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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books About the Ship's Name About the Ship's Coat of Arms History Image Gallery to end of page |  |
USS JOHN RODGERS was the 21st SPRUANCE - class destroyer and was homeported in Mayport, Fla.
JOHN RODGERS was christened by Mrs. Roy C. Smith, Jr., the great, great-granddaughter of Commodore Rodgers. Throughout her career the JOHN RODGERS has completed two overhauls. The first one was from June 10, 1984, till March 13, 1985, at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula and the second overhaul was from April 1, 1991 till March 12, 1992 at Metro Machine, Chesapeake, Va.
JOHN RODGERS was the sixth US Navy ship named for the Rodgers family. Decommissioned on September 4, 1998, the ship spent the following years laid-up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Philadelphia, PA. In 2006, she was towed to Brownsville, TX., where she was scrapped.
| General Characteristics: | Keel Laid: August 12, 1976 |
| Christened: March 18, 1978 | |
| Commissioned: July 14, 1979 | |
| Decommissioned: September 4, 1998 | |
| 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 | |
| Armament: two | |
| Crew: approx. 340 |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS JOHN RODGERS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS JOHN RODGERS Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Name:
JOHN RODGERS was named for three members of a distinguished Navy family. They were...
...Commodore John Rodgers (1772-1838):
John Rodgers, born near present Havre de Grace, MD, 11 July 1772, entered the Navy as Second Lieutenant 8 March 1798 and was assigned to CONSTELLATION. He helped capture French frigate L'INSURGENTE 9 February 1799, and took command of her as prize master. He was promoted to Captain 5 March 1799, and 3 months later took command of MARYLAND. In March 1801, he transported the ratified French-American Peace Treaty to France.
Placed in command of JOHN ADAMS the following year, he sailed for the Mediterranean to attack Barbary forts and gunboats at Tripoli. His brilliant record fighting the corsairs won him appointment as Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron in May 1805.
A year later he returned to the United States to take command of the New York Flotilla. After the Embargo Act was passed at the close of 1807, Rodgers commanded operations along the Atlantic Coast, enforcing its provisions.
In the spring of 1811, upon word that a British ship was impressing American seaman off Sandy Hook, NJ, Commodore Rodgers, in PRESIDENT, was ordered to investigate. On 16 May, he defeated British corvette LITTLE BELT in a spirited engagement, which foreshadowed his brilliant success in the forthcoming war with England.
On the sixth day of the War of 1812, still in PRESIDENT, Rodgers drove off British frigate BELVIDERA, and chased her for 8 hours before she escaped. During the remainder of the war, he captured 23 prizes and, on land, rendered valuable service defending Baltimore during the attack on Fort Henry.
Following the war, Rodgers headed the Board of Navy Commissioners until retiring in May 1837. Commodore Rodgers died in Philadelphia 1 August 1838.
...Rear Admiral John Rodgers (1812-1882):
John Rodgers, son of Commodore John Rodgers, was born near Havre de Grace, MD, 8 August 1812. He entered the Navy as a Midshipman 18 April 1828. Service in the Mediterranean on board CONSTELLATION and CONCORD opened his long career of distinguished service. In the mid-1850s, he succeeded Commander Ringgold in command of the North Pacific Exploring and Survey Expedition, which added greatly to our knowledge of Far Eastern and Northern waters.
In the early months of the Civil War, Rodgers organized the Mississippi Flotilla, and supervised construction of the first ironclad gunboats on the western rivers. He took command of ironclad GALENA in April 1862, and operated with distinction in the James River, while supporting General McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. He was promoted to Captain 16 July 1862, and transferred to monitor WEEHAWKEN. In her, he distinguished himself during the attack on Fort Sumter, and in capturing Confederate ram, ATLANTA. The latter service won him the thanks of Congress and promotion to Commodore.
After the war, Rodgers commanded the Boston Naval Station until 1869. He was elevated to Rear Admiral in December 1869, and given command of the Asiatic Squadron. In this post, he ably handled diplomatic duties in addition to his naval responsibilities. Back in the United States, he commanded Mare Island Naval Station and the Naval Observatory. He died in Washington 5 May 1882.
...Commander John Rodgers (1881-1926):
John Rodgers, great-grandson of Commodore Rodgers, was born in Washington 15 January 1881, and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1908. His early naval career included service on ships of various types before studying flying in 1911, and becoming the second American naval officer to receive a pilot's license.
