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USS Brumby (FF 1044)

- formerly DE 1044 -
- decommissioned -


USS BRUMBY was the fourth GARCIA - class frigate. Commissioned as a destroyer escort, the ship was redesignated as a frigate on June 30, 1975. Decommissioned on March 31, 1989, the BRUMBY was leased to Pakistan the same day. The Pakistani Navy recommissioned the ship as HARBAH. On September 9, 1994, the ship was transfered back to the US Navy and was sold for scrap the same day.

General Characteristics:Awarded: January 3, 1962
Keel laid: August 1, 1963
Launched: June 6, 1964
Commissioned: August 5, 1965
Decommissioned: March 31, 1989
Builder: Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, La.
Propulsion system: 2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine; 35,000shp; 1 shaft
Length: 414.4 feet (126.3 meters)
Beam: 44.3 feet (13.5 meters)
Draft: 25.9 feet (7.9 meters)
Displacement: approx. 3,500 tons full load
Speed: 27 knots
Armament: one Mk-16 missile launcher for ASROC missiles, two Mk-30 5-inch/38 caliber guns, Mk-46 torpedoes from two Mk-32 triple tube mounts
Aircraft: one SH-2F (LAMPS I) helicopter
Crew: 16 officers, 231 enlisted


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Crew List:

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


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USS BRUMBY Cruise Books:


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About the Ship's Name:

Lieutenant Thomas Mason Brumby was born in Marietta, Georgia, on November 20, 1855. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1873 and graduated in 1877. During his naval career he served in a variety of sea assignments and in 1898 became flag lieutenant to Commodore George Dewey aboard USS OLYMPIA. Following the American victory at Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War, Brumby acted as Dewey's personal representative during negotiations leading to the surrender of Manila and subsequently raised the American flag over the city. He returned to the United States with Dewey in 1899 and died in Washington, D.C., on December 17, 1899, at the age of 44.

Admiral Frank Hardeman Brumby, Thomas Brumby's nephew, was born in Athens, Georgia, on September 11, 1874. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1891 and completed the four-year course in 1895, followed by the two years of sea duty then required before receiving his commission as an ensign in 1897. During the Spanish-American War he served aboard USS NEW YORK, flagship of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, and later served during the Philippine-American War and World War I. His later commands included USS CINCINNATI, USS KANSAS and USS NEW MEXICO. He subsequently held senior commands including the Control Force and its submarine divisions, the Scouting Force, the Battle Force of the United States Fleet, and the Fifth Naval District. Brumby reached the rank of admiral while commanding the Battle Force in 1934-1935 and retired from active duty on October 1, 1938. He died at Portsmouth, Virginia, on July 16, 1950.


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USS BRUMBY History:

USS BRUMBY was a GARCIA-class destroyer escort named jointly in honor of Lieutenant Thomas Mason Brumby and his nephew, Admiral Frank Hardeman Brumby. The contract for BRUMBY's construction was awarded to Avondale Shipyards Corporation on January 3, 1962. Her keel was laid at Westwego, Louisiana, on April 1, 1963. She was launched on June 6, 1964, sponsored by Muriel Tuckerman Fitzgerald and Cornelia Truxtun Fitzgerald, granddaughters of Admiral Brumby. Following completion, trials and acceptance, BRUMBY proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina, where she was commissioned on August 5, 1965, with Commander George F. Tolson Jr. as her first commanding officer. She was assigned to Escort Squadron 10 and homeported at Newport, Rhode Island. Shortly after commissioning she required shipyard attention to her electrical generating equipment before beginning normal fleet operations.

BRUMBY spent the early months of 1966 completing shakedown training in the Caribbean and operating from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. During this period, she became involved in an emergency at sea after the passenger ship MS VIKING PRINCESS caught fire in Caribbean waters on April 8, 1966. BRUMBY assisted in the search and rescue effort. Almost everyone aboard the passenger vessel was rescued; two people died, reportedly from heart attacks rather than directly from the fire. The emergency interrupted BRUMBY's normal shakedown program but provided an early operational test of her crew. After completing Caribbean training, she returned to Newport and continued Second Fleet exercises, evaluations and preparation for overseas service. Her performance during her first full year in commission resulted in the award of the Battle Efficiency "E" for 1966. Commander Tolson was relieved by Commander Peter G. Brown on July 7, 1966.

