USS Carr ( FFG - 52 ) USS " Carr " ( FFG - 52 ) , was an of the United States Navy , named after Gunner ' s Mate 3rd Class Paul H . Carr ( 1924 – 1944 ) , who was awarded a posthumous Silver Star Medal for his heroism on board the destroyer escort during the Battle off Samar . The USS " Carr " was laid down on 26 March 1982 by the Todd Pacific Shipyards Co . , Seattle Division , Seattle , Wash . ; launched on 26 February 1983 ; sponsored by Goldie Carr Bensilhe , GM3 Carr ' s widow ; and commissioned on 27 July 1985 , Commander Robert J . Horne in command . History . Operation Earnest Will . " Carr ' s " original homeport was in Charleston , South Carolina . Her first operational deployment was to the Persian Gulf , where " Carr " was involved in Operation Earnest Will , escorting re - flagged oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz . While Commander , Destroyer Squadron 14 , was the senior officer present , Commander Wade C . Johnson , the captain of the " Carr " , was the next senior officer in the area and was routinely assigned the duties of Convoy Commander during escort missions . During one of these , Iranian small boats approached the tankers and were chased off by bullets from " Carr " ' s deck - mounted M2 . 50 - caliber machine guns and the Bushmaster 25mm chain gun on the starboard main deck . " Bonefish " disaster . " Carr " returned to Charleston in late March 1988 , and 31 days later , was ordered underway to replace another ship that had been unable to get underway . Sent to sea to conduct anti - submarine exercises with the aircraft carrier and submarine . On 24 April 1988 , " Carr " was first on the scene to help rescue the crew of the attack submarine " Bonefish " , which had suffered a battery fire while submerged . Deploying her 26 - foot whaleboat and five inflatable life rafts , " Carr " helped rescue 89 of the " Bonefish < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s " crew , using the whaleboat , life rafts , its embarked SH - 60B Seahawk of Helicopter Squadron ( Light ) 44 , and the SH - 3H Sea King helicopters from the " John F . Kennedy " . The ship communicated to the land - based Commander , Atlantic Fleet watch center using the Joint Operational Tactical System ' s ( JOTS ) " opnote " capability . Crew muster lists were sent ashore as rescued crew members where identified . For her professionalism in the rescue , the " Carr " was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation . Exercises in the Caribbean . In October 1988 , the USS " Carr " made a port visit to Tampa , Florida , at the request of the local Navy League chapter , mooring at Harbor Island pier . Public tours were held for several days in celebration of Navy Week , honoring the Navy ' s birthday . The commissioning commanding officer , Captain Robert Horne , was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and was there to greet the ship . In March 1989 , the USS " Carr " was sent to Fleet Training Group , Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , for Refresher Training ( REFTRA ) . While the ship conducted exercises in all departments , Mikhail Gorbachev was making a visit to Havana , Cuba . News crews from NBC , headed by Henry Champ , and ABC , by Bob Zelnic , each spent a day aboard " Carr " to observe the training . In summer 1989 , while the USS " Carr " was heading to the Puerto Rican Operation Area ( PROA ) for the Middle East Force Exercise ( MEFEX ) , both of the ship ' s laundry washers broke down . With the permission of the Squadron Commodore running MEFEX , the " Carr ' s " Seahawk helicopter flew into Naval Station Roosevelt Roads , PR , and the Supply Officer purchased a household washing machine from the Navy Exchange . The washer was unboxed on the ramp at the airfield , loaded in the helicopter and flown to the ship , where it was plumbed in to the water system and served as the crew laundry for the next several weeks . Hurricane Hugo . On 1989 - 09 - 18 , " Carr " sailed from Charleston to be on station off the Naval Station Mayport for the week to provide a practice flight deck for the SH - 60B Seahawk squadrons . That night , an officer of HSL - 44 came aboard and informed the captain that the helicopters would be flying to Georgia the following day in preparation for the impending arrival of Hurricane Hugo . On the morning of 19 September , " Carr " entered Naval Station Mayport and moored , awaiting further instructions . At midnight on the 19th / 20th , " Carr " got underway and headed south to the Strait of Florida to avoid the storm . Once the hurricane was safely past , the captain ordered the ship to sail towards Charleston . The USS " Carr " was the first Navy vessel to return to the port of Charleston the morning after Hurricane Hugo made landfall there . " Carr " remained anchored for three days , unable to enter port , as essentially all navigation aids were moved or destroyed by the hurricane . One of the Coast Guard ships at anchor sent a small boat to the USCG Station in Charleston , taking along " Carr " ' s Sonar Technician Chief Petty Officer Steven Hatherly . STGC Hatherly made his way to the Naval Station , where he phoned most of the crew ' s families and reported their status to the ship via bridge - to - bridge VHF radio that evening . From their anchorage , the crew could easily see the bridge between the Isle of Palms and the mainland in the air , as well as the demolished houses along the shore . Local television stations were returning the transmitting and the crew had little to do besides consider the condition of their families and possessions ashore . The USS " Carr " was ordered to proceed to Naval Station Mayport . Arriving the next morning , the local community had staged relief supplies to be taken to Charleston . The next day , " Carr " was directed to return to her homeport . Upon arrival , there were no shore services , so the Engineering Department kept the engineering plant on line to provide power , air - conditioning , fresh water and other support services . Crew members were dispatched , during the day , to assist in the clean up of the Naval Station , the Naval Weapons Station and the local community . As time permitted , they also helped each other ' s families secure their belongings and clean up their homes . For this response the natural disaster , " Carr " was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal . Change of command and return to the Persian Gulf . In early October , the first formal ceremony of any type at the Naval Station held was the change of command for " Carr " , with Commander Edward " Ned " Bagley , III , USN relieving Commander Wade C . Johnson , USN . The Change of Command was held in the morning and that afternoon , Commander , Destroyer Squadron 4 held their change of command . On 31 October , the USS " Carr " sailed from Charleston for her second operation deployment , assigned to the Commander , Middle East Force . En route the Persian Gulf , " Carr " made port visits to the Azores , Palma Majorca , Spain , then transited the Suez Canal . During this deployment , " Carr " spend the first half assigned to tanker escort duties in the Strait of Hormuz . The later part of the cruise was spent operating in the Northern Persian Gulf , conducting electronic surveillance and early warning duties for the units operating to the south . " Carr " left the Persian Gulf the end of March 1990 and returned to Charleston a month later . As of 2011 , the USS " Carr " was homeported at NAVSTA Norfolk , Virginia , and was part of Destroyer Squadron 22 . On 30 November 2012 , the USS " Carr " delivered 1 . 5 tons of cocaine and almost two tons of marijuana to Mayport , Florida , before continuing back to Norfolk . The USS " Carr " was decommissioned on 13 March 2013 . The ROC Navy is expected to purchase the decommissioned ship and incorporate into its country ' s defense fleet .