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USS Ouellet (FF-1077)
Encyclopedia
USS Ouellet (FF-1077) was a Knox-class frigate
Knox class frigate
Knox class frigates were United States Navy warships, originally laid down as ocean escorts , but were all redesignated as frigates on 30 June 1975 in the USN 1975 ship reclassification and their hull designation changed from DE to FF.A sub-class of the Knox class was built, commonly referred to as...
of 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...
. Ouellet was the first ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name of Seaman David George Ouellet
David George Ouellet
David George Ouellet was a US Navy seaman, and received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
, a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. It was one of a class of frigates specifically designated to locate and destroy enemy submarines. Ouellet’s keel was laid at 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...
in Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
on January 15, 1969. She was christened at Charleston Naval Shipyard
Charleston Naval Shipyard
Charleston Naval Shipyard was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston...
, South Carolina on December 12, 1970.
1970s
Ouellet arrived at her homeport in Pearl Harbor, HawaiiPearl 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...
on April 15, 1971, with her first deployment to the Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
commencing on January 27, 1972. Ouellet twice came under hostile fire during this deployment, however no casualties were sustained.
During ceremonies re-establishing the U.S. Third Fleet
Third Fleet
The name Third Fleet can refer to:* United States 3rd Fleet* Third Fleet , part of the British effort of the late eighteenth century to colonise Australia* IJN 3rd Fleet, Imperial Japanese Navy...
on February 1, 1973, USS Ouellet became the first Third Fleet flagship since World War II.
USS Ouellet made her second deployment to the Western Pacific from May through September 1973. She began her first regular overhaul on September 14, 1974, with completion on June 3, 1975. Ouellet was selected as the CINCPACFLT flagship for the U.S. Navy's 200th birthday ceremonies. Ouellet completed two more Western Pacific deployments prior to overhaul in late 1978. Regular overhaul was completed mid 1979 with three Western Pacific deployments to follow commencing September 1980, April 1982, and October 1983 respectfully.
1980s
The USS Ouellet started the 1980's with a joint exercise called RIMPAC in Feb 1980. In March of that year she headed east to conduct training and deployment work ups with the USS Ranger and Battle Group Echo. In September she deployed with Battle Group 'E' to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman for the Iranian Crisis. Christmas of that year was spent in Diego Garcia. Ouellet began her third major overhaul in February 1985. She received extensive upgrades to her gun mount, received CIWS, and SNAP II computers. In 1986 Ouellet was again preparing for a Western Pacific deployment. Ouellet deployed for her eighth time in April 1987. This time she headed north into the Sea of Japan and the Sea of "O". She returned to Pearl Harbor on October 6, 1987.Ouellet started out 1988 with a special operation coordinated by the Coast guard to capture the CHRISTINA M, a cargo vessel laden with over 12 tons of marijuana. Instead of regular overhaul, Ouellet spent most of 1988 in a Ship's Restricted Availability repairing and upgrading most of her systems. Following extensive training, Ouellet made her ninth deployment in mid December 1988. She returned on May 26, 1989 to turn around and prepare to get underway again in September 1989 for "Pacific Exercises 89" (PAC EX 89).
Upon return to Pearl Harbor in November 1989 she went into dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
, refloating in February 1990. After extensive preparations and an exhaustive inspection cycle, Ouellet departed on August 1990 to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
in support of law enforcement operations.
1990s
These operations, called "Legal OPS '90" for short, included amongst the crew, a detachmentLaw Enforcement Detachments
Law Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...
of Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
personnel to act as a legal "policing force" aboard the Ouellet. This was the first time that a Coast Guard flag flew from a U.S.Navy warship in operations such as these. In search for drug smugglers
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, the Ouellet recovered close to 1 ton of pure, unprocessed cocaine, which was jettisoned from an unknown vessel trying to elude authorities. While on "Legal OPS '90" Ouellet transited through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
with follow-on ports-of-call in Panama and Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
. After returning in to Pearl Harbor in November 1990 Ouellet was awarded the "Battle E" for overall excellence and the "Joint Meritorious Unit Citation" (JMUC).
In June 1991, Ouellet participated in three phases of shipboard training for midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, and "Anti-Submarine Operations 91". Port calls made during this training period included visits to Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada and Kodiak Island, Alaska
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
. Ouellet crewmembers took advantage of this "in-port" time to celebrate our country's birthday on the "4th of July".
Ouellets final deployment was from March 25 to July 24, 1992. This Western Pacific Rim journey was her 10th major deployment, and took the Ouellet to the Continent of Australia . While en route, she participated in "Pacific ASW Exercise 92", and operated with elements of the Australian Navy in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the "Battle of the Coral Sea".
This was her final voyage as a United States Navy vessel, after serving her country proudly for over 20 years. USS Ouellet was decommissioned on August 3, 1993.
As of May 1998, the former USS Ouellet serves with the Royal Thai Navy
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy is the navy of Thailand and part of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, it was established in the late 19th century. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse is "The Father of Royal Thai Navy". Similar to the organizational structure of the United States, the Royal Thai Navy includes the...
as HTMS Phutthaloetla Naphalai
HTMS Phutthaloetla Naphalai
HTMS Phutthaloetla Naphalai is the former , a .The Royal Thai Navy purchased the ship from the US Navy after she was decommissioned on August 6, 1993...
, F-462.http://www.casgen.com/pr/pr970005.htm