USS ''David R. Ray'' (DD-971), was a ''Spruance''-class destroyer named for

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Hospital Corpsman Second Class David Robert Ray who was killed in action in 1969 while assigned to a

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

artillery unit during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

and posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

. The ''David R. Ray'' was built by the

Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and at 12,500 employees, the second largest ...

Division of

Litton Industries Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States named after inventor Charles Litton Sr. During the 1960s, the company began acquiring many unrelated firms and became one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. A ...

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

, and commissioned on November 19, 1977, in Pascagoula. The principal speaker at the event was James R. Sasser, U.S. Senator from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and the ships sponsor was Mrs. Donnie M. Ray, HM2 Ray's mother. The ''David R. Ray'' was decommissioned in 2002 and sunk as a target in 2008.

Ship's history

On the voyage from Pascagoula to her new homeport of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, the ''David R. Ray'' passed through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. ''David R. Ray'', nicknamed "Sting Ray", crossed the equator for the first time on 16 May 1978. On 19 February 1979, she became the first ship to intercept a supersonic drone with the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

RIM-7 Seasparrow Missile System. The ship first deployed on 8 September 1979 and made port calls in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Sub ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. In 1982, ''David R. Ray'' went through her first major overhaul in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. On 18 October 1983, ''David R. Ray'' began another "WESTPAC" to the Western Pacific and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. After port visits to Pearl Harbor, Subic Bay, Pusan, Chinhae, Hong Kong and Pattaya, the ship participated in a joint

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

-U.S. naval exercise. Later, the ''Ray'' spent 54 continuous days underway, spanning from the northwest Indian Ocean to northernmost Sea of Japan following and performing surveillance operations (SURVOPS) on the newest Soviet carrier, " Novorossiysk". Late in 1984, ''David R. Ray'' became the Navy's primary test platform for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) System. On 15 January 1986, ''David R. Ray'' deployed with Battle Group Foxtrot. During this deployment, the ship made worldwide news when it prevented the boarding of the U.S. Vessel President McKinley by an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian Saam class frigate on 12 May 1986. ''David R. Rays second major overhaul began in June 1988, which coincided with the ship's shift of homeport from San Diego to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. During this overhaul, the ship received a

Vertical Launch System A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mor ...

. After the overhaul, the ship completed four CNO projects, including RAM, NATO Seasparrow RIM-7P, BGM-109 Tomahawk Block 2 and

ASROC The RUR-5 ASROC (for "Anti-Submarine Rocket") is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed ...

. ''David R. Ray'' deployed on 27 April 1990 and was in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

at the onset of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

's invasion of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

. The ship played a critical role in the early stages of

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

before returning to the United States. Deploying again to the Middle East Force on 22 April 1992, the ship served as flagship during Maritime Interception Force Operations before returning to

, on 22 October 1992. ''David R. Ray'' deployed to the Persian Gulf in October 1994 and served as flagship to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Fifty conducting Maritime Interception Operations in boarding numerous suspect vessels resulting in the diversion and detention of three vessels. Upon return from deployment in April 1995, the ship continued a very fast operational tempo, including trips to Catalina Island, Seattle Sea Fair, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Fleet Week. ''David R. Ray'' completed a nine-month regular overhaul at

Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles Internation ...

in June 1996 and then a homeport change to

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

, in July 1996. The ship completed a full workup cycle before deploying on 20 May 1997 to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf as senior ship of a Middle East Force / Surface Action Group. During this deployment, the ship conducted 49 boardings and over 700 flight hours in support of Maritime Interception Operations. Upon return in November 1997, the ship went into holiday stand down and commenced a nine-week maintenance availability on 11 February 1998 which ended 15 April 1998. ''David R. Ray'' spent the remainder of 1998 preparing for its next deployment. On 9 March 1999, ''David R. Ray'' received no notice tasking to act as the Surface Action Group Commander for the sinking of the M/V '' New Carissa'' off the coast of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. The ship's quick response and control of the elements of the Surface Action Group averted a potentially disastrous oil spill. The ship and her crew earned the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

