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USS Schofield (FFG-3)
Encyclopedia
USS Schofield (FFG-3) was a laid down on 15 April 1963 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Co., Seattle, Washington
and launched on 7 December 1963. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. F. Perry Schofield and commissioned on 11 May 1968, Comdr. Earl H. Graffam in command. The ship was named after US Navy Admiral Frank Herman Schofield
. The original First Lieutenant was LTJG Lee Witham. Schofield received four battle stars for service in Vietnam
.
On 24 April, the guided missile escort ship joined the 7th Fleet. On 7 May, she commenced operations with in the Gulf of Tonkin
. A week later, she put into Subic Bay
; then, after upkeep, she joined other 7th Fleet units in Operation Sea Spirit, a combined SEATO exercise terminated on 3 June following the collision of and .
On 17 June, the DEG moved back into the Gulf of Tonkin
, remaining into July. On the 6th, she departed the area and headed for Japan where she participated in a joint United States Navy-Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force exercise; then, toward the end of the month, she again set a course for the South China Sea
.
Schofield returned to the Gulf of Tonkin on the 27th and, for the next two weeks, operated with . A visit to Hong Kong
followed. On 22 August, she returned to Subic Bay; and, in early September, she moved north for patrol duty in the Taiwan Strait
. On the night of the 8th, she steamed to the assistance of caught in heavy seas 70 nautical miles (130 km) away and unable to transfer fuel to her engine. By the time the DEG arrived, the minecraft was dead in the water. At daybreak, however, Schofield took the MSC in tow and headed for Kaohsiung
, whence she returned to patrol duty.
Three days later, Schofield continued north to Japan; participated in HUK exercises; then sailed for Hong Kong, where, for two weeks, she served as station ship. On 23 October, she returned to Japan; and, on 6 November, she headed home.
coast. Early on the morning of the 9th, the exercises with her squadron and were interrupted to assist a merchant tanker, , reported to be sinking approximately 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) away. En route to the scene, Schofield refueled Hornet helicopter
s delivering rescue personnel and equipment to the tanker. Two of Schofield's men, EMCS P. L. Kidd and BT1 A. E. Personette, were transferred to the tanker. The tanker's master commended the work in saving the ship.
When Schofield arrived on the scene late in the afternoon, the situation was under control. That evening, the exercises were resumed. At mid-month, Schofield returned to Long Beach and entered the naval shipyard there for a yard period which took her into March. Squadron exercises, target ship duty, missile firing exercises, and a reservist training cruise followed. In July, she again entered the shipyard for boiler overhaul work; and, in October, she resumed her 1st Fleet operating schedule.
On 7 January 1971, Schofield headed west. Into February, she conducted exercises in Hawaiian
waters, then returned to the west coast for Operation Admixture, a joint United States-Canadian exercise. During the exercise, the DEG added mothership duties for the experimental hydrofoil
, , to her helicopter inflight refueling, plane guard, and escort responsibilities.
The exercise was completed on 4 March. Schofield then returned briefly to Long Beach; and, on the 11th, she departed the California coast for the western Pacific. Steaming in company with ASW Group 3, she joined the 7th Fleet on the 26th. On 3 and 4 April, she operated off the Vietnam
ese coast; and, on the 7th, she arrived in Subic Bay.
Five days later, the group got underway for Singapore
, whence they proceeded into the Indian Ocean
for ASW exercises. At the end of the month, the ships sailed for Hong Kong; and, on the 11th, they got underway for Japan.
After repairs at Yokosuka, Schofield participated in the first major United States task force exercise in the Sea of Japan
in several years; then, on 17 June, she sailed for home. Proceeding north, she participated in ASW exercises between Attu
and Kamchatka. On 5 July, she arrived at Long Beach. In August, she began preparations for her first major overhaul. On 1 September, she shifted her home port to San Diego; and, on 8 September, she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extended overhaul which took her into 1972.
The overhaul was completed on 6 June 1972, and Schofield sailed to her new home port, San Diego. The next three months were spent in refresher training and various exercises, including two successful launchings of her TARTAR missiles at the Pacific Missile Range
.
, Midway Island, Guam
, and Subic Bay, P.I., the DEG joined TU 77.0.1 in the Tonkin Gulf on 8 October. She received her first bombardment mission of the deployment 20 days later and fired all night. On 30 October, she departed the area for Kaohsiung
and a period of upkeep. She was back on station in the Tonkin Gulf from 9 November to 8 December for another line period. The DEG then visited Hong Kong and Sasebo before returning to the firing line on New Year's Day, 1973.
Schofield acted as a picket ship until mid-January when she was assigned to provide fire support. She fired daily missions until the 26th when she departed for Subic Bay. She returned to Yankee Station on 13 February and learned that, due to the cessation of hostilities, her WestPac deployment was to be reduced one month. On 15 February, she sailed for Yokosuka and San Diego, arriving at her home port on 9 March.
During a period of restricted availability between April and September, Schofield received extensive helicopter facilities to enable her to operate the SH-2 LAMPS
(Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helo. She held sea trials in October, firing exercises in early November; and, on the 23d, she was underway for the western Pacific.
Schofield participated in exercises at Pearl Harbor and Midway Island before entering Subic Bay on 18 December. Four days later, she departed for Singapore
with orders to continue from there to the Indian Ocean
and conduct surveillance operations. She returned to San Diego on 6 June 1974.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and launched on 7 December 1963. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. F. Perry Schofield and commissioned on 11 May 1968, Comdr. Earl H. Graffam in command. The ship was named after US Navy Admiral Frank Herman Schofield
Frank Herman Schofield
Frank Herman Schofield was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction in the Spanish-American War and World War I...
