USS Briscoe (DD-977)

USS Briscoe (DD-977) was a Spruance-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Named for Rear Admiral Robert Pearce Briscoe, the ship served for over two decades during the final decades of the Cold War. Commissioned in 1978, she was a versatile multi-mission vessel known for her advanced AN/SQS-53 sonar and formidable RUR-5 ASROC and RIM-7 Sea Sparrow armament. Her career included numerous deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, and Caribbean Sea, participating in key operations that defined late 20th-century naval power.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the vessel's construction was awarded to the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid down on 21 July 1975, and she was launched on 28 December 1976, sponsored by Mrs. Patricia Briscoe, the widow of the ship's namesake. Following builder's trials in the Gulf of Mexico, the destroyer was commissioned into active service on 3 June 1978 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The principal speaker at the ceremony was Admiral James L. Holloway III, then the Chief of Naval Operations.

Operational history

Following shakedown and post-commissioning workups with the Fleet Training Center, Norfolk, USS Briscoe (DD-977) was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 22 and began a routine of Sixth Fleet deployments to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1982, she operated off the coast of Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War and the multinational peacekeeping mission. The following year, she participated in the Invasion of Grenada, providing naval gunfire support and serving as a platform for SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. Throughout the 1980s, she conducted numerous exercises with NATO allies, including the annual Ocean Safari and Team Spirit maneuvers, honing anti-submarine warfare skills against Soviet Navy vessels.

Her operational tempo increased in the late 1980s and early 1990s with deployments to the Persian Gulf during the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War, where she escorted re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers under Operation Earnest Will. During the Gulf War, she served as an Tomahawk Land Attack Missile launch platform and performed maritime interception operations in the Red Sea. In 1993, she deployed to the Adriatic Sea to enforce the arms embargo against the former Yugoslavia as part of Operation Sharp Guard, and later provided support for Operation Deny Flight.

Fate and decommissioning

With the post-Cold War drawdown of the United States Navy and the arrival of the newer Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the Spruance class was gradually retired. After over 20 years of service, USS Briscoe (DD-977) was decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk on 2 October 2003. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. The decommissioned hull was transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command and was used as a live-fire target. She was sunk in a Sink exercise (SINKEX) in the Virginia Capes operating area on 14 August 2005, by ordnance from aircraft of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 and other naval units.

Awards and legacy

Over her long career, the ship earned numerous unit awards, including the Navy Unit Commendation, three Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (for service off Lebanon and Grenada), and the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two campaign stars for the Gulf War. She is remembered as a stalwart of the Atlantic Fleet during a period of significant global transition, embodying the multi-mission "Sea Control Ship" concept envisioned by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. Her service history is chronicled in the archives of the Naval History and Heritage Command and remembered by the crew members of the USS Briscoe (DD-977) Association.

Category:Spruance-class destroyers of the United States Navy Category:Ships sunk as targets Category:1978 ships