USS ''Elliot'' (DD-967) was a in 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 ...

. 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, as of 2023, is the largest private em ...

Division of

Litton Industries Litton Industries, Inc., was an American defense contractor that specialized in shipbuilding, aerospace, electronic components, and information technology. The company was founded in 1953 and was named after inventor Charles Litton Sr., who was ...

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

, the ship was named for Lieutenant Commander Arthur J. Elliot II, USN (1933–1968), who as commanding officer of Patrol Boat River Squadron 57, was killed in action in the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

on 29 December 1968.

1977 – 1981

''Elliot'' got underway on 24 January 1977 for her maiden voyage, transiting from Pascagoula, Mississippi, to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, via 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 ...

. She was assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet as a unit of Destroyer Squadron 9 (DesRon 9), under the administrative control of Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group Five and

Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific The Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific (COMNAVSURFPAC) is the type commander for the Surface Force under the United States Pacific Fleet. The COMNAVSURFPAC is also the Commander, Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFOR) and the Commander, Surf ...

. After arrival, ''Elliot'' conducted five weeks of shakedown training and participated in a combat exercise. Following these evolutions, she returned to her builders for a post shakedown yard availability. After leaving the yard, ''Elliot'' sailed to

Rockland, Maine Rockland is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Maine, United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. The city is a popular tourist destination. It is a departure point for the Maine S ...

arriving on 25 August. Neighboring Thomaston was the hometown of the sailor for whom the ship was named. During a four-day stay, the ship hosted several thousand guests and embarked 650 guests for a six-hour guest cruise. On 24 September ''Elliot'' reported to Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a six-month restricted yard availability during which her NATO Sea Sparrow and

Harpoon missile The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack M ...

systems were installed. On 1 August 1978 ''Elliot'' shifted from the operational command of Destroyer Squadron Nine to Destroyer Squadron 31 (DesRon 31). ''Elliot'' departed for her first deployment, a seven-month Western Pacific tour, on 21 February 1979 as

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 ...

of DesRon 31 in company 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 ...

. On 31 March, ''Elliot'' departed

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 Subi ...

, Philippines with ''Ranger'', for operations in 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), ...

. Less than a week later, ''Elliot'' was 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 ...

in lead of ''Ranger'' when the carrier was involved in a collision with the oil tanker M/V ''Fortune'' resulting in the carrier having to return to Subic Bay for repairs. ''Elliot'' arrived in

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It has been used as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s, following the expulsion of the Chagossians by the UK government. The Chagos Islands are set to become a former B ...

on 12 April. ''Elliot'' then joined a battle group centered around and participated in operations in the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden (; ) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south. ...

to maintain a U.S. military presence in the area. ''Elliot'' returned to Subic Bay on 15 June. ''Elliot'' was awarded the

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 t ...

for Indian Ocean contingency operations. ''Elliot'' arrived back at her homeport from her first deployment on 9 September 1979. Also notable on this deployment was ''Elliot'' tailing

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

carrier ''Minsk'' for five days of observation of operations. ''Elliot'' began her second deployment in 1980, under the command of Captain Stephen Clarey then after a change of command in Subic Bay, Philippines, Commander Doug Norton. On 23 January 1981, ''Elliot'' suffered a main bearing casualty resulting in one of her

gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...

engines having to be replaced. This replacement was completed at Subic Bay in only two days. On 21 April ''Elliot'' encountered the first of several refugee boats. Over the next eight days ''Elliot'' picked up 158 refugees for which the crew was awarded the

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 (incl ...

. Port visits on this deployment included stops in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

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 ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Philippines, Japan, 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 ...

. She returned from this deployment on 23 May.

1981 – 1985

On 1 June 1981 ''Elliot'' was transferred to Destroyer Squadron 21. ''Elliot'' reported to Todd Pacific Shipyard in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington on 17 August for the first private sector overhaul ever conducted of a ''Spruance''-class destroyer. Among other refurbishments and installations during this overhaul ''Elliot'' received an SLQ-32(V)2 electronic warfare system. ''Elliot'' completed overhaul on 30 April 1982. She returned to her homeport of NS San Diego on 21 May. On 1 July ''Elliot'' was reassigned from DesRon 21 to DesRon 17. ''Elliot'' departed San Diego, California on 13 April 1983 for the third deployment of her career. Port visits on this deployment included stops in Hawaii, Philippines, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Guam and Hong Kong. On 31 July, a small boat was spotted by the forward lookout. A total of 68

