USS ''Paul F. Foster'' (DD-964), named for

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Paul F. Foster USN (1889–1972), is a 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 ...

. She was commissioned on 21 February 1976 and decommissioned on 27 March 2003. She is now ex-''Paul F. Foster'', serving as a Self Defense Test Ship for experimental U.S. Navy weapons and sensors and the last ''Spruance''-class destroyer still afloat.

History

As the initial ''Spruance''-class destroyer assigned to the Pacific Fleet, ''Paul F. Foster'' had many milestone firsts, including successfully firing a NATO

Sea Sparrow The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a U.S. ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system, primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles. The system was developed in the early 1960s from the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile ...

missile, demonstrating the feasibility of landing H-46 helicopters, and determining the operational limits of the SH-3 helicopter. Operating out of San Diego, ''Paul F. Foster'' became the first ''Spruance''-class destroyer to deploy to the Western Pacific in March 1978. The ship deployed again in 1979 and 1982, serving in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. ''Paul F. Foster'' joined Destroyer Squadron Nine and moved to its new home port of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, in August 1983. She became the Navy's first "all electric destroyer" after major modifications 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 Internationa ...

, which included the addition of a fourth ship's service gas turbine generator. On 29 August 1984, ''Paul F. Foster'' began its fourth Western Pacific deployment as Destroyer Squadron Nine's

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 ...

, with then Desron Nine Commodore, T.O. Gabriel and his staff embarked aboard, leading a five-ship surface action group and participating in several major allied fleet exercises. During a fifth deployment beginning in August 1986 with Desron Nine as part of the Battle Group, ''Paul F. Foster'' was awarded the

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 ...

for her performance in Operation Kernel Potlatch in the North Pacific and

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 ...

. From July 1987 through July 1988, ''Paul F. Foster'' completed a regular overhaul at Northwest Marine Iron Works 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, ...

. During the overhaul the ship received over 55 major ship alterations, including installation of the Mk 41

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 mo ...

for Tomahawk cruise missiles, the AN/SQQ-89 Anti-Submarine Warfare Detection System, and facilities to employ the Navy's most sophisticated submarine helicopter, the LAMPS MkIII. ''Paul F. Foster'' departed on its sixth Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment on 24 February 1989 in company with the Battle Group. Conducting operations in the northern

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 ...

, she was awarded the

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John F. Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, a ...

1990 to 2003

On 8 December 1990, ''Paul F. Foster'' departed Long Beach on its seventh overseas deployment to the

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 ...

in support of ''Operations Desert Shield'' and ''Desert Storm.'' The first ship to fire Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi targets from the Persian Gulf, she was instrumental in the liberation 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 ...

and in winning the campaign. Deploying for the eighth time on 20 July 1992, she returned to the Arabian Sea, where she operated in support of Persian Gulf Operations-

Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of moni ...

while participating in numerous bilateral exercises with Persian Gulf Nations. During the ship's ninth deployment, ''Paul F. Foster'' again served with the ''Carl Vinson'' Carrier Battle Group and was the first ship on the scene to provide assistance to a burning ocean tug, ''Glorious City'', putting out the fire and saving its crew of seven. Upon returning from deployment on 20 October 1994, ''Paul F. Foster'' entered into a regular overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard where several of the latest technological weapons, sensors and engineering systems were added. A major change implemented during this overhaul was a retrofit of a berthing, to accommodate her first female crew members. After completion of overhaul, she moved to her new home port of

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

arriving November 1995. During the ship's tenth deployment which began 21 February 1997, ''Paul F. Foster'' was a part of the multinational force during Persian Gulf Operations, enforcing United Nations sanctions against

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. ''Paul F. Foster'' departed for her eleventh deployment on 27 January 1999. While serving as part of the Pacific Middle East Force, she participated in Operation Iron Siren, Eager Sentry, and Arabian Gauntlet. In addition, the ship conducted boarding's in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. ''Paul F. Foster'' departed for her twelfth deployment on 11 January 2001, where the ship once again conducted numerous boarding operations in support of the United Nations sanctions against Iraq. Her thirteenth and final deployment began on 18 June 2002.

Decommissioning and Self Defense Test Ship role

''Paul F. Foster'' was decommissioned on 27 March 2003. In 2004, ''Paul F. Foster'' was designated to replace ex- as a test ship for the Navy, a role she assumed in 2005. In support of this new role, the now ex-''Paul F. Foster'' was assigned to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division. She is the only ship of her class that exists as of 2025, as all of her sister ships were either scrapped or sunk after decommissioning. ''Arthur W. Radford'' (DD-968), the last remaining Spruance Class other than ''Paul F. Foster'', was sunk to create an artificial reef off

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

on 10 August 2011. On 8 April 2011, Wired.com reported that ex-''Paul F. Foster'' had successfully used the Maritime Laser Demonstrator for the first time in a sea-to-sea target test, sinking a small inflatable motorboat at a range of one mile in rough seas. On 17 November 2011, ex-''Paul F. Foster'' demonstrated the use of shipboard alternative fuel, while underway in the Pacific Ocean on a 50–50 blend of an algae-derived, hydro-processed algal oil and petroleum F-76. The ship arrived Thursday morning to the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Port Hueneme in Southern California after traveling for 17 hours on a maiden trip from San Diego. On 18 July 2016, ex-''Paul F. Foster'' performed a test launch of the LRASM

Anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...

from her Mark 41 Vertical Launching System while underway in the Pacific Ocean. In December 2023, it was announced by

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

that the Navy had contracted with them to refurbish ex-''Paul F. Foster'', extending her service life as self-defense test ship. Refurbishment took place between April and December 2024 at a cost of $22 million.

Gallery

USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) at sea in 1978.jpg, USS ''Paul F. Foster'' in 1978 USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) underway at sea, in 1982.jpg, USS ''Paul F. Foster'' in 1982 USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) underway off San Francisco, California (USA), on 12 October 1985 (5850463234).jpg, USS ''Paul F. Foster'' off

San Francisco 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 ...

on 12 October 1985 USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) departing Pearl Harbor.jpg, USS ''Paul F. Foster'' departs

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 ...

on 1 June 1991 USN Self Defense Test Ship Paul F Foster (DD-964) 2014.jpg, left, The US Navy Self Defense Test Ship at Port Hueneme, CA in 2014

Awards

According to the Navy unit Awards site, ''Paul F. Foster'' received the following awards:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul F. Foster (DD-964) Spruance-class destroyers Cold War destroyers of the United States Gulf War ships of the United States 1974 ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi