USS John Hancock (DD-981)
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![]() USS John Hancock in 1983
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History | |
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Name | John Hancock |
Namesake | John Hancock |
Ordered | 15 January 1974 |
Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
Laid down | 16 January 1976 |
Launched | 29 October 1977 |
Acquired | 12 February 1979 |
Commissioned | 10 March 1979 |
Decommissioned | 16 October 2000 |
Identification |
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Motto | First for Freedom |
Fate | Scrapped, 28 April 2007 |
Badge | ![]() |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Spruance-class destroyer |
Displacement | 8,040 (long) tons full load |
Length | 529 ft (161 m) waterline; 563 ft (172 m) overall |
Beam | 55 ft (16.8 m) |
Draft | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
Propulsion | 4 × gas turbines , 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW) |
Speed | 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
Range |
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Complement | 19 officers, 315 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 2 × SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. |
Aviation facilities | Flight deck and enclosed hangar for up to two medium-lift helicopters |
USS John Hancock (DD-981), a
History
John Hancock was laid down on 16 January 1976 by
Following commissioning, John Hancock proceeded to
In March 1983, John Hancock reported to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi for a six-month overhaul. Upon completion of the overhaul, John Hancock then spent three months in Cuba where the crew successfully completed GITMO re-certification at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before being deployed to provide support in the Persian Gulf in October 1984 to April 1985. Hurricane Diana caused John Hancock and numerous other ships at Charleston, South Carolina to emergency sortie out of the path of the hurricane in September 1984. During a 'show the flag' patrol in the Persian Gulf during the Tanker War between Iraq and Iran, John Hancock was fired upon by an Iraqi Mirage fighter aircraft using an Exocet missile which narrowly missed the destroyer. The missile heavily damaged a salvage tug that was directly in the line of fire.[1]
In April 1988 John Hancock provided support in the Persian Gulf for Operation Earnest Will during a six-month deployment and was near the point where USS Stark was hit with two Exocet missiles launched by an Iraqi Air Force aircraft in 1987.
In 1991, John Hancock deployed with the USS America Carrier Battle Group to the North Atlantic for two months in support of Operation North Star '91.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/USS_John_Hancock_Stern.jpg/200px-USS_John_Hancock_Stern.jpg)
In March 1994, while deployed in the Red Sea, John Hancock, rendered assistance to a wounded Filipino sailor on board a merchant vessel. Shortly thereafter, John Hancock reached a milestone, while conducting multinational maritime interdiction operations (MIO) to enforce United Nations sanctions against Iraq. On 1 April 1994, a team of U.S. Navy ships -- John Hancock, Carr, Underwood and Taylor along with an embarked United States Coast Guard boarding team—intercepted the 20,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990.
As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the
As a precautionary measure against oncoming Hurricane Fran, John Hancock was one of 13 Navy ships sent to sea in September 1996. The hurricane was heading, at the time, for the southeast coast of Florida with winds gusting up to 120 mph.
In 1996, John Hancock, along with USS Wasp, USS Carl Vinson, USS Anchorage, and USS George Washington, were selected to serve as test platforms for the P2 afloat program, after studies at Navy installations indicated that a large quantity of a naval base's toxic material and hazardous waste originated from ships floating material they had accumulated and stored during deployment. The P2 Afloat Program aims to reduce hazardous material procurement costs for ships, improve safety and health aboard ship, improve quality of life, and reduce operation and support costs.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/USS_John_Hancock_%28DD-981%29_anchored_in_the_Chesapeake_Bay.jpg/220px-USS_John_Hancock_%28DD-981%29_anchored_in_the_Chesapeake_Bay.jpg)
On 29 April 1997, John Hancock departed for a six-month overseas deployment as part of the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/USS_John_Hancock_%28DD-981%29_bow_view.jpg/170px-USS_John_Hancock_%28DD-981%29_bow_view.jpg)
In August 1997, John Hancock deployed to the coast of
With the John F. Kennedy CVBG, John Hancock in July participated in the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/USS_John_Hancock_%2864462940%29.jpg/220px-USS_John_Hancock_%2864462940%29.jpg)
John Hancock returned home on 28 October after six months of operating in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea in support of
John Hancock took part in the sixth
Fate
On 16 October 2000, John Hancock was decommissioned and steamed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she was placed in reserve at the Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was sold to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas in 2006. She was then towed to the Port of Brownsville and scrapped on 29 April 2007.
Ship's crest
The official crest of John Hancock symbolizes the service John Hancock gave his country, both as President of the Continental Congress and as Chairman of the Marine Committee. The dominant colors of the crest are blue and gold, which are traditionally used by the U.S. Navy.
The shield represents the Marine Committee for which John Hancock served as the first chairman. This committee fulfilled responsibilities for naval affairs similar to those now assigned to the United States Department of the Navy. John Hancock, as chairman, supervised the construction and fitting out of the thirteen frigates of the initial shipbuilding program. The second ship named John Hancock was built and commissioned into the Navy at this time.
The white and blue wavy bars at the center of the shield form a heraldic symbol for water, and the anchor symbolizes naval affairs. The sunburst, a symbol of birth, has thirteen rays with thirteen stars representing the thirteen frigates.
John Hancock, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, also presided over the Massachusetts Convention, which ratified the federal constitution. These events are represented by the scroll, Liberty Bell, and quills. The quills are crossed as a symbol of strength and resolution, while their green color refers to growth and life.
Gallery
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USS John Hancock's5-inch gunon 1 February 1986
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USS John Hancock's SH-2F Seasprite in 1986
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USS John Hancock in Mayport on 22 May 1993
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USS John Hancock in 1997
References
- ^ Halloran, Richard (24 May 1987). "1985 Iraqi Attack on U.S. Ship Cited". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
External links
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