USS Leahy ( DLG - 16 ) USS " Leahy " ( DLG / CG - 16 ) was the lead ship of a new class of destroyer leader s in the United States Navy . Named for Fleet Admiral William D . Leahy , she was commissioned in 4 August 1962 as DLG - 16 , a frigate , and reclassified as CG - 16 , a cruiser , on 30 June 1975 . From 1962 to 1993 , " Leahy " operated as a unit of the Atlantic Fleet ( 1962 - 1976 ) and the Pacific Fleet ( 1976 - 1993 ) . She made six Mediterranean deployments ( Sixth Fleet ) , two UNITAS cruises and eight WestPac deployments ( Seventh Fleet ) , completed three Panama Canal transits , and crossed the equator over a dozen times . She traveled the seas from the easternmost end of the Mediterranean to the westernmost edge of the Indian Ocean . She steamed far north to Leningrad , Russia , and the Aleutian Islands ; and far south for two passages through the Straits of Magellan . Over the course of her sixteen major deployments , " Leahy " made port calls on six continents — North America , South America , Europe , Asia , Africa and Australia . " Leahy " served longer than any other ship of her class . After more than 31 years of active service all over the globe , the " Sweet 16 " was decommissioned on 1 October 1993 . After another 11 years in the reserve fleet , she was scrapped in Brownsville , Texas , in 2005 . Design and Construction . " Leahy " was the first of a new " double - ender " class fitted with Terrier ( later Standard ER ) missile launchers fore and aft , and the first and only frigate class designed without a main gun battery for shore bombardment or ship - vs . - ship engagements . The gun armament was reduced in order to carry a larger missile load . One of the principal missions of these ships , like their predecessors , the Farragut class , was to form part of the anti - air and antisubmarine screen for carrier task forces while also controlling aircraft from the carrier by providing vectors to assigned targets . " Leahy " carried over the propulsion plant of the Farragut class , fitted into a longer hull designed with a knuckled “ hurricane ” bow that reduced plunging in rough seas , thus keeping her forecastle dry as needed to operate the forward missile launcher . Other features included an expanded electrical plant and increased endurance . A major design innovation was the use of " macks " — combined masts and stacks — on which the radars could be mounted without smoke interference . Close - in anti - aircraft defense consisted of a pair of MK 22 3 - inch / 50 caliber guns ; anti - submarine armament consisted of ASROC and two triple MK 32 torpedo mounts . The 3 - inch gun mounts were replaced with Harpoon ASMs and the Phalanx CIWS during an overhaul in 1981 . " Leahy " was laid down by Bath Iron Works Corp . , Bath , Maine , 3 December 1959 ; launched 1 July 1961 ; sponsored by Mrs . Michael J . Mansfield , wife of Senator Mansfield , Montana , Senate Majority Leader ; and commissioned 4 August 1962 , Captain Robert L . Baughan , Jr . , in command . History . After shakedown in the Caribbean , " Leahy " departed Boston on 19 September 1963 and reported to Charleston , South Carolina . , where Rear Adm . E . E . Grimm , Commander Cruiser - Destroyer Flotilla 6 , selected her as his flagship . She then proceeded to the Jacksonville , Florida operating areas for type training . She briefly put into home port in November , then returned to the Caribbean to participate in AA warfare exercises . On 2 January 1964 , the DLG was again bound for the Caribbean for missile training , which ended 26 February . From 1 April to 10 April , she joined in an amphibious exercise , “ Quick Kick V , ” and on 1 June was permanently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 6 . " Leahy " departed for duty with the Sixth Fleet on 17 July as part of a Fast Carrier Task Group , which included USS Forrestal ( CV - 59 ) , and participated in a coordinated fleet exercise , “ MEDLANDEX - 64 , ” between the Balearic Islands and Sardinia . She then carried out independent training in the eastern Mediterranean before departing from Naples , Italy , on 22 September to join in NATO exercise , “ FALLEX - 64 . ” She returned to Naples on 26 October and , in November , participated in another fleetwide exercise , “ POOPDECK - IV , ” which brought some 40 ships of Task Force 60 together off the coast of Spain . " Leahy " departed from Barcelona , Spain , on 2 December for replenishment , and on 14 December drew the curtain on of steaming while deployed with the Sixth Fleet . She arrived at Charleston on 22 December and began a period of restricted availability in preparation for extensive tests to evaluate the Terrier Missile System . During these tests , which were completed in September , " Leahy " was briefly deployed for the Dominican Republic Crisis from 28 April to 7 May 1965 as a unit of the Strike and Covering Force . She departed from Charleston on 30 November for the Mediterranean and relieved USS William V . Pratt ( DLG - 13 ) at Pollensa , Majorca , 9 December . During this second deployment with the Sixth Fleet , she operated throughout the Mediterranean