USS Boone (FFG-28) was the twentieth ship in the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided missile frigates.

USS Boone passing the Statue of Liberty, Fleet Week, New York 2002
USS Boone (FFG-28) passing the Statue of Liberty, Fleet Week, New York 2002
History
United States
NameBoone
NamesakeVice Admiral Joel Thompson Boone, M.D.
Ordered23 January 1978
BuilderTodd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Laid down27 March 1979
Launched16 January 1980
Sponsored byMrs. Milton F. Heller, Jr., daughter of the late Vice Admiral Boone
Commissioned15 May 1982
Decommissioned23 February 2012
HomeportMayport Naval Station
Identification
Motto"Don't Tread on Me"
Honors and
awards
2005 DESRON 14 Battle "E"
FateSunk as target, 7 September 2022
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeOliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam45 feet (14 m)
Draft22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedover 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
AN/SLQ-32
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Aviation facilitiesRAST

The frigate was named for Vice Admiral Joel Thompson Boone, M.D. (1889–1974). FFG-28, the first U.S. ship to bear the admiral's name, was ordered 23 January 1978, launched 16 January 1980 by Todd Pacific Shipyards, and commissioned 15 May 1982. She has since earned numerous awards and commendations.[citation needed]

History

edit

On 30 November 2006, the rudder fell off Mayport-based frigate Boone while on deployment in the western Mediterranean. The mishap forced the ship to send out a call for help to which Canadian destroyer HMCS Iroquois responded, providing divers who inspected the ship's underside. Within 24 hours, Boone was being towed to Rota for repairs by the German Navy's replenishment oiler Spessart. The ship was not adrift or totally dead in the water because its two 350-horsepower auxiliary propulsion units provided a "limited amount of maneuverability." The lost rudder was replaced 27 December and, after a day of operational testing, Boone got underway again on 28 December.[1]

Boone was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 14 and was the recipient of the 2005 DESRON 14 Battle "E". On 16 February 2007, she was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.[2]

Boone was homeported in Mayport, Florida, and was a member of the Navy Reserve. In March 2010, she was assigned to the United States Fifth Fleet fighting Somali piracy.[citation needed]

Boone was decommissioned on 23 February 2012.

Sinking

edit

On 18 August 2022, Boone was towed to Campbeltown, Scotland to be sunk as part of a SINKEX involving Harpoon missiles fired by the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster, to test a new US targeting satellite.[3] The SINKEX took place on 7 September 2022 with the participation of both US and UK forces. From the sea, she was struck by two Harpoon anti-ship missiles fired by HMS Westminster and an SM-6 from USS Arleigh Burke. Meanwhile, from the air, she was struck by two Paveway IV laser-guided bombs from Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters, two JDAMs from US Air Force F-15 Eagles, a Martlet missile from Westminster's Wildcat helicopter and a Harpoon anti-ship missile from a US Navy P-8 Poseidon.[4][5]

References

edit
  1. ^ "30 November". Seawaves.com. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E"". U.S. Navy. 19 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  3. ^ Allison, George (18 August 2022). "Warship arrives in Scotland to be destroyed as target". Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  4. ^ "British and American forces obliterate former US warship during impressive test of firepower". Royal Navy. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  5. ^ Allison, George (23 September 2022). "British frigate and aircraft 'obliterate' former US warship". Retrieved 23 September 2022.

  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

Further reading

edit
  • Milton F. Heller III (2000). The Presidents' Doctor : An Insider's View of Three First Families. Vantage Pr; 1st ed edition (August 2000). ISBN 0-533-13159-6.
edit