Unit Commendation with Operational Device for its participation in this effort. On 16 April 1999 the ''David R. Ray'' deployed to the Persian Gulf on PACMEF 99-2 as the Surface Action Group Commander. The ship and crew conducted 55 boardings and over 850 hours of flight operations. ''David R. Ray'' was again in the news when her crew helped to delivery a healthy baby girl on aboard an Iraqi ferry. The ship returned to its homeport on 4 October 1999. Since returning from deployment, ''David R. Ray'' participated in various training opportunities, including Anti-Air Warfare and Naval Surface Fire Support exercises. Prior to the ship's change of command on 29 April 2000, ''David R. Ray'' visited Puerto Vallarta and escorted the ex-USS ''South Carolina'' (CGN-37) as she was towed to

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

, for deactivation and nuclear-powered vessel recycling. In May 2001 the "David R. Ray" deployed on her final assignment to the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific on a Counter Narcotic Deployment, returning to its home port in October 2001. On 28 February 2002, USS ''David R. Ray'' was decommissioned and spent its remaining years anchored in Sinclair Inlet off Highway 303 in Bremerton, Washington. On 17 June 2008, the ex-USS ''David R. Ray'' was towed by fleet tug to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she was to be sunk as a target as part of the annual

RIMPAC RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held ...

exercises. ex-''David R. Ray'' was sunk during RIMPAC 2008 on 11 July 2008 by fire from eight U.S. and Japanese ships along with three aircraft using naval artillery and Harpoon missiles. ex-''David R. Ray'' sank after sunset that night.

Awards

* Navy Unit Commendation - (Oct 1997-Apr 1998) *

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

- (Nov 1979-Feb 1980, Jan-Aug 1986, May-Sep 1992) * Battle "E" - (1981) *

Navy Expeditionary Medal The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936. Award criteria The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded, to ...

- (Nov 1979-Feb 1980, May-Sep 1981, Oct 1981) * Southwest Asia Service Medal - (Au-Sep 1990) *

Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (includ ...

- (9 Oct 1980)

In popular culture

The destroyer is a secondary setting for the 45th installment of the

Bande dessinée (singular ; literally 'drawn strips'), abbreviated BDs and also referred to as Franco-Belgian comics (), are comics that are usually originally in French and created for readership in France and Belgium. These countries have a long tradition ...

series

Buck Danny ''Buck Danny'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series about a military flying ace and his two sidekicks serving (depending on the plots) in the United States Navy or the United States Air Force. The series is noted for its realism both in the drawings ...

, ''Les secrets de la Mer Noire'', set during the early 1990s, where the hero's sidekicks Jerry Tumbler and Sonny Tuckson are on board on a mission of distant support for Buck Danny, himself on a PR mission on the soviet carrier ''Admiral Kuznetsov''.

Ship's crest

The coat of arms of ''David R. Ray'' serves as a heraldic reminder of the ship's namesake. The light blue center section and white inverted star allude to the Medal of Honor pendant. The light blue and two Navy blue stripes represent the courage, perseverance and selfless devotion of Petty Officer Ray in the performance of his duties as corpsman with Battery D, Second Battalion, Eleventh Marine Regiment, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in South Vietnam. The battery's position is indicated by the scarlet and gold embattled border. Navy blue, gold and scarlet are the colors of the Navy and Marine Corps. The navy blue caduceus is the insignia worn by hospital corpsmen in the U.S. Navy. The artillery howitzer cartridges allude to the medical services the Navy provides to Marine Corps artillery units, in particular, the action in which Petty Officer Ray, though fatally wounded, gave medical assistance and protection to wounded Marine comrades. The ship's motto, "Determined, Ready, Resourceful" alludes to the initials of Petty Officer Ray and epitomizes his legacy to the ship that bears his name. The motto served as a guide and inspiration for the men and women who served on the ''David R. Ray'' throughout the years.

Gallery

File:Subic Bay naval base in 1982.JPEG, USS ''David R. Ray'' in 1982 File:USS David R. Ray (DD-971) launches RUR-5 ASROC c1991.jpg, USS ''David R. Ray'' fires her

RUR-5 ASROC The RUR-5 ASROC (for "Anti-Submarine Rocket") is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed ...

in 1991 File:330-CFD-DN-SC-85-10612 (21474736444).jpg, USS ''David R. Ray'' pre 1988 File:USS DAVID R. RAY DD-971 (6064503688).jpg, USS ''David R. Ray'' entering

in 1995

Notes

External links

*
navsource.org: USS ''David R. Ray''

{{DEFAULTSORT:David R. Ray (DD-971) Spruance-class destroyers Cold War destroyers of the United States Gulf War ships of the United States 1975 ships Ships sunk as targets