USS John Rodgers ( DD - 983 ) USS " John Rodgers " ( DD - 983 ) , a " Spruance " - class destroyer , was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the three generations of the Rodgers family who served in the Navy . " John Rodgers " was laid down on 12 August 1976 by Ingalls Shipbuilding , Pascagoula , Miss . ; launched on 18 March 1978 ; sponsored by Mrs . Roy C . Smith , Jr . , the great , great - granddaughter of Commodore John Rodgers ; and commissioned on 4 September 1979 . Coat of Arms . Shield . The shield of " John Rodgers " symbolizes the service of three generations of the Rodgers family . The anchor represents the service of Commodore John Rodgers , who acted as president of the Board of Naval Commissioners , following the War of 1812 , serving until 1837 . The compass rose is symbolic of the service of his son , Rear Admiral John Rodgers , who led exploring expeditions in waters off China and through the Bering Strait in 1855 . The wings on the crest refer to the service of Commander John Rodgers II who was a pioneer of naval aviation , and the great - grandson of Commodore Rodgers . Crest . The sea eagle , a sharp - eyed , marine bird - of - prey , represents the ship ' s primary mission of detection and tracking , with the addition of incredibly deadly striking ability . The three arrowheads refer to the multi - mission capabilities of the destroyer , as well as the naval service of the father , son , and great - grandson for whom the ship is named . Motto . Sea Eagle Triumphant Operational History . During the early 1980s , " John Rodgers " sailed into the Atlantic , Pacific , and Indian Oceans under her Commanding Officer , CDR Wagner . She traversed both the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal . Under U . S . policy , " John Rodgers " sailed into the Persian Gulf in support of Iraq , during Iraq ' s war against Iran . " John Rodgers " crossed the equator on the way to Kenya . This resulted in the initiation of the " Pollywogs " ( those who have not crossed the equator ) by the " Shellbacks " ( those who have crossed the equator ) . During this period , " John Rodgers " made port calls on four continents , including Panama , Spain , Italy , France , England , Denmark , Morocco , Egypt , Bahrain and Kenya . On September 16 , 1983 while operating off Lebanon , " John Rodgers " fired her guns against Syrian controlled portions of Lebanon in response to Syrian shelling near the residence of the U . S . ambassador . This made her the first ship to use the Mk 86 Gun Fire Control System in combat . On 19 September , U . S . policy shift from presence to direct support of Lebanese Army forces defending the strategically important village of Suk El Gharb in the Chouf Mountains east of Beirut . Along with , the two ships fired a total of 338 5 - inch rounds . Ongoing fire support missions continued through 21 September . During deployment in the Mediterranean Sea in 1990 , the USS John Rodgers was sitting off of the coast of Israel when Iraq invaded Kuwait . The John Rodgers immediately began operations in support of Operation Desert Shield . For a couple of weeks , the John Rodgers performed patrols in the Mediterranean Sea . Prior to completing their deployment , the John Rodgers took up position in the Red Sea , continuing patrols . In 1993 , " John Rodgers " departed as the flagship for Commander , South Atlantic Force during UNITAS XXXIII . During this several months long deployment , she cooperated with the militaries of various South American nations , while making a number of goodwill port calls . In 1995 she deployed as part of the NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic . Because of active hostilities among the countries formed following the breakup of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia , she spent much of this deployment engaged in Maritime Interdiction Operations in the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Sharp Guard . Owing to the closure of the Naval Station Charleston by the BRAC Commission in 1995 , " John Rodgers " transferred her homeport from Charleston , South Carolina to Mayport , Florida in August of that year . Mayport remained her homeport throughout the remainder of her service . From January to March 1996 , " John Rodgers " participated in joint exercises with the British Royal Navy and Royal Marines in the waters around Scotland . During this time she also made port visits to Bremerhaven , Germany and Amsterdam . On 3 October 1997 " John Rodgers " departed on her last deployment in company with the Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group ( MARG ) 98 - 1 centered around . This MARG relieved another MARG centered around . As a part of this deployment , " John Rodgers " participated in the Bright Star 97 naval exercise hosted by the Egypt ian navy . She also participated in the Reliant Mermaid exercise conducted with Israel and Turkey in January 1998 . " John Rodgers " participated in five other major exercises on this deployment . Port visits on this deployment included Spain , France , Italy , Egypt , Israel , Greece and Turkey . " John Rodgers " made eight major deployments , including extensive operations in the Mediterranean Sea , Black Sea , and the Persian Gulf . She also took part in numerous counter drug operations in the Caribbean Sea . She and her crew participated in Operations Shield , Support Democracy , and Sharp Guard . At various times during her career , " John Rodgers " served as the flagship for COMDESRONs 14 , 20 , 22 , 32 , 36 , Canadian COMDESRON ONE , COMSOLANT , COMSTANAVFORLANT , and WEAUCONMARFOR , and also served as the host ship for the Change of Command of COMSIXTHFLT in 1988 and COMSTANAVFORLANT in 1995 . " John Rodgers " unit awards include : Joint Meritorious Unit Award , Navy Unit Commendation , Meritorious Unit Commendation ( second award ) , Battle " E " , National Defense Service Medal , Southwest Asia Service Medal ( second award ) , Humanitarian Service Medal , Sea Service Deployment Ribbon ( eighth award ) , Armed Forces Service Medal and United States Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon . Fate . " John Rodgers " was decommissioned and stricken on 4 September 1998 ; she was stored at NISMF Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , awaiting sale for scrap . By 2005 she had been sold to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville , Texas although scrapping work had yet to be completed . On 29 December 2005 , " John Rodgers " ( DD - 983 ) was spotted heading south along the east coast of south Florida under tow . She has since been broken up for scrap .