Training and preparations continued into early 1967. On March 28, BRUMBY visited the Naval Weapons Station at Earle, New Jersey, to replenish ammunition following earlier work at Boston Naval Shipyard. On May 22, she conducted a dependents' cruise shortly before departing on her first major overseas deployment. By May 29, 1967, she was underway for northern European waters as part of an antisubmarine hunter-killer force centered on USS ESSEX (CVS 9). Other ships associated with the force included USS FARRAGUT (DLG 6), USS STICKELL (DD 888), USS COURTNEY (DE 1021), USS HARTLEY (DE 1029), and USS LESTER (DE 1022). The deployment combined antisubmarine training with allied navies, port visits in northern Europe and later operations with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.

BRUMBY's northern European itinerary included Oslo, Norway, followed by Kiel in West Germany, where she participated in Kiel Week in June 1967. At Kiel, she was photographed at the Tirpitzmole alongside the Belgian command and logistics ship GODETIA (A 960). The presence of American and allied warships at Kiel formed part of the broader pattern of Nato maritime cooperation in northern European waters at a time when the Soviet Baltic Fleet represented an important component of Warsaw Pact naval power.

BRUMBY subsequently entered the Baltic. On June 15, 1967, she passed through the Baltic approaches accompanied for part of the transit by the Norwegian submarine STADT (S 307). She continued toward Sweden and arrived at Norrköping on June 30. A harbor pilot boarded early that morning and BRUMBY secured at Ohmans Quay later in the morning. The ship was opened to visitors during several days of the stay. Her presence also prompted demonstrations by Swedish opponents of United States policy in Vietnam, reflecting the increasingly visible anti-war movement in Sweden. BRUMBY departed Norrköping on July 5 and proceeded back through the Baltic toward Ferrol, Spain. During the transit, Polish naval patrol craft observed the American ship, an example of the routine surveillance carried out by both blocs in waters bordered by NATO and Warsaw Pact states.

The political situation in the Mediterranean had meanwhile changed considerably. The Six-Day War between Israel and neighboring Arab states had begun on June 5, 1967, resulting in increased American naval attention to the region and extensive monitoring of Soviet naval activity. BRUMBY consequently spent the latter portion of her deployment in Mediterranean waters. Port visits during this phase included Naples, Italy; Valletta, Malta; and Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily.

On August 24, 1967, USS DAVIS (DD 937) obtained a sonar contact in the Mediterranean that was evaluated as a Soviet submarine. USS FRED T. BERRY (DD 858) joined the prosecution, followed by USS MASSEY (DD 778), USS BASILONE (DD 824), BRUMBY and LESTER. Aircraft operating from ESSEX assisted the surface ships and conducted extensive magnetic anomaly detection runs as the force maintained contact. The operation developed into a prolonged antisubmarine tracking effort and provided BRUMBY with operational experience against an actual Soviet submarine.

On August 25, BRUMBY replenished from USS SYLVANIA (AFS 2) while proceeding from Valletta toward Castellammare del Golfo; COURTNEY replenished from the opposite side of SYLVANIA during the same evolution. BRUMBY continued Sixth Fleet operations into September before beginning her return across the Atlantic. She reached Newport on September 22, 1967.

Engineering maintenance occupied a substantial portion of BRUMBY's activities in 1968. She entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard at Portsmouth, Virginia, on February 20, 1968 for an extended yard period that continued until November 25. The work included dry-docking and extensive attention to her engineering and sonar systems. During this period, her organizational assignment changed from Escort Squadron 10 to Destroyer Squadron 12 in July. Commander Peter R. Walker relieved Commander Brown on August 19. After completing the yard period in November, BRUMBY returned to Newport and resumed preparations for active operations.

In January 1969, BRUMBY departed Newport for refresher training at Guantanamo Bay. Following the training period, she required additional work at Boston before resuming normal Atlantic Fleet operations. Her second Mediterranean deployment followed from May through September 1969. During the cruise, BRUMBY again operated with the Sixth Fleet at a time when the Soviet Navy maintained a growing permanent presence in the Mediterranean. Antisubmarine exercises, surveillance, escort duties and multinational training formed the principal operational background. On July 1, USS RICHARD L. PAGE (DEG 5) relieved BRUMBY as flagship of Destroyer Division 122.