He commanded Division 1, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet in 1916, and, after the United States entered World War I, he commanded the Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut.
Following the war, he served in European waters, and received the Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding work on mine-sweeping operations in the North Sea. After several important assignments during the next 5 years, he commanded Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, in LANGLEY in 1925. That year, he made the first attempt at a non-stop flight from California to Hawaii. In command of Seaplane PN-9, he departed San Pedro 31 August, but a fuel shortage forced his plane to land short of her destination 1 September. While ships searched for the plane, Commander Rodgers led his crew in improvising sails from the plane's wing material to continue the trip afloat. Finally, 9 days later, after sailing the plane to within 15 miles of Nawililwili Bay, Kauai, Rodgers hailed Submarine R-4 and was towed into port.
After this experience, he served as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, until killed in an airplane crash 27 August 1929.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Coat of Arms:
The official crest of JOHN RODGERS symbolizes the service of three members of a prominent Navy family. The anchor represents the service of Commodore John Rodgers, who acted as President of the Board of Naval Commissioners, following the War of 1812, until 1837. His son, Rear Admiral John Rodgers, led exploring expeditions in Chinese waters and through the Bering Strait in 1855; the compass rose is symbolic of his service. Commander John Rodgers II, great-grandson of Commodore Rodgers, was a pioneer of Naval Aviation, and his service is alluded to by the wings.
The sea eagle, a sharp-eyed, marine bird-of-prey, represents the ship's primary mission of detection and tracking, with the addition of incredibly deadly striking ability. The three arrowheads refer to the multi-mission capabilities of the SPRUANCE - class destroyer, as well as the Naval service of the father, son, and great-grandson for whom the ship is named.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS JOHN RODGERS History:
USS JOHN RODGERS was laid down at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 12 August 1976, launched on 25 February 1978 and christened on 18 March 1978, and commissioned on 14 July 1979. Built as a SPRUANCE-class multirole destroyer with emphasis on anti-submarine and surface strike, she was named for three generations of the Rodgers family who served prominently in the U.S. Navy.
Following delivery and trials, JOHN RODGERS shifted to the Atlantic Fleet and operated initially from Charleston, South Carolina. Through late 1979, she completed post-commissioning workups, including contract trials in early November and exercises with the carrier SARATOGA (CV 60) and destroyer BARRY (DD 933) on 7-9 December 1979, then settled into a cycle of Atlantic training and intermediate maintenance as she built readiness for overseas deployment.
On 18 November 1980, the destroyer departed for her first extended deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with Sixth Fleet, operating independently and in company with carrier and surface action groups across the western and central Mediterranean. In this period and into the early 1980s, she ranged widely - Atlantic crossings, Mediterranean and Red Sea operations, and Indian Ocean presence - reflecting the Navy's late-Cold War emphasis on forward posture and alliance exercises.
A crisis assignment followed in 1983 during the Lebanese Civil War. Off Beirut, JOHN RODGERS conducted naval gunfire support in two notable actions. On 16 September 1983, after Syrian-controlled positions shelled areas near the U.S. ambassador's residence and the Marine position at Beirut International Airport, she and the frigate BOWEN (FF 1079) fired counter-battery missions that silenced several sites. On 19 September 1983, as U.S. policy shifted from mere "presence" to direct support of the Lebanese Armed Forces defending the strategic village of Suq al-Gharb, JOHN RODGERS and the nuclear-powered cruiser VIRGINIA (CGN 38) together expended 338 rounds of 5-inch ammunition in support of the Lebanese Army. Fire support operations continued through 21 September. These missions were emblematic of Sixth Fleet's role within the Multinational Force in Lebanon, balancing de-escalation aims with the protection of U.S. and allied personnel ashore.
After a North Atlantic period that closed on 29 April 1984, the ship off-loaded weapons and entered a major modernization and overhaul at Ingalls beginning 10 June 1984. The yard period ran into early 1985 and included installation of the Tomahawk Weapon System and associated target acquisition suite, upgrades to the Mk 45 5-inch/54 gun (MOD 1) and Mk 86 GFCS (MOD 10), and improvements to the SQS-53 sonar. Sea trials took place 5-7 March 1985 and the overhaul completed on 13 March 1985, restoring the destroyer to fully modernized combat capability for subsequent deployments.
