USS Briscoe (DD 977)

- decommissioned -
- sunk as a target -

USS BRISCOE was the fifteenth of the 31 SPRUANCE - class destroyers. During her 25 years of service, the BRISCOE has deployed to the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas. During these deployments, the ship participated in Operation Urgent Fury for the liberation of Grenada. BRISCOE established a U.S. record of 275 merchant vessel boardings in the North Red Sea, during the first of her two deployments to the area. While responding to a distress call from an Egyptian passenger ferry in 1994, BRISCOE acted as the on-scene commander for the ensuing rescue efforts of more than 500 passengers and coordinated the assistance of numerous vessels in the area.

Last homeported in Norfolk, Va., the BRISCOE was stricken from the Navy list on April 6, 2004, and was sunk as a target off the coast of Cherry Point on August 25, 2005.

General Characteristics:	Keel Laid: July 21, 1975
	Launched: January 8, 1977
	Commissioned: June 3, 1978
	Decommissioned: October 2, 2003
	Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss.
	Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
	Propellers: two
	Blades on each Propeller: five
	Length: 564,3 feet (172 meters)
	Beam: 55,1 feet (16.8 meters)
	Draft: 28,9 feet (8.8 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load
	Speed: 30+ knots
	Aircraft: two SH-60B Seahawk (LAMPS 3)
	Armament: two Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns, one MK 41 VLS for Tomahawk, ASROC and Standard missiles, Mk 46 torpedoes (two triple tube mounts), Harpoon missile launchers, one Sea Sparrow launcher, one Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) System, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS
	Crew: approx. 340

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS BRISCOE. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

go to the end of the page

Click here to see which USS BRISCOE memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

go to the end of the page

USS BRISCOE Cruise Books:

go to the end of the page

Click here to read more about Admiral Robert P. Briscoe

go to the end of the page

History of USS BRISCOE:

USS BRISCOE was laid down at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 21 July 1975, launched on 28 December 1976, and christened on 8 January 1977. She commissioned on 3 June 1978 and was homeported for her entire career at Norfolk, Virginia, serving primarily under Destroyer Squadron 22. Built at the height of the late-Cold War expansion of the U.S. surface fleet, the SPRUANCE-class destroyer entered service optimized for anti-submarine and general-purpose escort work across the Atlantic and the broader Sixth and Fifth Fleet theaters.

Following trials and shakedown, BRISCOE settled into the Atlantic Fleet operating pattern of weapons qualifications and refresher training, including a Guantanamo Bay period in July-August 1979 that capped her initial readiness workups. In 1980, she earned the Atlantic Fleet Battle "E" and, that same year, the Battenberg Cup as the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet - recognition that reflected high material readiness and tactical proficiency as the Navy intensified at-sea presence during renewed East-West tensions.

In 1981-1982, BRISCOE conducted firing trials for the Semi-Active Laser Guided Projectile (SALGP) off Vieques, Puerto Rico. Using her 5-inch/54 guns at ranges beyond 11 miles, the ship supported developmental work in precision naval gunfire that anticipated littoral strike requirements later seen in the 1990s. The testing period also kept BRISCOE closely tied to the Atlantic Fleet weapons ranges while maintaining deployment readiness.

By late 1983 the destroyer was committed to successive real-world contingencies. On 25 October 1983 she took part in OPERATION URGENT FURY, the U.S.-led intervention in Grenada, providing naval support to the joint force that secured the island and evacuated U.S. citizens. In the same period, she operated off Lebanon with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force, part of the offshore naval shield backing the U.S. Marine presence in Beirut amidst the wider Lebanese Civil War and escalating regional violence. These back-to-back tasks reflected the Navy's shift from open-ocean deterrence to crisis response along NATO's southern flank.

After standing down from late-1983 contingency operations, BRISCOE reentered the Atlantic Fleet work-up cycle in early 1984 from her home port at Norfolk, Virginia, preparing to deploy again with the Sixth Fleet. On 2 April 1984, the destroyer sortied as part of the USS SARATOGA (CV 60) carrier battle group for a Mediterranean deployment. The battle group's movements placed BRISCOE under Commander, Sixth Fleet for routine Cold War presence missions - air-defense and antisubmarine screens for the carrier, surface action group training, and periodic underway replenishments - interspersed with port visits that reflected customary Sixth Fleet logistics and diplomacy. During this cruise the ship called at Rota, Spain; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Naples, Italy; at least one Tunisian port (in conjunction with operations off North Africa); and Malaga, Spain, before completing the rotation. BRISCOE returned to the United States on 20 October 1984 to commence post-deployment leave, upkeep, and maintenance in the Tidewater area.