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

were subsequently rescued and were turned over to state officials in Subic Bay. ''Elliot'' was again awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for her rescue operation. During August, ''Elliot'' endured being at sea through the combined forces of two typhoons, though no significant damage resulted. On 1 September, ''Elliot'' departed

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

, Japan on four hours' notice, to respond to the downing of KAL 007. ''Elliot'' steamed at for and arrived approximately 48 hours later, the first Allied ship on station. "Elliot" remained on scene until 14 September along with other units of Allied nations (U.S., Korea, Japan). During the tense days immediately after the downing, "Elliot" encountered some thirty-two Soviet ships in the SAS area, most of which were men-of-war. "Elliot" and all Soviet combatant ships were at a continuous state of General Quarters (Battle Stations), with deck weapons ready to fire. ''Elliot'' returned from her third deployment on 18 November 1983. On 27 January 1984, ''Elliot'' conducted a safe weapons offload at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. Shortly after departing this facility, ''Elliot'' struck a subsurface obstruction in the Seal Beach channel, causing some limited damage to the underwater hull and the starboard propeller. On 2 February, ''Elliot'' commenced a planned three-month selected repair availability (SRA) period in San Diego. On 30 April, ''Elliot'' proceeded to the Todd Shipyard facilities in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

for repairs to her starboard propeller and sonar dome. In May, ''Elliot'' shifted operational command to

Destroyer Squadron 5 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived in 1 ...

. In October, ''Elliot'' participated in

Fleet Week Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, ...

'84 festivities with 18 other ships in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. ''Elliot'' hosted more than 10,000 visitors during this event.

1985 – 2003

On 10 July 1985, ''Elliot'' departed on her fourth deployment as part of the battle group. Port visits on this deployment included stops in Hawaii, Japan, Korea, Philippines,

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, and Hong Kong. In mid-September ''Elliot'' was engaged in an exercise with

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

ships. During the exercise, ''Elliot'' rendered on-scene assistance to the which was disabled during a collision with the merchant ship ''Kansas Getty''. On 1 December ''Elliot'' departed Subic Bay in company with the battle group for transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii arriving on 12 December. ''Elliot'' returned to her San Diego homeport on 21 December, ending her fourth deployment. In May 1986 ''Elliot'' began a two-month selected repair availability which included installation of flight deck modifications necessary to support LAMPS Mk III helicopter operations. On 11 October ''Elliot'' arrived at San Francisco to participate in Fleet Week '87 festivities. In January 1987, ''Elliot'' departed on her fifth deployment. Highlights off this deployment included operations in the

Bering Strait The Bering Strait ( , ; ) is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, separating the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The present Russia–United States maritime boundary is at 168° 58' ...

. ''Elliot'' received a major overhaul in the 1988 / 1989 time frame, receiving, among other things, VLS, Phalanx CIWS, new TACAN and an upgraded Sea Sparrow system including MK 23 TAS radar. ''Elliot'' departed San Diego on 9 September 1989 to participate in PACEX-89, said to be the largest major naval exercise in the Pacific since the close of World War II.''Elliot's'' course took it north to the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

, then on to the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

, the northwest Pacific,

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

, and 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 ...

. ''Elliot'' made its sole port stop at Sasebo, Japan before returning home on 9 November 1989. During PACEX-89, ''Elliot'' conducted joint operations with other units of the Pacific Fleet as well as elements of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. ''Elliot'' and its battlegroup were also overflown by two Soviet

TU-95 The Tupolev Tu-95 (; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the Soviet Air Forces in 1956 and ...

Bear D reconnaissance aircraft. Another highlight was the group photograph ''Elliot'' participated in as one of fifty ships gathered in formation. ''Elliot'' departed San Diego for WestPac-90 on 1 February 1990 as part of the Carrier Battlegroup "Charlie." Ports visited included

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;

Pusan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southe ...

, Korea;

, Philippines; Singapore;

Pattaya Beach Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and has a population of 328,961 as of 2 ...

, Thailand; Diego Garcia, BIOT;

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

, Oman;

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

; and Hong Kong. ''Elliot'' also participated in

Team Spirit Team Spirit was a joint military training exercise of United States Forces Korea and the Military of South Korea held between 1974 and 1993. The exercise was also scheduled from 1994 to 1996 but cancelled during this time period as part of diplom ...