After returning from the Mediterranean, BRUMBY underwent an important administrative change. On September 29, 1969 her homeport shifted from Newport to Mayport, Florida, and she was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 8 and Destroyer Division 82. From Mayport, she continued Second Fleet and Caribbean operations during the remainder of the year and into 1970.

Training, maintenance and preparation for another Mediterranean deployment occupied much of 1970. Commander Luther C. Holder relieved Commander Walker on November 21. On November 28, BRUMBY departed Mayport for an extended Mediterranean deployment. During the eastbound passage and subsequent Sixth Fleet operations she visited Bermuda; Ponta Delgada in the Azores; Rota, Spain; Souda Bay, Crete; Piraeus, Greece; Augusta Bay, Sicily; Valletta, Malta; Split, Yugoslavia; Palermo, Sicily; Palma de Mallorca; Naples, Italy; and Barcelona, Spain. Around the end of 1970 and beginning of 1971, BRUMBY spent several weeks monitoring the Soviet helicopter carrier LENINGRAD. Soviet naval forces had established an increasingly persistent Mediterranean presence during the preceding decade, and American escorts routinely monitored Soviet surface ships and submarines to establish their positions, movements and operating patterns. BRUMBY's surveillance of LENINGRAD formed part of this continuing Sixth Fleet mission.

BRUMBY continued Sixth Fleet exercises and port visits through the opening months of 1971 and returned to Mayport on May 3, 1971. The remainder of the year was devoted principally to maintenance, training and operations in the western Atlantic and Caribbean as the ship prepared for subsequent NATO commitments. Commander Holder remained in command until February 15, 1972, when Commander Stanley L. Turner succeeded him. Commander Edward C. Snyder Jr. assumed command on March 7.

During September 1972, BRUMBY participated in Exercise Strong Express, one of the largest NATO exercises conducted up to that time. Held from September 14 through September 28 across the North Atlantic and particularly around Norway, Strong Express involved tens of thousands of personnel, hundreds of ships and large numbers of aircraft from allied nations. The exercise tested NATO's ability to reinforce and defend its northern flank in the event of a Warsaw Pact attack and included maritime, air and amphibious operations. Soviet ships and aircraft monitored the exercise closely.

In October 1972, BRUMBY suffered substantial damage to her steam-generating equipment while operating in northern European waters. The casualty left the ship unable to complete her return voyage under normal power. USS PRESERVER (ARS 8) took BRUMBY in tow at Greenock, Scotland, beginning an unusually long transatlantic tow. After approximately a month crossing the North Atlantic under tow, BRUMBY arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 15. She immediately entered Charleston Naval Shipyard for repair work that continued into 1973.

By 1973, BRUMBY had been transferred to Destroyer Squadron 4 and Charleston had become her homeport. Following completion of her Charleston repair period, she underwent refresher training in Caribbean waters. In June, she was documented operating off Guantanamo Bay with the Coast Guard cutter INGHAM (WHEC 35), including an underway highline transfer between the ships. Commander John J. Kingston relieved Commander Snyder on April 13, 1973, and Commander Frederick N. Mangol assumed command on July 14.

Later in 1973, BRUMBY prepared for one of the longest and geographically broadest deployments of her career, service with the Middle East Force in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. At the time the United States maintained a comparatively small permanent naval presence in the region, operating from facilities such as Bahrain and conducting extended cruises through the western Indian Ocean. The October 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the accompanying oil crisis further increased the strategic importance of the sea routes linking the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean with Europe and North America.

USS KOELSCH (DE 1049) departed Mayport on November 15, 1973 and rendezvoused with BRUMBY at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, on November 18. The two destroyer escorts crossed the Atlantic together. They visited Dakar, Senegal, from November 27 through November 28 and Freetown, Sierra Leone, from November 30 through December 5. During the Freetown visit the American ships hosted Sierra Leonean officials, including President Siaka Stevens. Continuing southward, the ships crossed the Equator on December 7 and rounded southern Africa toward the Indian Ocean.