Through late 1984 and into the first half of 1985, BRISCOE cycled through the standard East Coast progression of type training, inspections, and integrated exercises to rebuild and certify warfare teams for another major deployment with SARATOGA. That second deployment began on 25 August 1985 when BRISCOE again sailed with the carrier battle group to the Mediterranean. The group's escort roster included, among others, cruiser USS DALE (CG 19), destroyer USS PETERSON (DD 969), and frigate USS SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON (FFG 13), with BRISCOE providing multi-mission screening, plane-guard, and picket duties around the carrier. Port calls recorded for the opening months of this 1985-1986 cruise included Barcelona, Spain; Naples, Italy; Toulon, France; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Benidorm, Spain; Tunis, Tunisia; and Malaga, Spain - typical of Sixth Fleet liberty and logistics hubs that bracketed periods of at-sea training and presence patrols. The deployment unfolded amid heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean during autumn 1985, and Sixth Fleet forces, including SARATOGA's screen, maintained a visible posture while continuing scheduled exercises and patrols. BRISCOE remained with the battle group through the end of the calendar year, operating under Sixth Fleet tasking in the central and western Mediterranean before the longer cruise continued into early 1986. The group stood out from the Med and returned stateside on 16 April 1986. The tempo and posture reflected the heightened Sixth Fleet presence that spring amid U.S.-Libya tensions, with BRISCOE's role centered on routine carrier-screen operations and readiness drills rather than independent surface action.

After post-deployment stand-down, inspections, and type training along the Virginia Capes ranges, BRISCOE began work-ups for another Mediterranean rotation. She returned to Sixth Fleet in late 1987 for a deployment running approximately from September 1987 to March 1988. The cruise alternated task-group at-sea periods with port cycles and multinational exercises typical of the closing Cold War - combined air-defense, undersea warfare, and replenishment drill serials with NATO escorts - before the ship rejoined the Atlantic Fleet routine on return.

In 1989, BRISCOE shifted theaters for UNITAS XXX, the hemispheric combined exercise around South America. The destroyer's itinerary included Pacific and Atlantic phases and a documented port period at Naval Station Rodman, Panama, on 13 November 1989, moored with USS RICHARD E. BYRD (DDG 23), USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF 1089), USS MANITOWOC (LST 1180), and Colombian frigates ARC INDEPENDIENTE and ARC ANTIOQUIA. The multinational at-sea work emphasized anti-submarine prosecution, surface action group tactics, communications interoperability, and coastal operations.

With the Cold War ending, BRISCOE joined the Navy's outreach and freedom-of-navigation sequence in Northern Europe. From May to August 1990, she participated in BALTOPS '90, operating with allied units in the Baltic Sea and adjacent waters. The exercise series showcased presence and cooperation with emerging partners around the Baltic littorals as European security structures evolved.

Following the 1990-1991 Gulf crisis, Atlantic destroyers were retasked for sustained sanctions enforcement and maritime interception. BRISCOE deployed to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea beginning in July 1992, integrating with the Maritime Interception Force to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iraq. Operating primarily in the North Red Sea choke points, she established a U.S. record with 275 merchant-vessel boardings during this deployment, a reflection of the ship's persistent small-boat operations, query-and-hail procedures, and coordinated helicopter support. Her participation window also carried Southwest Asia Service Medal credit (August-October 1992). She closed the deployment in January 1993 after repeated logistics turns through regional hubs and interim Sixth Fleet tasking in the Med.

BRISCOE redeployed in April 1993 for continued sanctions enforcement and theater presence, ranging the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf through November 1993. The rotation combined interception duty with carrier-group screen periods and routine port logistics across Fifth and Sixth Fleet waters as coalition enforcement settled into a long-term pattern. A cruise book compiled for the 1992-1993 cycle preserves the sequence of operating areas and ports-of-call that framed these evolutions.

On 19 May 1994, BRISCOE assumed On-Scene Commander responsibilities for the rescue of passengers and crew from the Egyptian ferry AL-QAMAR AL-SAUDI AL-MISRI after a catastrophic fire in the Red Sea near Gebel Zeit. Coordinating U.S. Navy assets, Egyptian naval craft, and nearby commercial vessels, the destroyer directed a complex search-and-rescue through the night and into 20 May, embarked survivors, and supported medical treatment and transfer. The crew's response, cited in contemporaneous reporting and later recognized with the Humanitarian Service Medal for 18-20 May 1994, became a defining non-combat operation in the ship's record.

After a stateside period of training and maintenance, BRISCOE deployed again for Sixth Fleet duty in 1996. With HSL-44 (Detachment 5) embarked, she spent six months in the Mediterranean and Black Sea on undersea-warfare and maritime security tasking. The schedule included bilateral ASW exercises "Shark Hunt" and "Jaws" against U.S. submarines in the central and eastern Med, Exercise "Atlas Hinge" with the Tunisian Navy, and the multilateral Partnership-for-Peace evolution "Classica '96" from 31 August to 9 September, conducted with U.S. Sixth Fleet units and Black Sea/Mediterranean littoral navies (including Italy, Ukraine, and Greece). The cycle reflected the post-Cold War emphasis on coalition training, Black Sea engagement, and interoperability.