. The original First Lieutenant was LTJG Lee Witham. Schofield received four battle stars for service in Vietnam
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...
.
Pacific
Following shakedown, Schofield conducted training exercises, both independently and with her squadron, Destroyer Squadron 23, out of her home port of D&S Piers 32nd St. San Diego. With the new year, 1969, she participated in 1st Fleet exercises; and, at the end of March, she headed across the Pacific for her first WestPac deployment.On 24 April, the guided missile escort ship joined the 7th Fleet. On 7 May, she commenced operations with in the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
. A week later, she put into Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
; then, after upkeep, she joined other 7th Fleet units in Operation Sea Spirit, a combined SEATO exercise terminated on 3 June following the collision of and .
On 17 June, the DEG moved back into the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
, remaining into July. On the 6th, she departed the area and headed for Japan where she participated in a joint United States Navy-Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force exercise; then, toward the end of the month, she again set a course for the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
.
Schofield returned to the Gulf of Tonkin on the 27th and, for the next two weeks, operated with . A visit to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
followed. On 22 August, she returned to Subic Bay; and, in early September, she moved north for patrol duty in the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
. On the night of the 8th, she steamed to the assistance of caught in heavy seas 70 nautical miles (130 km) away and unable to transfer fuel to her engine. By the time the DEG arrived, the minecraft was dead in the water. At daybreak, however, Schofield took the MSC in tow and headed for Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, whence she returned to patrol duty.
Three days later, Schofield continued north to Japan; participated in HUK exercises; then sailed for Hong Kong, where, for two weeks, she served as station ship. On 23 October, she returned to Japan; and, on 6 November, she headed home.
SS Connecticut rescue
Arriving on the 21st, the DEG remained in port for most of the remainder of the year. In January 1970, she resumed her antisubmarine warfare exercises off the CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast. Early on the morning of the 9th, the exercises with her squadron and were interrupted to assist a merchant tanker, , reported to be sinking approximately 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) away. En route to the scene, Schofield refueled Hornet helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s delivering rescue personnel and equipment to the tanker. Two of Schofield's men, EMCS P. L. Kidd and BT1 A. E. Personette, were transferred to the tanker. The tanker's master commended the work in saving the ship.
When Schofield arrived on the scene late in the afternoon, the situation was under control. That evening, the exercises were resumed. At mid-month, Schofield returned to Long Beach and entered the naval shipyard there for a yard period which took her into March. Squadron exercises, target ship duty, missile firing exercises, and a reservist training cruise followed. In July, she again entered the shipyard for boiler overhaul work; and, in October, she resumed her 1st Fleet operating schedule.
On 7 January 1971, Schofield headed west. Into February, she conducted exercises in Hawaiian
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
waters, then returned to the west coast for Operation Admixture, a joint United States-Canadian exercise. During the exercise, the DEG added mothership duties for the experimental hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
, , to her helicopter inflight refueling, plane guard, and escort responsibilities.
The exercise was completed on 4 March. Schofield then returned briefly to Long Beach; and, on the 11th, she departed the California coast for the western Pacific. Steaming in company with ASW Group 3, she joined the 7th Fleet on the 26th. On 3 and 4 April, she operated off the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese coast; and, on the 7th, she arrived in Subic Bay.
Five days later, the group got underway for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, whence they proceeded into the 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...
for ASW exercises. At the end of the month, the ships sailed for Hong Kong; and, on the 11th, they got underway for Japan.
After repairs at Yokosuka, Schofield participated in the first major United States task force exercise in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
in several years; then, on 17 June, she sailed for home. Proceeding north, she participated in ASW exercises between Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
and Kamchatka. On 5 July, she arrived at Long Beach. In August, she began preparations for her first major overhaul. On 1 September, she shifted her home port to San Diego; and, on 8 September, she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extended overhaul which took her into 1972.
The overhaul was completed on 6 June 1972, and Schofield sailed to her new home port, San Diego. The next three months were spent in refresher training and various exercises, including two successful launchings of her TARTAR missiles at the Pacific Missile Range
Pacific Missile Range
Pacific Missile Range may refer to:* The Western Range, a currently active missile range supporting launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base and elsewhere.* Western Launch and Test Range, a missile range active in the 1960s for tracking ballistic missiles....
.
Vietnam
On 9 September, Schofield departed San Diego for her third tour with the 7th Fleet. After brief stops at Pearl HarborPearl 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...
, Midway Island, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and Subic Bay, P.I., the DEG joined TU 77.0.1 in the Tonkin Gulf on 8 October. She received her first bombardment mission of the deployment 20 days later and fired all night. On 30 October, she departed the area for Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
and a period of upkeep. She was back on station in the Tonkin Gulf from 9 November to 8 December for another line period. The DEG then visited Hong Kong and Sasebo before returning to the firing line on New Year's Day, 1973.
Schofield acted as a picket ship until mid-January when she was assigned to provide fire support. She fired daily missions until the 26th when she departed for Subic Bay. She returned to Yankee Station on 13 February and learned that, due to the cessation of hostilities, her WestPac deployment was to be reduced one month. On 15 February, she sailed for Yokosuka and San Diego, arriving at her home port on 9 March.
During a period of restricted availability between April and September, Schofield received extensive helicopter facilities to enable her to operate the SH-2 LAMPS
SH-2 Seasprite
The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities against several types of enemy threats, including submarines of all types,...
(Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helo. She held sea trials in October, firing exercises in early November; and, on the 23d, she was underway for the western Pacific.
Schofield participated in exercises at Pearl Harbor and Midway Island before entering Subic Bay on 18 December. Four days later, she departed for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
with orders to continue from there to the 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...
and conduct surveillance operations. She returned to San Diego on 6 June 1974.