During the passage, BRUMBY and KOELSCH received fuel from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers RFA TIDESPRING (A 75) and RFA TIDEREACH (A 96). Shortly before Christmas, they joined USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG 2) and USS McCANDLESS (DE 1084) in the Indian Ocean and also replenished from USS WICHITA (AOR 1). BRUMBY subsequently operated as a unit of the Middle East Force, conducting presence operations, antisubmarine training and exercises with friendly regional navies. Her deployment included a visit to Karachi, Pakistan.

In early March 1974, BRUMBY and KOELSCH operated in the Persian Gulf during multinational training centered on Bandar Abbas, Iran. From March 6 through March 9, ships gathered and prepared for combined exercises involving American, British and Iranian naval units. The sea phase followed from March 9 through March 12. United States participants included USS LA SALLE (AGF 3), BRUMBY and KOELSCH, while Royal Navy participants included HMS SCYLLA (F 71), HMS ARIADNE (F 72), and HMS DANAE (F 47). Iranian naval units also participated. The exercise occurred while Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was one of the United States' principal security partners in the Persian Gulf and was rapidly expanding its naval capabilities.

By April, BRUMBY and KOELSCH had begun their long return voyage. On April 9, they were together at Mombasa, Kenya, where turnover of Middle East Force responsibilities involved USS PAUL (DE 1080) and USS MULLINNIX (DD 944). BRUMBY and KOELSCH subsequently continued around Africa, visiting Lourenco Marques, Mozambique, from April 13 through April 15; Luanda, Angola, from April 22 through April 24; Monrovia, Liberia, from April 29 through May 1; Recife, Brazil, from May 5 through May 7; and Port of Spain, Trinidad, from May 12 through May 13. They reached Roosevelt Roads on May 14 and remained there through May 15 before proceeding toward their respective homeports.

The remainder of 1974 consisted primarily of Atlantic Fleet operations, upkeep and preparation for further overseas service. In 1975, BRUMBY participated in Exercise Solid Shield 75, a large Atlantic Fleet training event combining maritime and amphibious forces. On June 30, 1975, the Navy implemented a fleetwide revision of surface-ship classifications. BRUMBY was redesignated from destroyer escort DE 1044 to frigate FF 1044.

Commander William W. Pippenger relieved Commander Mangol on July 15, 1975. Six days later, on July 21, BRUMBY departed on the multinational Unitas XVI deployment around South America. Unitas was an annual series of exercises intended to improve interoperability between the United States Navy and South American naval forces, particularly in antisubmarine warfare, surface operations, communications and seamanship. The original United States group included USS DAHLGREN (DDG 43), BRUMBY, USS TRUETT (FF 1095), and USS SALMON (SS 573), together with supporting aircraft and personnel. The formation reached Cartagena, Colombia, on July 31. DAHLGREN's participation ended prematurely after she collided with the Greek merchant vessel EURYBATES on August 7. USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG 44) departed Charleston on August 14 to join the Unitas force and subsequently took part in later phases of the deployment.

BRUMBY continued down the Pacific coast of South America. The Peruvian phase of Unitas XVI was conducted from August 15 through August 19 in waters associated with Callao and included combined operations with units of the Peruvian Navy. The American force then moved south to Chile. The Chilean phase extended from September 2 through September 23, 1975. United States ships operated with Chilean surface ships, submarines and aircraft in exercises extending along much of Chile's Pacific coastline. The combined force worked through areas associated with Iquique, Mejillones, Chanaral, Puerto Aldea, Valparaiso and Talcahuano. American ships subsequently continued farther south toward Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, while BRUMBY made a separate visit to Puerto Williams near the Beagle Channel. The deployment carried her into some of the southernmost waters routinely visited by Atlantic Fleet surface combatants.

After rounding the southern end of South America, BRUMBY continued the Unitas circumnavigation through Atlantic ports. Her documented visits included Montevideo, Uruguay, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. USS SKATE (SSN 578) participated in a later Atlantic multilateral phase of Unitas XVI, becoming the first nuclear-powered submarine to take part in the annual exercise series. By late November, BRUMBY had reached Venezuela and was documented at Puerto Cabello together with WILLIAM V. PRATT and TRUETT. BRUMBY then began the final return through the Caribbean and arrived back at Charleston on December 8, 1975.

