 29 April 1997, John Hancock departed for a six-month overseas deployment as part of the carrier battle group
(CVBG). Also departing was the Amphibious Ready Group
(ARG). The CVBG was to relieve the CVBG, which had been operating in the Mediterranean Sea
, Adriatic Sea
, Red Sea and Persian Gulf
since the previous November. The John F. Kennedy CVBG and Kearsarge ARG completed a Joint Task Force Exercise(JTFEX) the month prior, the culmination of about six months of pre-deployment training and work-ups. The joint service exercise included surveillance, rescue, humanitarian assistance, maritime interdiction, embassy support and non-combatant evacuation operations, all of which had been recently performed by Navy and United States Marine Corps
units deployed overseas.
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In August 1997, John Hancock deployed to the coast of Tunisia
to participate in Exercise NADOR 97-3. John Hancock was also there in March for NADOR 97-2. For NADOR 97-3, the John Hancock crew operated with two Tunisian combatant patrol boats and increased the level of difficulty. They conducted air and high speed surface gunnery exercises, air tracking and engagement simulations, and free-play "encounter" exercises. John Hancock also performed a maritime interdiction demonstration on board the two patrol boats. Simulating merchant vessels, the patrol boats were queried using the bridge-to-bridge radio. After evaluating the suspect merchants' answers, John Hancocks boarding team was sent to each vessel using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat
(RHIB). The boarding team inspected each merchant's manifest and cargo, and directed the suspect vessel to continue on its journey or divert to the nearest port for a full inspection of cargo.
With the John F. Kennedy CVBG, John Hancock in July participated in the U.S. 6th Fleet Exercise Invitex, involving 12 nations. During Invitex, allied forces, including 13,000 U.S. sailors and marines, were challenged to effectively manage the way they communicate and act upon operational information as it is processed and distributed to allied decision-makers. It also took part in NATO'S Exercise Dynamic Mix, from 23 September though 7 October which placed the John F. Kennedy Battle Group units on opposing sides. That exercise was designed to increase task force and unit readiness as forces implemented NATO strategy and doctrine.
John Hancock returned home on 28 October after six months of operating in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch
.
John Hancock took part in the sixth International Naval Review (INR) in New York City
from 3 July to 9 July 2000.
where she was placed in reserve at the Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. She was sold to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas
in 2006. She was then towed to the Port of Brownsville and scrapped on 29 April 2007.
The shield represents the Marine Committee for which John Hancock served as the first chairman. This committee fulfilled responsibilities for naval affairs similar to those now assigned to the United States Department of the Navy
. John Hancock, as Chairman, supervised the construction and fitting out of the thirteen frigates of the initial shipbuilding program. The second ship named John Hancock was built and commissioned into the Navy at this time.
The white and blue wavy bars at the center of the shield form a heraldic symbol for water, and the anchor symbolizes naval affairs. The sunburst, a symbol of birth, has thirteen rays with thirteen stars representing the thirteen frigates.
John Hancock, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence
, also presided over the Massachusetts Convention, which ratified the federal constitution. These events are represented by the scroll, Liberty Bell
, and quills. The quills are crossed as a symbol of strength and resolution, while their green color refers to growth and life.
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...
to be named for John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
(1737–1793), the President of the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
History
John Hancock was laid down on 16 January 1976 by Ingalls ShipbuildingIngalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
, in 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 29 October 1977; 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 10 March 1979. John Hancock was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and homeported at Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
, Florida
Following commissioning, John Hancock proceeded to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a 'shakedown' cruise and began making routine deployments. In April 1988 John Hancock provided support in the Persian Gulf for Operation Earnest Will during a 6 month deployment and was near the point where the USS Stark was hit with two Exocet missiles launched by an Iraqi Air Force aircraft in 1987.
In 1991, John Hancock deployed with the Carrier Battle Group to the North Atlantic for two months in support of Operation North Star '91.
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...
, John Hancock, rendered assistance to a wounded Filipino sailor on board a merchant vessel. Shortly thereafter, John Hancock reached a milestone, while conducting multi-national maritime interdiction operations (MIO) to enforce 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...
sanctions against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. On 1 April 1994, a team of U.S. Navy ships -- John Hancock, , and along with an embarked 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...
boarding team—intercepted the 20,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990.
As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the 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...
's surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons, and a new Western Hemisphere Group, John Hancock was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 (DESRON 24). The re-organization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect 31 August 1995, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998.