With combat systems upgraded, JOHN RODGERS returned to fleet operations and deployed to the Mediterranean from August 1986 to March 1987. During this cruise she made the typical circuit of Sixth Fleet port visits and exercises - Rota gateway operations and working ports across the central and eastern Mediterranean, with liberty calls that included, among others, Istanbul - while providing routine presence and readiness in the aftermath of protracted Eastern Mediterranean tensions. On 2 October 1986, while operating in the Aegean Sea, an embarked Kaman SH-2F Seasprite (BuNo 161915) was lost in an aircraft accident, a sober reminder of the risks inherent to flight operations at sea. The ship continued the deployment after the mishap and completed the cruise without further incident, returning to the United States in March.
She deployed again with Sixth Fleet from August 1988 into early 1989, a period that featured high-tempo combined training with NATO partners and routine freedom-of-navigation activity during the closing years of the Cold War. By the end of the decade, Atlantic Fleet destroyers increasingly split time between Mediterranean tasking and emerging requirements farther east as U.S. focus shifted toward the Persian Gulf.
Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, JOHN RODGERS commenced operations in support of the coalition response that became Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As an Atlantic Fleet unit with Tomahawk capability, she conducted patrols and escorts that spanned the Mediterranean approaches and Red Sea during the buildup and air campaign, contributing to maritime interception operations and theater security in concert with Sixth and Central Command naval forces. Her Gulf War support reflected the wider Navy effort to enforce sanctions, protect sea lines of communication, and posture for sustained strike and amphibious options.
In 1993, the destroyer shifted focus to the Western Hemisphere and departed as flagship for Commander, South Atlantic Force during UNITAS XXXIV under Rear Admiral Wirt R. Fladd. Over several months she conducted a circumnavigation of South America with partner navies, exercising anti-submarine and maritime interdiction tactics, transiting the Panama Canal and crossing the Equator, and making goodwill port calls that reinforced U.S. engagement with regional maritime services. The UNITAS cruise continued a decades-long series of annual combined exercises designed to improve interoperability and professional ties among the Americas' sea services.
By the mid-1990s, JOHN RODGERS was homeported at Mayport, Florida, and her deployments increasingly reflected post-Cold War coalition operations. In 1995, she deployed with the NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) and spent much of the period enforcing United Nations embargoes in the Adriatic Sea during Operation Sharp Guard, conducting boardings and challenges as part of the multinational maritime interdiction effort related to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. The deployment included calls and logistics stops along the Mediterranean littoral in support of the sustained embargo patrols.
From January to March 1996 the ship took part in Joint Maritime Course 1-96 off Scotland, the Royal Navy's large, combined warfare exercise in the eastern Atlantic approaches. Participation included workups with Royal Navy and Royal Marines units and port visits such as Edinburgh and North Sea/North European calls (including Bremerhaven and Amsterdam), emphasizing high-end warfare proficiency with allied navies under challenging winter conditions.
JOHN RODGERS began her final deployment on 3 October 1997 as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group (MARG) 98-1. During the autumn she worked with the Egyptian Navy in Exercise Bright Star 97, a recurring U.S. Central Command-sponsored joint/combined exercise that brought together regional and NATO partners for amphibious and maritime operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. In January 1998, she joined Exercise Reliant Mermaid with Israeli and Turkish naval forces, a trilateral search-and-rescue and maritime safety drill intended to improve coordination for peacetime emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean. Over the course of the cruise the destroyer executed additional major exercises, maritime security evolutions, and port calls across Spain, France, Italy, Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Turkey, before returning to the United States in the first quarter of 1998.
After nearly two decades of service that encompassed eight major deployments - from early Mediterranean tours and crisis gunfire support off Lebanon, to Gulf War patrols, a South Atlantic UNITAS flagship cruise, Adriatic embargo enforcement with NATO, and late-1990s Eastern Mediterranean exercises - JOHN RODGERS was decommissioned and stricken on 4 September 1998. She was laid up at Philadelphia before disposal. The ship was sold for dismantling and scrapped by 30 December 2006.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS JOHN RODGERS Image Gallery:
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The photos below were taken and contributed by Michael Martin. They show the JOHN RODGERS being scrapped at Brownsville, Tx., in 2006.
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