USS Sterett ( CG - 31 ) USS " Sterett " ( DLG / CG - 31 ) was a " Belknap " - class destroyer leader / cruiser . She was the third ship to be named for Master Commandant Andrew Sterett ( 1778 – 1807 ) , who served during the Quasi - War with France and the Barbary Wars . She was launched as DLG - 31 , a frigate , and reclassified a Cruiser ( CG ) on 30 June 1975 . The contract to construct " Sterett " was awarded on 20 September 1961 . Her keel was laid down at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 25 September 1962 . Sponsored by Mrs . Phyllis Nitze , wife of Secretary of the Navy , Paul H . Nitze , she was launched on 30 June 1964 , delivered to the navy on 16 June 1967 and commissioned on 8 April 1967 . " Sterett " earned nine battle star s for her service along the coast of Vietnam . 1967 – 1975 . The third " Sterett " ( DLG - 31 ) is a member of a distinguished line of US Naval ships . The third " Sterett " spent 1967 operating off the west coast undergoing various post - acceptance tests and trials after commissioning , participating in shakedown training , and generally preparing for her final acceptance trials . Arriving in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard again she underwent post - shakedown availability . With the exception of two short excursions , one for nuclear capable certification and the other for COMTUEX 8 – 68 , " Sterett " remained in home port until 19 June , when she departed San Pedro Bay for her first WestPac tour . After stops at Pearl Harbor and Midway , she arrived in Yokosuka , Japan , on 5 July and began preparations for her first line period in the Tonkin Gulf . On the last day of July 1968 , " Sterett " relieved guided missile frigate USS " Horne " ( DLG - 30 ) as PIRAZ unit . With destroyer USS " Rich " ( DD - 820 ) riding shotgun for her , she plied the waters off North Vietnam until relieved on 5 August . She moved on to duty as sea air rescue ( SAR ) ship and strike support ship ( SSS ) , which she performed until 4 September . During her first crack at SAR , " Sterett " directed two successful rescues of pilots . The guided missile frigate continued alternating between PIRAZ , SAR , SSS , and in - port periods until mid - March 1969 . In the results of the CRUDESPAC Battle Efficiency Competition announced in March , " Sterett " won the Green " E " for Operations , the White " E " for Missiles , the Red " E " for Engineering , and the Blue " E " for Supply . Congratulatory messages were received from COMSEVENTHFLT and COMCRUDESFLOT ELEVEN . The next at sea period began with ten days on the Sea of Japan PARPRO picket station . During this line period , USAF 314th Air Division F - 106 interceptors from Osan Air Base under " Sterett " ' s positive control intercepted six Soviet " Badger " aircraft and one Soviet " Mail " seaplane on ASW patrol . When " Sterett " was relieved by USS " Richmond K . Turner " ( CG - 20 ) on 10 March , the turnover was shadowed by a Soviet " Petya " class PCE , hull number 857 . The " Petya " had been on patrol at the Soviet Korean Straits station and followed the " Turner " to TU 71 . 0 . 4 . The next day " Sterett " , en route to the Gulf of Tonkin , sighted a fishing boat north of Taiwan flying the Republic of Korea ensign . The boat , later identified as BT 22210 , was adrift with its engine inoperative and making frantic visual signals for assistance . Despite the heavy seas of a tropical storm " Sterett " immediately transferred food and fuel to the distressed craft , a vessel of some fifty feet with a crew of seven . " Sterett " sent urgent message requests for additional assistance to COMNAVFORKOREA , who eventually arranged a commercial tow for the crippled fishing vessel . Having rendered all appropriate assistance , " Sterett " proceeded through the Taiwan Straits to the Tonkin Gulf . The Gulf of Tonkin DLG AAW pickets normally operate with a DD escort but , during April 1970 , " Sterett " operated at a modified PIRAZ station 20NM from the North Vietnamese coast with the USS " Oklahoma City " ( CLG - 5 ) , COMSEVENTHFLT embarked , as her escort . This was a plot to lure out a MiG from the airbase at the Bai Thuong Airfield , which at that time was the base for three MiG - 21 and three MiG - 19 fighters . " Oklahoma City " had EMCON ( EMission CONdition ) set to simulate the normal DD escort and " Sterett " passed track information on hostile aircraft over North Vietnam to the Talos ship via the Navy RED secure voice ( KY - 8 ) net and the NTDS Link 14 teletype . Although this missile trap was well - conceived , there was no MiG activity over Bai Thuong during this period . The guided missile frigate continued to shuttle back and forth between Yokosuka and the Tonkin Gulf for the first seven months of 1970 . She alternated between PIRAZ duty and SAR / SSS duty , taking time out for a six - day stay at Hong Kong , an overnight layover in Keelung , Taiwan , and a two - day visit to EXPO ' 70 at Kobe , Japan . On 29 July 1971 " Sterett " set sail from Yokosuka to return to the United States . After two years " Sterett " returned to CONUS and entered via San Diego Bay . " Sterett " spent all of 1971 either