USS Truett ( FF - 1095 ) USS " Truett " ( FF - 1095 ) was a named after Quincy Hightower Truett , who received the Navy Cross posthumously . The ship is now serving in the Royal Thai Navy as the HTMS " Phutthayotfa Chulalok " ( FFG 461 ) . " Truett " ( DE - 1095 ) was laid down on 27 April 1972 at Westwego , La . , by Avondale Shipyards , Inc . ; launched on 3 February 1973 ; sponsored by Mrs . Geraldine Truett Walter ; delivered to the Navy on 24 May 1974 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , Portsmouth , Va . ; and commissioned there on 1 June 1974 , Comdr . James W . Egerton in command . On 20 August , " Truett " departed Hampton Roads and headed for the West Indies . After arriving at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , on 3 September , the ocean escort devoted the next six weeks to a feverish series of drills and exercises to prepare for duty in the Atlantic Fleet . On 8 October , " Truett " completed shakedown training and sailed for home . After a brief stop at St . Thomas in the Virgin Islands , " Truett " returned to Norfolk on 18 October . Operational history . " Unitas " . Following local operations in the Hampton Roads area and repairs at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , " Truett " got underway in April 1975 to conduct further tests and to train some 40 officers attending the Surface Warfare School . In May , she embarked her LAMPS helicopter and its detachment of officers and men . On 24 May , the ocean escort cleared Norfolk to participate in Exercise " Solid Shield . " After nine days of hard work , she returned to Norfolk to prepare for a " Unitas " deployment . During her stay at Norfolk , the Navy re - classified the ship as a frigate on 1 July 1975 and redesignated her FF - 1095 . Twenty days later , the frigate left Norfolk and set a course for the Panama Canal . En route , she conducted exercises with units of the Colombian Navy . " Truett " transited the canal on 8 August and headed down the western coast of South America . For the duration of " Unitas XVI , " she trained with units of various South American navies , among which were those of Peru , Chile , Argentina , Uruguay , Brazil , and Venezuela . In the course of the deployment , she visited many ports and rounded Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America . After conducting exercises with the navies of the east coast nations of South America , she made a brief stop at Trinidad before returning home to Norfolk on 8 December . During the first two months of 1976 , she resumed normal operations out of Norfolk . NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic . Between 3 and 21 March , " Truett " participated in an ASW - and - convoy - operations exercise , " Safepass 76 , " with units of NATO ' s Standing Naval Force Atlantic ( STANAVFORLANT ) . Succeeding months were spent in preparation for the ship ' s forthcoming NATO deployment in the North Atlantic . Departing Norfolk on 14 June , Truett spent the next six months engaging in two major fleet exercises and visiting 20 ports from Norway to Portugal . During the early part of the deployment , she shadowed the new Soviet aircraft carrier " Kiev " , which was en route from the Black Sea to Murmansk on its maiden cruise , off the west coast of Scotland . The fleet frigate returned to Norfolk on 17 December and spent the remainder of the year enjoying a period of leave and a tender availability . The greater part of 1977 was spent in priming the ship for deployment to the Mediterranean late in the year . During this workup period , " Truett " engaged in two major Atlantic Fleet exercises and underwent six inspections or qualifications . On 27 September , she departed for the Mediterranean and operations with the 6th Fleet which took her into the new year . Mediterranean Sea . On 2 February 1978 , " Truett " transited the Suez Canal and operated with the Middle East Force in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Ethiopian / Somalian crisis . Her operations there included a 56 - day , continuous at - sea period . Returning to the Mediterranean in April , " Truett " arrived back in Norfolk on 25 April . The summer was spent conducting operations off the east coast , and the fleet frigate then proceeded to Braswell Shipyard , Boston , for a regular overhaul which commenced on 27 September . The ship remained there into 1979 .