participating in ASW , gunnery , and AA warfare exercises as well as major fleet tactical operations alongside other NATO ships . " Leahy " returned home to Charleston on 8 April 1966 . During June and July , she gave some 60 midshipmen from Annapolis valuable at - sea training , and visited ports along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean . Following this , " Leahy " conducted exercises with the navies of many South American countries as part of operation UNITAS VII . She sailed through the Panama Canal in early September , thence south and through the Straits of Magellan at the end of October . The operation was completed on 6 December and the DLG returned to Charleston on the 15th . " Leahy " then prepared for massive modernization at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , arriving there on 27 January 1967 and decommissioning on 18 February . For over a year she received new AAW and ASW equipment , allowing her to utilize the most recent developments in the technology of naval warfare . She was placed in commission , special , on 4 May 1968 for the extensive period of testing her updated weapons systems . Leaving Philadelphia on 18 August , she arrived at her new home port , Norfolk , 3 days later . A second shakedown cruise and training on the new weapons systems lasted into 1969 . In August , " Leahy " took part in UNITAS X , which included ships from the navies of Brazil , Argentina , Columbia , Chile , Ecuador , Peru , Venezuela and Uruguay . She returned to Norfolk , VA shortly before Christmas . In September 1970 , while on a routine missile exercise , " Leahy " was ordered to make an emergency deployment to the eastern Mediterranean as part of a contingency force in response to the Jordanian Crisis . She remained there for more than seven months operating with the USS Forrestal ( CV - 59 ) battle group , returning in May 1971 . For her efforts , she received the first of her five Meritorious Unit Commendation s . " Leahy " deployed once more to the Mediterranean in 1972 and , after an overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard , again in 1974 . During the 1974 deployment , she operated extensively with the USS America ( CV - 66 ) battle group and made port calls in France , Spain , Italy , Greece and Turkey . In 1975 , " Leahy " deployed to the Mediterranean for a sixth time . Prior to entering the Mediterranean , she participated with USS Tattnall ( COMCRUDESGRU 12 , RADM Langille , and staff embarked ) in an historic port call at Leningrad in the USSR . The " Leahy " and the " Tattnall " were the first U . S . warships to visit the Soviet Union since World War II . During the five day visit , " Leahy " hosted over 12 , 300 visitors . Her crew participated in a variety of athletic contests with local teams , and enjoyed visits to a hockey game and the Kirov Ballet . She also received a visit from Elizabeth Taylor , who was on location filming The Blue Bird ] ] . " Leahy " then made port calls in Helsinki , Finland and Portsmouth , England before making her way into the Mediterranean . During the deployment she visited Spain , France , Monaco ( for the Fourth of July celebrations and HSH Princess Grace ' s Red Cross Ball ) , Italy , Greece and Turkey . [ [ File : Leahy Cruiser . gif | thumb | right | USS Leahy profile " USS Leahy " was redesignated CG - 16 ( [ [ guided missile cruiser ] ] ) on 30 June 1975 , as part of the [ [ United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification ] ] . Her [ [ Leahy class destroyer leader | sister ships ] ] were also redesignated as guided missile cruisers . In January 1976 , " Leahy " was transferred to the [ [ United States Pacific Fleet | Pacific Fleet ] ] and , after transiting the Panama Canal , entered her new home port of San Diego . On 6 June 1976 , she rescued 22 crewmembers off the research vessel " Aquasition " , which caught fire at sea and eventually sank . On 1 November 1976 , she entered drydock for an overhaul at the [ [ Long Beach Naval Shipyard ] ] , which lasted a year . She did not make her first deployment to the Western Pacific until July 1978 , when she served as part of the [ [ USS Constellation ( CV - 64 ) | USS Constellation ] ] ( CV - 64 ) carrier battle group . She made stops at Okinawa , Yokosuka , Japan , Taiwan , Singapore , the Philippines and South Korea before returning to the United States in February 1979 . " Leahy ’ s " next deployment to the Western Pacific began in May 1980 . By September , she was in the Arabian Sea supporting the [ [ USS Midway ( CV - 41 ) | USS Midway ] ] ( CV - 41 ) and [ [ USS Dwight D . Eisenhower ] ] ( CVN - 69 ) carrier battle groups . In October , she entered the Persian Gulf to provide anti - aircraft support for Saudi Arabia against possible attacks by Iran . Her stay in the gulf was short and the Leahy returned to San Diego on 4 December . She began another overhaul in January 1981 that lasted into May . [ [ File : USS Leahy ( CG - 16 ) weapons . jpg | thumb | left | USS Leahy ( CG - 16 ) in 1989 ] ] " Leahy ’ s " next Western Pacific deployment began in March 1983 as part of a battle group with the newly