in port on , or operating off , the west coast . On 7 January 1972 , " Sterett " traveled on her second tour of duty off the Vietnamese coast . She departed for the Tonkin Gulf and remained on PIRAZ station when on 21 February 1972 became the first Navy ship to direct the downing of a MiG - 21 by Air Force CAP . During her second line period of the deployment , " Sterett " participated in the downing of two more MiGs ( 30 March ) and brought down another with a salvo of Terrier missiles during the Dong Hoi engagement on 19 April . Later on that day , she launched a second salvo of Terriers at an unidentified target , probably a Styx surface - to - surface missile , destroying it in midair . After adding two more successful pilot rescues to her tally , she returned to Subic Bay on 22 May . Four months later she returned to San Diego and operated off the west coast for the rest of 1972 . On 25 March 1973 during transit , " Sterett " ' s LAMPS helicopter crashed while ferrying the chaplain between ships for divine services . Fortunately , all crewmen survived . " Sterett " participated in one last tour of duty , after the cease fire negotiations , in Vietnam in 1973 that was uneventful . She ended 1973 by docking in San Diego in preparations for regular overhaul to begin in February 1974 . " Sterett " was reclassified as a guided missile cruiser CG - 31 on 30 June 1975 . Late 1970 ' s . On 30 June 1975 , Sterett was reclassified as a guided missile cruiser — CG - 31 . In October of that year Sterett was deployed to the Western Pacific serving in the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin . During this 8 - month deployment Sterett visited the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand , Hong Kong , Okinawa , Korea and Japan . Sterett completed the WESTPAC tour in May or 1976 and returned to San Diego . The remainder of 1976 and the first part of 1977 were spent on operations in the SOCAL area . In March 1977 , following embarkation of Helicopter Anti - submarine Light Squadron ( HSL - 31 ) , Sterett departed San Diego for Yokosuka , Japan . On 11 March 1977 during transit , HSL - 31 ’ s Seasprite helicopter crashed at sea and LCdr Jeffrey Smith was lost at sea . The rest of the crew were rescued . Following visits to the Philippines , Indonesia and the Australia , Sterett was dispatched to Iran for operations with the Naval units of the Shah of Iran . After returning to operations in the Indian Ocean , Sterett returned to San Diego in October 1977 . The rest of 1977 was spent on upkeep and operations in the SOCAL area . Sterett underwent a long maintenance availability from January through March 1978 followed by refresher training ( REFTRA ) . Two Phalanx 20mm Close - In Weapons Systems ( CIWS ) were installed aboard Sterett for protection from anti - ship missies and high - speed , low level aircraft . From May 1978 to June Midshipmen embarked on Sterett for annual training . In July , Sterett traveled up the west coast to Portland during the Rose Festival and Seattle for the SeaFair celebration . In September 1978 , Sterett departed San Diego for operations in The Western Pacific and Indian Ocean . On 7 December , Sterett was dispatched to the Gulf of Oman . Sterett was stationed off the coast of Iran during the revolution that ultimately unseated the Shah of Iran and placed Ayatollah Khomeini in power . Sterett remained on station until relieved on 14 Jan 1979 . In April 1979 , Sterett departed Subic Bay en route to San Diego . Sterett ’ s Tactical Data System equipment was removed in June and in July 1979 , Sterett began a regular overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard . The overhaul was completed in October 1980 , followed by sea trials , qualification trials and combat systems training . 1983 . " Sterett " was involved in the search for the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in late 1983 ; along with the United States Coast Guard Cutter Munro . Arriving on station 14 September , the " Sterett " became Flagship of the US Search and Rescue / Salvage Task Force 71 which operated until the beginning of November . 1984 – 1986 . In the winter of 1985 " Sterett " , departed her tropical homeport and transited once again to the North Pacific ocean to conduct surveillance on the newest Soviet aircraft carrier upon its departure from Vladivostok , Russia . In February 1986 " Sterett " set sail for Manila Harbor from Subic Bay Naval Base for the possible evacuation of the Philippine presidential family during the People Power Revolution . They were eventually evacuated by the Air Force . " Sterett " ' s homeport was Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines and was the only combatant home ported there . In 1991 , " Sterett " received a comprehensive overhaul including New Threat Upgrade ( NTU ) , a major anti - aircraft warfare systems improvement . After 27 years of service , " Sterett " was decommissioned on 24 March 1994 . She was struck from the register the same day to be scrapped . 29 July 2005 , International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville , Texas was contracted to dismantle and recycle ex - " Sterett " .