1990 exercises with the South Korean military. While transiting the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

on 20 April 1990, ''Elliot'' rescued 35 Vietnamese refugees left adrift in a derelict boat and claiming to be the victims of pirates. ''Elliot's'' captain, CDR Timothy LaFleur, made the determination to embark the refugees and scuttle their boat. After the refugees were fed and clothed (many in clothes donated by crewmembers), ''Elliot'' turned them over to a representative of the

United Nations High Commission for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

in Singapore on 21 April. ''Elliot'' returned from deployment on 1 August 1990, one day before Iraq invaded Kuwait. ''Elliot'' then entered the NASSCO yards on 9 September 1990 and remained there until 17 December, thus spending the majority of the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

on the sidelines. ''Elliot'' deployed for WestPac-91 on 31 July 1991 with COMDESRON 17 embarked. Port visits were made to Pearl Harbor; Subic Bay;

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;

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

; Oman;

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

; and Hong Kong. On 21 October, while deployed off the coast of

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, ''Elliot'' was alerted by the French

DGSE The Directorate-General for External Security (, , DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 27 November 1943. The DGSE safeguards French national security through intellige ...

ship ''Le Berry'' to the presence of a drifting Iraqi LUGM-145 mine approximately 12 nm offshore from Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi port.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fu ...

Mobile Unit One, Detachment 31 team members were flown in from Bahrain. With the assistance of ''Elliot's'' air detachment the mine was safely detonated, resulting in a plume of water hundreds of feet tall. ''Elliot'' spent the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

holiday in Hong Kong before returning to San Diego on 20 January 1992. ''Elliot'' reported to Southwest Marine Shipyard, San Diego in May 1992 for a yard period where she remained until August. On 16 November ''Elliot'' departed San Diego for a five-week counter

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s cruise. This cruise included a port stop in

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

, Mexico. ''Elliot'' returned from this cruise on 21 December. In June 1993, ''Elliot'' arrived in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

for the

Portland Rose Festival The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Foundation (named the Portland Rose Festival Association until the 2000s ...

. On 9 July ''Elliot'' departed San Diego for her next deployment. Port visits on this deployment included Hawaii, Guam, Singapore,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, Bahrain, Diego Garcia, Australia, and

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. By late August, ''Elliot'' was operating off the coast of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. ''Elliot'' continued operating in this region into November, serving as anti-air warfare commander and

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

force over-the-horizon track coordinator for portions of this time period. She also frequently conducted contingency strike operations exercises. During these operations, ''Elliot'' participated in boardings of merchant vessels in support of

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

resolutions. : '1993-2003'' ''Elliot'' operated out of San Diego,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

until she was decommissioned on 2 December 2003. The decommissioned ''Elliot'' and were sunk off the eastern coast of Australia as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre, ''Elliot'' on 22 June 2005 and ''William H. Standley'' on 23 June 2005. ''Elliot'' is now resting at a depth of 4,551

fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an international standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally accepted non-SI unit. H ...

s ( in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

, located at , or roughly east of

Fraser Island K'gari ( , ), also known by its former name Fraser Island, is a World Heritage-listed sand island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The island lies approximately north of the state capi ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia.

Awards

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

– (Aug 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 ...

– (Sep 1983, Sep 1989 – Jul 1990, Dec 1992 – May 1993, Jan 1999 – Sep 2001) * Battle "E" – (1979, 1981, 1992, 1993) *

– (Apr–Jun 1979) *

Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service member ...

– (Sep–Dec 1991) *

– (21–27 Apr 1981, 31 Jul 1983)

Gallery

File:USS Elliot (DD-967) approaches Pearl Harbor on 1 June 1991 (6475242).jpg, USS ''Elliot'' entering

on 1 June 1991 File:USS Elliot (DD-967) with an SH-60 flying by.jpg, USS ''Elliot'' with a SH-60 on 7 April 1998 File:USS Elliot (DD-967) underway in the Arabian Sea on 2 January 2002 (6612416).jpg, USS ''Elliot'' in the

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 ...

on 2 January 2002 File:US Navy 030101-O-4633P-001 The first sunset of the year provides a beautiful backdrop for the destroyers USS Elliot (DD 967), USS Olendorf (DD 972), USS Fitzgerald (DD 62), and the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5).jpg, USS ''Elliot'' and USS Oldendorf on 1 January 2003

References

External links

* *
united-states-navy.com: USS ''Elliot''

unofficial USS ''Elliot'' website

''Elliot'' decommissions
article from Navy News
c7f.navy.mil: Operation Talisman Sabre 2005

militarynews.com: USS ''Elliot'' sunk by VFA-195 jets
(

pdf Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot (DD-967) Spruance-class destroyers Cold War destroyers of the United States 1974 ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi Ships sunk as targets