reactivated battleship [ [ USS New Jersey ( BB - 62 ) | USS New Jersey ] ] ( BB - 62 ) . During the cruise , she visited ports in the Philippines , Japan , South Korea and Hong Kong . In 1984 , she operated with the [ [ USS Carl Vinson ] ] ( CVN - 70 ) in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean , then deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1985 . In 1986 , again escorting the " Carl Vinson " , she deployed to the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf . After a [ [ New Threat Upgrade ] ] that lasted into 1988 , " Leahy " returned to regular duty with the [ [ United States Pacific Fleet | Pacific Fleet ] ] . In 1990 , she served as the senior host ship for the Soviet Navy ’ s historic first trip to San Diego , which was also the first Russian visit to any west coast naval base . In April 1991 , she arrived in the Persian Gulf shortly after the completion of [ [ Operation Desert Storm ] ] . In 1992 , while serving part of the [ [ USS Kitty Hawk ( CV - 63 ) | USS Kitty Hawk ] ] ( CV - 63 ) battle group , " Leahy " helped direct [ [ United Nations Operation in Somalia I | United Nations UNOSOM ] ] relief flights into Mogadishu , Somalia as part of [ [ Operation Restore Hope ] ] . In early 1993 , " Leahy " was ordered to the northern Persian Gulf to take part in the newly authorized [ [ Operation Southern Watch ] ] , enforcing a [ [ Iraqi no - fly zones | “ no - fly ” zone ] ] in southern Iraq . In 1993 , " Leahy " won a [ [ Battle Effectiveness Award | Battle “ E ” ] ] for outstanding combat preparedness , as well as excellence awards in anti - aircraft warfare and anti - submarine warfare . At the time , she was the oldest conventional cruiser in the Navy ’ s inventory . Decommissioning . " Leahy " was decommissioned on 1 October 1993 and stricken from the [ [ Naval Vessel Register ] ] ( NVR ) the same day . On 8 October 1993 , she was transferred to the USDOT Maritime Administration ( MARAD ) and laid up as part of the [ [ Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet ] ] in Benicia , CA . In 2004 , she was towed by [ [ USNS Navajo ] ] ( T - ATF - 169 ) to the former Rodman Naval Station in the Canal Zone . From there , she was towed by [ [ USNS Mohawk ( T - ATF - 170 ) | USNS Mohawk ] ] ( T - ATF - 170 ) and on 21 June 2004 arrived at the [ [ Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility ] ] in Beaumont , TX . On 24 July 2004 , " Leahy " was moved to the International Shipbreaking Limited yards in Brownsville , Texas , to be dismantled . Scrapping started the first week of August 2004 , 42 years after her 4 August 1962 commissioning . Three of her [ [ Leahy class destroyer leader | sisters ] ] , " [ [ USS Gridley ( DLG - 21 ) | USS Gridley ] ] " ( CG - 21 ) , " [ [ USS England ( DLG - 22 ) | USS England ] ] " ( CG - 22 ) and " [ [ USS Halsey ( DLG - 23 ) | USS Halsey ] ] " ( CG - 23 ) , passed this way before her . Scrapping was completed 6 July 2005 , 44 years after her 1 July 1961 launch date . Awards and Commendations . Unit awards from Navy awards database . Deployments and Overhauls . Summary of all 16 major deployments and 5 yard overhauls . Note : Cruise books were published for all major deployments except 1972 and 1975 . A " Leahy Pictogram " was published in August 1972 with deployment details and photographs of officers and crew . Plank Owners . The 4 August 1962 [ [ Commissioning ( ship ) | commissioning ] ] crewmembers were the original 363 [ [ plank owner ] ] s . The 1962 commissioning ceremony booklet lists 21 officers , 24 [ [ Chief Petty Officer ( United States ) | chief petty officers ] ] , 39 [ [ Petty officer , first class | first class petty officers ] ] , 50 [ [ Petty officer , second class | second class petty officers ] ] , 96 [ [ Petty officer , third class | third class petty officers ] ] , 87 [ [ Seaman # United States | seamen ] ] and 46 [ [ Seaman # United States | firemen ] ] . Because " Leahy " was decommissioned on 18 February 1967 for a major overhaul and then recommissioned on 4 May 1968 , a second group of [ [ plank owner ] ] s was created . The 1968 commissioning ceremony booklet lists these additional 370 [ [ plank owner ] ] s . Ship ' s Seal and Motto . [ [ File : Leahy Seal2 . jpg | thumb | right | 150px | USS Leahy ( CG - 16 ) Seal ] ] The ship ' s seal shows twin crossed missiles representing " Leahy " ' s status as the [ [ lead ship ] ] of the [ [ Leahy class destroyer leader | " double - ender " class ] ] of guided missile cruisers . The five stars represent her namesake [ [ Fleet Admiral ( United States ) | Fleet Admiral ] ] [ [ William D . Leahy ] ] . The " Leahy " motto " Prompta et Parata " translates as " Prompt and Ready " from the Latin . The words are most well known from Cicero ' s " [ [ De Oficiis ] ] " as part of the phrase " . . . the good will of men , on the other hand , " prompt and ready " for the advancement of our interests , is secured through wisdom and virtue . " External links . [ [ Category : Leahy - class cruisers ] ] [ [ Category : Ships built in Maine ] ] [ [ Category : 1961 ships ] ] [ [ Category : Cold War cruisers of the United States ] ]