USS ''Ouellet'' (FF-1077) was a of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. ''Ouellet'' was the first and only (as of January 2014) ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name of Seaman
David George Ouellet, a posthumous recipient of the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
. The vessel was one of a class of frigates specifically designated to locate and destroy enemy
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s. The ship entered service in 1970 and was decommissioned in 1993. ''Ouellet'' was sold to
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
in 1996 and renamed .
Construction and career
''Ouellet'' was laid down 15 January 1969
by
Avondale Shipyard
Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. In 2011, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard was part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It ...
s Inc.,
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located in Jefferson Parish. It is a suburban community of New Orleans in the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area and lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population of the c ...
; launched 17 January 1970; sponsored by Mrs. Chester J. Ouellet; and commissioned 12 December 1970.
1970s
''Ouellet'' arrived at her homeport 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 Reci ...
, Hawaii on 15 April 1971, with her first deployment to the
Western Pacific commencing on 27 January 1972. ''Ouellet'' twice came under hostile fire during this deployment, however no casualties were sustained.
During ceremonies re-establishing the U.S.
Third Fleet on 1 February 1973, ''Ouellet'' became the first Third Fleet
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
since World War II.
''Ouellet'' made her second deployment to the Western Pacific from May through 7 December 1973. She began her first regular overhaul on 14 September 1974, with completion on 3 June 1975. ''Ouellet'' was selected as the CINCPACFLT flagship for the U.S. Navy's 200th birthday ceremonies.
''Ouellet'' completed two more Western Pacific deployments prior to overhaul in late 1978. Regular overhaul was completed mid-1979 with three Western Pacific deployments to follow commencing September 1980, April 1982, and October 1983 respectively.
1980s
''Ouellet'' started the 1980s with the joint exercise RIMPAC in February 1980. In March of that year she headed east to conduct training and deployment work ups with the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
and Battle Group Echo. In September 1980 she deployed with Battle Group 'E' to the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
and the
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ''khalīj ʿumān''; ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ''khalīj makrān''; ''daryâ-ye makrān''), is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with th ...
for the Iranian Crisis.
In May 1982, ''Ouellet'' rescued 72
Vietnamese boat people
Vietnamese boat people () were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its highest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but continued well into the earl ...
travelling in a sinking fishing boat around south of Vietnam.
''Ouellet'' began her third major overhaul in February 1985.
She received extensive upgrades to her gun mount, received
CIWS
A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...
, and SNAP II computers. In 1986 ''Ouellet'' was again preparing for a Western Pacific deployment. ''Ouellet'' deployed for her eighth time in April 1987.
''Ouellet'' deployed with fellow Pearl Harbor ships and to join the battle group known as "Battle Group Delta". The frigate spent time in
Subic Bay, Philippines
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 ...
before transiting the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
on the way to Diego Garcia, BIOT. When got
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...
by an Iraqi Exocet missile in May 1987, the ''Constellation'' battle group deployed to the North
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...
, while ''Ouellet'' went south to have port visits at
Saint-Denis, Réunion
Saint-Denis (, ; ), unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion () for disambiguation, is the prefectures in France, prefecture (administrative capital) of the France, French overseas department and region of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is lo ...
– which was a historic visit of sorts as no American Navy ship made a port call there in over 100 years – then off to
Port Victoria, Seychelles. The warship then joined the rest of the battle group in the North Arabian Sea in support of
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988) was an American military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest na ...
. ''Ouellet'' was detached from Battle Group Delta and proceeded with with port visits to
Phuket
Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
, Thailand and
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. The frigate then detached from ''Cochrane'' and proceeded to Subic Bay, RPI where she had a 3-week stay before the battle group caught up and proceeded home with her. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 6 October 1987.
''Ouellet'' started out 1988 with a special operation coordinated by the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
to capture ''Christina M'', a cargo vessel laden with over 12 tons of
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
. Instead of regular overhaul, ''Ouellet'' spent most of 1988 in a Ship's Restricted Availability repairing and upgrading most of her systems. Following extensive training, ''Ouellet'' made her ninth deployment in mid December 1988,
where she headed to the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
and the North Pacific Ocean. On 21 April 1989 USS Ouellet was first US Naval Vessel on scene for security and initial salvage of a
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a retired long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. Its nicknames include " Blackbird" and ...
, AF Ser. No. 61-7974. She returned on 26 May 1989 to turn around and prepare to get underway again in September 1989 for "Pacific Exercises 89" (PAC EX 89).
In May 1989, ''Ouellet'' assisted firefighting efforts aboard where six sailors were killed.
Upon return to Pearl Harbor in November 1989 she went into
dry dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
, refloating in February 1990. After extensive preparations and an exhaustive inspection cycle, ''Ouellet'' departed in August 1990 to
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
in support of law enforcement operations.
1990s
Operations with a
detachment
Detachment or detached may refer to:
* Single-family detached home, a structure maintained and used as a single dwelling unit.
* Emotional detachment, in psychology, refers to "inability to connect" or "mental assertiveness"
* Detachment (philosoph ...
of
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, 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 cust ...
personnel to act as a legal "policing force" aboard ''Ouellet''. This was the first time that a Coast Guard flag flew from a U.S. Navy warship in operations such as these. In search for
drug smugglers, the frigate recovered close to 1 ton of pure, unprocessed
cocaine
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
, which was jettisoned from an unknown vessel trying to elude authorities. While on Law Enforcement Ops '90", ''Ouellet'' transited through the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
with follow-on ports-of-call in
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
and
Curaçao
Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela.
Curaçao includ ...
, Netherlands Antilles. After returning in to Pearl Harbor in November 1990 ''Ouellet'' was awarded the "Battle E" for overall excellence and the
Joint Meritorious Unit Citation.
In June 1991, ''Ouellet'' participated in three phases of shipboard training for midshipmen from the United States
Naval Academy
A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers.
List of naval academies
See also
* Military academy
{{Authority control
Naval academies,
Naval lists ...
, and "Anti-Submarine Operations 91".
Port calls made during this training period included visits to
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia, Canada and
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island (, ) is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the Un ...
, Alaska.
''Ouellet''s final deployment was from 25 March to 24 July 1992. This Western Pacific Rim journey was her 10th major deployment, and took ''Ouellet'' to Australia . While en route, she participated in "Pacific ASW Exercise 92",
and operated with elements of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle ...
.
This was her final voyage as a United States Navy vessel, USS ''Ouellet'' was decommissioned on 6 August 1993.
HTMS Phutthaloetla Naphalai
The
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy (Abbreviation, Abrv: RTN, ทร.; , ) is the Navy, naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as the father of the Royal N ...
purchased the ship from the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
after she was decommissioned on August 6, 1993. The ship subsequently underwent a US$14M refit at the Cascade General Shipyard,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
*Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon
*Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine
*Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel
Portland may also r ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
and arrived in Thailand in 1998. The ship was renamed and commissioned as HTMS ''Phutthaloetla Naphalai'' () with the identification number F-462.
[ As a , she has a sister ship, the '' HTMS Phutthayotfa Chulalok'' (FFG 461).
]
US Navy Awards
* Vietnam Service Medal, 15-Feb-1972 to 02-Mar-1972Joint Meritorious Unit Award
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...
, 15-Aug-1990 to 18-Nov-1990
References
*
External links
USS Ouellet Association
ussouellet.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouellet
Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana
Knox-class frigates
1970 ships
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Thai Navy