USS Lawrence ( DDG - 4 ) USS " Lawrence " ( DDG - 4 ) , the fifth ship named for Captain James Lawrence USN ( 1781 – 1813 ) , was a Charles F . Adams class guided missile armed destroyer in the United States Navy . " Lawrence " was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden in New Jersey on 27 October 1958 , launched on 27 February 1960 by Mrs . Fernie C . Hubbard , great - great - granddaughter of Captain James Lawrence and commissioned on 6 January 1962 , Comdr . Thomas W . Walsh in command . " Lawrence " served on blockade duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 . After a shakedown cruise on the Great Lakes , " Lawrence " proceeded to Naval Station Norfolk for duty in the Atlantic Fleet . Following the rapid development of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 , the warship deployed with Task Group 136 . 1 , a surface quarantine group of cruisers USS Canberra ( CAG - 2 ) , USS Newport News ( CA - 148 ) , three guided - missile destroyers including " Lawrence " and twelve escorts . The group took up a blocking position north of Cuba on 24 October , two days into the crisis . On Friday the 26 , " Lawrence " and " MacDonough " ( DLG - 8 ) began shadowing " Grozny " , a tanker proceeding towards Cuba . The next day , the Soviet Union agreed to defuse the crisis and military forces on both sides began standing down . After returning to Norfolk on 6 December 1962 , " Lawrence " began the first of many Mediterranean cruises on 6 February 1963 , steaming across the Atlantic to join the Sixth Fleet for operations in European waters , where she remained until 1 July . Following a second Mediterranean deployment between April and August 1964 , the warship received an extensive overhaul in Norfolk over the ensuing winter . Before the end of the decade she conducted four more cruises ; a Sixth Fleet deployment in 1965 ( 24 August to 17 December ) , a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic in 1966 ( 3 August to 5 September ) , another Mediterranean tour in 1966 - 67 ( 27 September to 1 February ) and a third Sixth Fleet cruise in 1968 ( 10 January to 4 May ) . During her fourth Mediterranean deployment , " Lawrence " helped rescue crewmen from the sinking merchant vessel " New Meadow " , in distress off the coast of Crete . Following two additional Mediterranean deployments , one in 1969 - 70 and another in 1971 , the much - traveled destroyer made one Vietnam War tour in the Western Pacific in 1972 - 73 , providing naval gunfire support , dodging enemy return fire , rescuing downed Aviators and serving as plane guard during aircraft carrier operations . Among her guests on Yankee Station were the CNO and Sec NAV . For her service , she was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation , as follows : The Secretary of the Navy takes pleasure in presenting the Meritorious Unit Commendation to USS LAWRENCE ( DDG - 4 ) CITATION : For meritorious service during operations against enemy forces in Southeast Asia from 7 August 1972 to 10 January 1973 . Upon assignment to the US SEVENTH Fleet in support of United States objectives in Southeast Asia , USS LAWRENCE consistently displayed a high degree of professionalism and resourcefulness while carrying out arduous combat support missions along the coast of the Republic of Vietnam and 116 high speed strike missions against North Vietnam . During this period , USS LAWRENCE damaged or destroyed significant enemy fortifications and logistic support facilities . The sustained high level of personnel and material readiness achieved by LAWRENCE enabled her to respond instantly to every commitment ranging from pilot rescue to emergency naval gunfire support . By the exemplary performance of duty throughout this period , the officers and men of the USS LAWRENCE reflected great credit upon themselves and the United States Naval Service . John W . Warner Secretary of the Navy During her Vietnam tour , her reduction gears were damaged , forcing a return for repairs . Following those repairs in the summer of 1973 , she took several NROTC midshipmen aboard and sailed to the Caribbean for gunnery re - qualification . At the time , she was affectionately known as the " Leaky Larry " by her crew . Two more Sixth Fleet cruises followed in 1977 - 78 and 1979 , and during the latter she briefly visited the Black Sea . " Lawrence " also passed through the Mediterranean en route to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf , deployments that took place in 1974 - 75 , 1980 and 1983 - 84 . " Lawrence " also saw frequent service closer to home , in the western Atlantic and Caribbean , and occasionally visited other waters . In 1986 she circumnavigated around South America as part of Operation Unitas XVII , exercising with Latin American navies and visiting ports in Puerto Rico , Panama , Venezuela , Colombia , Ecuador , Peru , Chile , Uruguay and Brazil . During that deployment she served as the flagship for Destroyer Squadron 26 . " Lawrence " was decommissioned on 30 March 1990 , stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 May 1990 , and sold for scrap on 15 April 1994 . The scrap contract was terminated on 1 October 1996 and resold on 10 February 1999 .