As a precautionary measure against oncoming Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that made landfall near Cape Fear in North Carolina at Category 3 strength. Throughout the eastern United States, early statistics on Fran reported 27 deaths and $3.2 billion in damage...
, John Hancock was one of 13 Navy ships sent to sea in September 1996. The hurricane was heading, at the time, for the southeast coast of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with winds gusting up to 120 mph.
In 1996, John Hancock, along with , , , and , were selected to serve as test platforms for the P2 afloat program, after studies at Navy installations indicated that a large quantity of a naval base's toxic material and hazardous waste originated from ships floating material they had accumulated and stored during deployment. The P2 Afloat Program aims to reduce hazardous material procurement costs for ships, improve safety and health aboard ship, improve quality of life, and reduce operation and support costs.
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...
(CVBG). Also departing was the Amphibious Ready Group
Amphibious Ready Group
An Amphibious Readiness Group of the United States Navy consists of a Navy element—a group of warships known as an amphibious task force —and a landing force of United States Marines , in total about 5,000 people. Together, these elements and supporting units are trained, organized, and equipped...
(ARG). The CVBG was to relieve the CVBG, which had been operating in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, 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...
, Red Sea and 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...
since the previous November. The John F. Kennedy CVBG and Kearsarge ARG completed a Joint Task Force Exercise(JTFEX) the month prior, the culmination of about six months of pre-deployment training and work-ups. The joint service exercise included surveillance, rescue, humanitarian assistance, maritime interdiction, embassy support and non-combatant evacuation operations, all of which had been recently performed by Navy and United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
units deployed overseas.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
to participate in Exercise NADOR 97-3. John Hancock was also there in March for NADOR 97-2. For NADOR 97-3, the John Hancock crew operated with two Tunisian combatant patrol boats and increased the level of difficulty. They conducted air and high speed surface gunnery exercises, air tracking and engagement simulations, and free-play "encounter" exercises. John Hancock also performed a maritime interdiction demonstration on board the two patrol boats. Simulating merchant vessels, the patrol boats were queried using the bridge-to-bridge radio. After evaluating the suspect merchants' answers, John Hancocks boarding team was sent to each vessel using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat
Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or rigid-inflatable boat is a light-weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy...
(RHIB). The boarding team inspected each merchant's manifest and cargo, and directed the suspect vessel to continue on its journey or divert to the nearest port for a full inspection of cargo.
With the John F. Kennedy CVBG, John Hancock in July participated in the U.S. 6th Fleet Exercise Invitex, involving 12 nations. During Invitex, allied forces, including 13,000 U.S. sailors and marines, were challenged to effectively manage the way they communicate and act upon operational information as it is processed and distributed to allied decision-makers. It also took part in NATO'S Exercise Dynamic Mix, from 23 September though 7 October which placed the John F. Kennedy Battle Group units on opposing sides. That exercise was designed to increase task force and unit readiness as forces implemented NATO strategy and doctrine.
John Hancock returned home on 28 October after six months of operating in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Summary:Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992...
.
John Hancock took part in the sixth International Naval Review (INR) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 3 July to 9 July 2000.
Fate
On 16 October 2000, John Hancock was decommissioned and steamed to Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
where she was placed in reserve at the Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. She was sold to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
in 2006. She was then towed to the Port of Brownsville and scrapped on 29 April 2007.
Ship's crest
The official crest of John Hancock symbolizes the service John Hancock gave his country, both as President of the Continental Congress and as Chairman of the Marine Committee. The dominant colors of the crest are blue and gold, which are traditionally used by the U.S. Navy.The shield represents the Marine Committee for which John Hancock served as the first chairman. This committee fulfilled responsibilities for naval affairs similar to those now assigned to the United States Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
. John Hancock, as Chairman, supervised the construction and fitting out of the thirteen frigates of the initial shipbuilding program. The second ship named John Hancock was built and commissioned into the Navy at this time.
The white and blue wavy bars at the center of the shield form a heraldic symbol for water, and the anchor symbolizes naval affairs. The sunburst, a symbol of birth, has thirteen rays with thirteen stars representing the thirteen frigates.
John Hancock, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, also presided over the Massachusetts Convention, which ratified the federal constitution. These events are represented by the scroll, Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
, and quills. The quills are crossed as a symbol of strength and resolution, while their green color refers to growth and life.