The destroyer returned to the Mediterranean the following year for another forward-presence deployment as NATO's engagement architecture expanded. Sustained performance across this period is reflected in recorded unit awards (including a Navy Unit Commendation spanning October 1997 to April 1998). The late-1990s operating rhythm combined Med patrols, presence in the Eastern Med and Adriatic, and periodic Red Sea transits as crisis-response requirements dictated.

On 20 August 1998, BRISCOE, operating in the Red Sea in company with USS HAYLER (DD 997), launched Tomahawk land-attack missiles against the Al-Shifa facility in Khartoum as part of Operation Infinite Reach, the U.S. retaliation for the 7 August 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. The concurrent strikes also targeted al-Qaeda training infrastructure in Afghanistan and marked another instance of precision land-attack employment by surface combatants in a short-notice contingency.

In July 1999, the ship performed an unusual ceremonial duty when the ashes of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette were committed to the Atlantic from BRISCOE off the Massachusetts coast, following recovery operations after the 16 July aircraft accident near Martha's Vineyard. Media access was restricted; the event is documented in contemporaneous press reports.

On June 21, 2000, USS BRISCOE departed for a scheduled six-month deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf with the GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Battle Group. Along with the rest of the battlegroup, it had trained for the previous eight months in preparation for this deployment through participation in a series of increasingly demanding exercises and operations. While participating in Veritas VI exercises in the Western Mediterranean, USS BRISCOE conducted a rescue at sea of 12 passengers adrift on a small vessel, which had been adrift for three days with an inoperative engine, and had run out of food two days earlier and water the night before. BRISCOE returned to Norfolk, VA, in December 2000.

After the 11 September 2001 attacks, BRISCOE contributed to the layered maritime component of homeland air-defense and surveillance under Operation Noble Eagle along the U.S. East Coast while preparing for major combat operations overseas.

USS BRISCOE took part in Exercise Strong Resolve '02, one of the largest NATO exercises since the end of the cold war, which began on March 1, 2002, in Poland, Norway and the Baltic Sea. More than 26,000 military personnel from NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations were participating in the exercise, which encompassed two simultaneous crises in separate geographical regions. Forces encountered two types of NATO missions: an Article 5 collective defense operation and a crisis response operation (CRO). Strong Resolve exercises are held every four years and constitute the capstone in NATO's four-year training cycle.

On December 5, 2002, the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) Battle Group, including USS BRISCOE, left the US east coast enroute to the carrier's second deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea. When Operation Iraqi Freedom started on March 20, 2003, USS BRISCOE was one of the ships that fired Tomahawk cruise missile on targets in Iraq. In May, BRISCOE returned home to Norfolk, Va., and was decommissioned at Norfolk on 2 October 2003. Stricken on 6 April 2004, she was sunk as a fleet training target on 25 August 2005.

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

As unique and colorful as its namesake, the ship's coat of arms is a proud reflection of the distinguished naval career of Admiral Robert P. Briscoe.

Standing boldly at the base of the shield is the Lion of St. Mark, which refers to the Admiral's leadership as Commander in Chief of Allied Southern Forces Europe. The fess and wavy bar, immediately above the Lion of St. Mark, suggest flowing water passing warships and small land areas. This is reminiscent of the Northern Solomon Islands where Admiral Briscoe commanded the USS DENVER in World War II. It was during this thirty six hour battle with enemy naval forces that the Admiral's skill and courage as a ship's Captain were most apparent. He fought his ship brilliantly, assisting in the sinking of five enemy warships, damaging four others and routing the enemy's surface forces. DENVER's guns had barely fired their last salvo when she was attacked by sixty-seven dive bombers. Under the Admiral's firm command, the ship reacted cooly and efficiently, downing seventeen enemy planes and thwarting the raid. In addition, his skill as a Destroyer Task Force and Cruiser Commander during the war prevented enemy reinforcements and supplies from reaching their destination.

The shield is completed by four stars, symbolic of Admiral Briscoe's leadership achievement and rank.

Atop the shield is a crest symbolic of further achievement in a long and successful career. The trident, symbol of Triton, ruler of the seas, refers to the U.S. Naval Academy where the Admiral served as a student, instructor and Department Head. The flash represents Prometheus' gift of science to mankind and alludes to Admiral Briscoe as one of the pioneers of modern electronics development in the Navy. The cross refers to the Navy Cross Admiral Briscoe received for his actions in the North Solomon Campaign. The crest is completed by the Taeguk which denotes the Admiral's Far East Naval Command.

The entire coat of arms is aptly summed up by the ship's motto EFFICIENCY AND VALOR, given to the ship by former Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Robert Carney, as a tribute to his close friend.

go to the end of the page

USS BRISCOE Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Fabio Pe�a and show USS BRISCOE visiting Barcelona, Spain, on July 8, 2000.

The photo below was taken by Carl Groll and shows the BRISCOE departing the port of Kiel, Germany, to participate in exercise Strong Resolve. The photo was taken in February 2002.

Back to Destroyers list.

Back to ships list.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.