USS Joseph Strauss
USS Joseph Strauss , named for Admiral Joseph Strauss USN, was a guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy.
Joseph Strausss keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden in New Jersey on 27 December 1960. The vessel was launched on 9 December 1961 by Mrs. Lawrence Haines Coburn, granddaughter of Admiral Joseph Strauss and commissioned on 20 April 1963.
During the Vietnam War Joseph Strauss served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out naval gunfire support missions.
Operational history
1960s
Joseph Strauss departed Philadelphia on 6 June 1963 for a brief cruise to Puerto Rico and Willemstad, Curaçao, and then transited the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet on the western seaboard. She arrived at Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 13 July 1963 for alterations, followed by tactics out of San Diego north to Seattle, Washington.As flagship of Destroyer Squadron 3, Joseph Strauss sailed from Long Beach on 30 June 1964. After calling at Pearl Harbor and Midway Atoll, she arrived in Yokosuka, Japan on 18 July. While in port at Yokosuka, the crew of Joseph Strauss learned that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked the U.S. destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf, and the ship hurried out of port with other squadron ships to join carrier forces in the South China Sea. She departed 3 August 1964 to rendezvous off Okinawa on 6 August with the aircraft carrier. During this time, U.S. Naval aircraft from Constellation conducted air strikes over North Vietnam. She then patrolled off the Vietnam coast and the South China Sea with task forces built around Constellation, and. Brief sweeps were made to the Philippines and ports of Japan. Joseph Strauss arrived in Yokosuka on 15 December 1964 for upkeep, sailing again on 21 January 1965 to support U.S. Forces in Vietnam until 1 March. During this period, she operated with,,, and.
Following upkeep in Subic Bay from 1–10 March, Joseph Strauss sailed with ships of the Royal Thai Navy for exercises in the Gulf of Thailand. She was briefly flagship of the 7th Fleet from 22 to 26 March during the official visit of Vice Admiral Paul B. Blackburn Jr., to Bangkok, Thailand. She departed Yokosuka on 19 April for operations that brought recognition and honor to both the ship and her crew.
From 24 April 1965, Joseph Strauss, together with, was part of the first advanced search and rescue/anti-air warfare picket team in the Gulf of Tonkin to support U.S. air strike operations against North Vietnam. From 16 through 21 May, she observed operations of a Russian task unit. She returned to Yokosuka from 23 May to 4 June, then again sailed for the Gulf of Tonkin. Her ensuing 27 days as flagship of the SAR/AAW picket unit were highly successful, establishing operational procedures and capabilities which remain destroyer standards. On 17 June 1965, two F4B Phantoms from, under Joseph Strauss advisory control, shot down two MiG-17s, accounting for the first two hostile aircraft downed by U.S. forces in aerial combat since 1953. Three days later, two propeller-driven Skyraiders, also from Midway and under Joseph Strauss advisory air control shot down another MiG-17. As a result, members of Strauss Combat Information Center team were decorated by the Secretary of the Navy.
Joseph Strauss arrived in Hong Kong on 6 July 1965, putting out to sea 14 to 16 July to avoid Typhoon Freda, and again 18 to 19 July to carry the 7th Fleet Salvage Officer to Pratus Reef to assist in refloating. She departed Hong Kong 21 July for Yokosuka. The following day she took a disabled Nationalist Chinese fishing boat in tow and delivered it safely to Keelung on 23 July, thence sailed to Yokosuka, arriving 25 July for upkeep.
On 3 September 1965, she successfully fired two improved Tartar missiles off Okinawa. After a 1-day stop at Sasebo, Joseph Strauss proceeded south in the screen of. Upon arrival in the South China Sea, she was detached for picket patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin during the last three weeks of September She spent the first two weeks of October supporting operations off Vietnam in the screen of Bon Homme Richard and. She then returned to Subic Bay for naval gunfire support training which continued off Da Nang, South Vietnam. On 28 October 1965, she fired her first shots in anger, expending 217 5-inch shells in support of a combined ARVN-Marine Corps search-and-destroy operation against the Viet Cong. Joseph Strauss thus became the first U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer to fire her guns at enemy targets. As a result of this action, the ship's crew received a commendation from the Commanding General, 2nd U.S. Marine Division. Throughout November she formed an advanced SAR/AAW picket team with in the Gulf of Tonkin. She returned to Yokosuka on 7 December 1965 for upkeep and preparations to resume operations off South Vietnam. Joseph Strauss returned to the Gulf of Tonkin 10 February 1966 and remained active in the war zone until heading for Hong Kong exactly one month later. Back in the fighting 26 April, she remained in the war zone until returning to Yokosuka 15 June. That day her home port was changed to Pearl Harbor which she reached 26 July.
Joseph Strauss operated in the Hawaiian area until heading back for the Western Pacific 14 January 1967. She remained in the Far East until returning to Pearl Harbor on 17 June.
1972 – Gulf of Tonkin Operations
On January 27, 1972, the USS Joseph STRAUSS departed Pearl Harbor, HI enroute to the western Pacific. After stopping in Subic Bay, Philippines, the ship proceeded to the Gunline near the demilitarized zone separating South Vietnam and North Vietnam, and was assigned to TU 70.8.9.The "Vietnam Gunline" describes the U.S. and Allied naval operations off the coast of South Vietnam during the war, where warships provided crucial naval gunfire support to ground troops by bombarding enemy positions, supply lines, and coastal targets.
While on the Gunline on February 17, 1972, the STRAUSS fired 96 rounds from its forward 5-inch gun, its first gunfire support mission during the 1972 cruise. On March 16, the STRAUSS departed the Gunline enroute to Taiwan for upkeep. It then returned to the Gulf of Tonkin on March 27 and was assigned to escort the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43). After just two days, the STRAUSS was recalled to the Gunline on March 30.
The Easter Offensive
On March 30, 1972, the situation in Vietnam changed dramatically when North Vietnam launching a massive attack on South Vietnam. Known as the Easter Offensive, this 6-month period of intense combat involved the United States military, particularly the Navy and Air Force, in both the Republic of Vietnam and North Vietnam.At the beginning of the North Vietnamese attack, heavy monsoon rains made air combat operations difficult, so gunfire support became the only reliable source of assistance to the allied forces. The STRAUSS, together with three other Navy destroyers, worked around the clock firing 5” projectiles at North Vietnamese targets in the coastal region near the town of Dong Ha. On April 1, while providing NGFS support near the mouth of the Cua Viet River, STRAUSS received its first hostile fire while only 5,000 yards from the shore. During the next few days, the STRAUSS fired over 1,500 rounds of 5” ammunition in support of allied troops, a harbinger of the intense combat operations it would experience during the next four months.
On April 5, STRAUSS was assigned to CTU 77.1.0, Operation Freedom Train. Operation Freedom Train entailed coordinated aircraft and ship attacks north of the 17th parallel in North Vietnam. The STRAUSS was the only ship selected to make an immediate strike on a SAM missile site, the first US naval gunfire into North Vietnam in over four years. During the next 10 days, the Strauss and other ships assigned to CTU 77.1.0 conducted multiple gunfire missions targeting military objectives in North Vietnam. The STRAUSS remained part of the Freedom Train operation until April 15, when it was detached to proceed to Da Nang, South Vietnam for gun barrel replacement.
After briefly returning to the Gunline at the DMZ, the STRAUSS was detached and arrived on April 28 in Subic Bay, Philippines for necessary maintenance and repairs. It remained in Subic Bay until May 8. After release from the Subic Bay shipyard, the STRAUSS returned to the Gulf of Tonkin to serve as a member of Operation Notification Line. This operation involved notifying foreign shipping that North Vietnamese harbors were mined. During this period on May 17, STRAUSS conducted a change of command ceremony when CDR James Clarkin was relieved by LCDR Shane Daniels.
The STRAUSS was next deployed to TU 77.1.2, the former Operation Freedom Train, which was now designated Operation Linebacker. The STRAUSS, in company with other US naval vessels, conducted multiple nightly gunfire strikes along the coast of North Vietnam, routinely encountering hostile fire during these strikes.
