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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books Accidents aboard the Ship About the Name "Fletcher" Patch Gallery SinkEx Image Gallery to end of page |  |  |
USS FLETCHER was the last but one ship in the SPRUANCE - class of destroyers and the first ship in the Navy named after Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on October 1, 2004, the FLETCHER was currently laid-up at the Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI., awaiting transfer to the Pakistani Navy. However, those plans were cancelled and the FLETCHER was sunk as a target on July 16, 2008 off Kauai, Hawaii, during RIMPAC 2008. She was sunk by a modified live Mk48 ADCAP torpedo fired from the Australian submarine HMAS WALLER.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: January 15, 1975 |
| Keel laid: April 24, 1978 | |
| Launched: June 16, 1979 | |
| Commissioned: July 12, 1980 | |
| Decommissioned: October 1, 2004 | |
| 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 FLETCHER. 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 FLETCHER Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageAccidents aboard USS FLETCHER:
| Date | Where | Events |
|---|---|---|
| May 22, 1982 | Subic Bay, Philippines | USS FLETCHER strikes the USS TOWERS (DDG 9) and the USS FRANCIS HAMMOND (FF 1067) causing minor damage while attempting to moor alongside the two ships. |
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USS Fletcher Patch Gallery:
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The Sinking of USS FLETCHER:
USS FLETCHER was sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2008. She was sunk by the Australian submarine HMAS WALLER using the MK-48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) torpedo - a new enhancement for the MK-48. The video below was created by Charles Walker and is a tribute to the FLETCHER and also shows her sinking on July 16, 2008, north off Kauai, Hawaii. This is a long video (11:51 minutes) but it's worth watching.
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USS FLETCHER Image Gallery:
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The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson on January 22, 2003, and shows the FLETCHER at Fremantle, Australia. USS FLETCHER was on her fifth visit to Western Australia to conduct the USN's first “Sea Swap” which occurred in Fremantle on 20 January 2003 with the current crew of the USS FLETCHER being releived by the crew of the recently decommissioned USS ELLIOT (DD 967) before sailing the USS FLETCHER to the Persian Gulf as part of the USN forces that served in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003.
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The photo below was taken by me on July 29, 2006, and shows the FLETCHER [center] berthed at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Pearl Harbor, HI. The ship in the front is the CUSHING (DD 985) and the ship in the background is the VALLEY FORGE (CG 50).
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