Underwater Explosions
On June 4, as the STRAUSS approached the North Vietnam coast, it encountered two large underwater explosions. Water and mud were hurled more than fifty feet into the air and covered the upper decks of the ship. All boilers on the ship were knocked offline, and the ship went dead in the water. While the STRAUSS experienced minimal personnel casualties, it suffered significant material casualties caused by shock damage. Following an investigation, it was determined that the STRAUSS detonated U.S. underwater mines that were intended for North Vietnamese harbors. Despite the material casualties, the STRAUSS remained on the Gunline through June 19, operating with multiple U.S. Navy vessels and providing NGFS along the coast of the Republic of Vietnam from the demilitarized zone to the city of Hue.On June 20, the STRAUSS detached and proceeded to Sasebo, Japan for general maintenance and repairs from the June 4 underwater explosions. On June 30, the STRAUSS departed Sasebo to return to the Gulf of Tonkin and joined TU 70.8.9. This task unit of 15 destroyers and cruisers provided support to recapture Quang Tri City.
On July 18, the STRAUSS sailed south to Qui Nhan to form a new task unit TU 70.8.2 supporting Republic of Vietnam operations through July 30. On August 1, during its final combat mission in 1972, the STRAUSS fired over 500 rounds of 5-inch ammunition in support of a helicopter assault. The STRAUSS was then detached and proceeded to Hong Kong for its only Rest and Relaxation port of call. On August 10, the STRAUSS arrived in Subic Bay and then three days later, commenced its transit back to Pearl Harbor, arriving August 25, 1972.
For its meritorious service, the USS Joseph STRAUSS was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation by the Secretary of the Navy for combat actions from February through August 1972. In particular, the commendation highlighted the ship’s operations during the initial phases of Operation Freedom Train. Ultimately, the STRAUSS would fire over 15,000 rounds of 5” ammunition between February and August.
Even more important, when the STRAUSS returned to Pearl Harbor in late August, it was with the knowledge that no crew member was lost or significantly injured during its seven-month deployment, and everyone returned safely to their loved ones.
Operation Praying Mantis
On 14 April 1988, the frigate sighted three mines floating approximately one-half mile from the ship. Twenty minutes after the first sighting, as Samuel B. Roberts was backing clear of the minefield, she struck a submerged mine nearly ripping the warship in half. The crew stabilized the ship. Samuel B. Roberts was sent back to the United States for repair.On 18 April 1988, Operation Praying Mantis took place which was an attack by U.S. Naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and damage to an American ship Samuel B. Roberts. The battle, the largest for American surface forces since World War II, sank two Iranian warships and it also marked the first surface-to-surface missile engagement in U.S. Navy history. The Americans attacked with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft.
In the middle of the action, Joshan, an Iranian Kaman-class fast attack craft, challenged the cruiser and Surface Action Group Charlie, firing a Harpoon missile at them. The frigate responded to the challenge by firing four Standard missiles, while Wainwright followed with two Standard missiles. The attacks destroyed the Iranian ship's superstructure but did not immediately sink it. The three ships of SAG Charlie closed on Joshan, destroying the Iranian vessel with naval gunfire. Fighting continued when the departed Bandar Abbas and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two VA-95 A-6Es while they were flying surface combat air patrol for Joseph Strauss. Sahand fired missiles at the A-6Es, and the Intruders replied with two Harpoons and four laser-guided Skipper bombs. Joseph Strauss added a Harpoon missile. Most, if not all, of the U.S. weapons hit the Iranian ship. Fires blazing on Sahands decks eventually reached her magazines, causing an explosion that helped sink the ship. Despite the loss of Sahand, one of Iran's most modern ships, the Iranian navy continued to fight. Late in the day, a sister ship of Sahand,, departed from its berth and fired a surface-to-air missile at several A-6Es from VA-95. Intruder pilot Engler dropped a laser-guided bomb on Sabalan, leaving the ship dead in the water. The Iranian frigate, stern partially submerged, was taken in tow by an Iranian tugboat.
Greek service and decommissioning
Joseph Strauss was decommissioned on 1 February 1990, transferred to Greece on 1 October 1992 and renamed Formion, for the Athenian Admiral Phormio, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 January 1995.Greece decommissioned Formion on 29 July 2002 and the ship was sold as scrap on 19 February 2004.