During 1976, BRUMBY continued Atlantic Fleet operations. Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf III presented the ship with the "Golden Snipe" award in recognition of engineering performance. BRUMBY also participated in Exercise Teamwork 76 in the North Atlantic and Exercise Bonded Item. Teamwork 76 returned her to northern waters for large-scale allied maritime training focused on the defense of transatlantic sea routes and operations against Soviet naval forces. Commander David G. MacPherson relieved Commander Pippenger on October 14, 1976. Later that month, BRUMBY visited Antwerp, Belgium, from October 18 through October 23.

On February 1, 1977 BRUMBY entered Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine, for the first of three major regular overhauls that occupied substantial portions of her remaining United States Navy career. The overhaul concentrated particularly on the engineering plant and continued for more than fourteen months. BRUMBY remained at Bath through the remainder of 1977 and into 1978, undergoing repair, maintenance and refurbishment intended to extend the useful life of the steam-powered frigate. She completed the overhaul on April 14, 1978 and subsequently conducted sea trials, refresher training and fleet workups. Commander William F. Glover III relieved Commander MacPherson on June 10.

Later in 1978, BRUMBY deployed again to the Mediterranean. During this deployment, she participated in Sharem 30, part of a continuing series of antisubmarine warfare exercises designed to evaluate tactics and sensors against submarines, and Exercise National Week. These operations returned the frigate to her primary antisubmarine mission and to the Sixth Fleet's continuing effort to maintain proficiency against Soviet submarine activity in the Mediterranean.

BRUMBY remained involved in NATO maritime operations during 1979. On June 6, she was documented underway in the Mediterranean with ships of the Standing Naval Force Mediterranean. The formation included the Turkish destroyer TINAZTEPE (D 355), HMS CHARYBDIS (F 75), and the Italian frigate CARABINIERE (F 581). Participation by American ships in the standing force supported a continuous multinational naval presence and provided regular opportunities to practice common communications, tactics and replenishment procedures.

Preparations for another long-distance deployment dominated the opening months of 1980. BRUMBY departed on February 22, 1980 for operations that eventually carried her into the Middle East and Indian Ocean. The geopolitical situation was unusually tense. Iranian militants had held American diplomats hostage in Tehran since November 4, 1979, while the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan beginning in December 1979 had increased American concern about security in southwest Asia and access to the Persian Gulf. The United States consequently maintained substantial naval forces in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

BRUMBY's qualifying Navy Expeditionary Medal service associated with these operations extended from March 11 through July 2, 1980. Her first Middle Eastern liberty visit of the deployment was at Bahrain from April 16 through April 18. The visit placed BRUMBY close to the Persian Gulf during the Iran hostage crisis and only days before the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the American hostages during Operation Eagle Claw on April 24-25. She continued Middle Eastern and Indian Ocean operations during the following months before returning to the Atlantic. Commander Jimmy D. Henderson relieved Commander Glover on June 16 while the ship was deployed.

After additional operations and maintenance, BRUMBY entered Bath Iron Works for her second major overhaul in March 1981. The yard period occupied most of the year and continued through December. Work included extensive maintenance required by a steam-powered warship that had already accumulated more than fifteen years of active service. Following trials and her return passage from Maine, BRUMBY arrived back at Charleston on January 1, 1982.

Only a few weeks later, the ship became involved in an emergency in Charleston Harbor. On January 25, 1982 a Class Bravo fire broke out in the fireroom of the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredge McFARLAND while the vessel lay at anchor. BRUMBY sent her Rescue and Assistance Team to the scene. Teams from USS JOHN RODGERS (DD 983), USS SIERRA (AD 18), and USS THORN (DD 988) also responded. Their combined firefighting effort helped extinguish the blaze and reduced the danger of a major fuel spill into Charleston Harbor. BRUMBY subsequently received Coast Guard recognition connected with the response. The remainder of 1982 included training and fleet exercises. Commander Franklin G. West Jr. relieved Commander Henderson on September 13. On October, 11 BRUMBY collided with MULLINNIX while the ships were participating in the War-at-Sea phase of Readex 1-83. There were no personnel injuries and damage to both ships was reported as minor.

In December 1982, BRUMBY took part in antisubmarine exercises associated with preparation for another Mediterranean deployment. From December 10 through December 13, she trained with a force that included USS AMERICA (CV 66), USS DALE (CG 19), USS MOOSBRUGGER (DD 980), USS KIDD (DDG 993), and USS SAND LANCE (SSN 660). The exercises provided carrier-screen and submarine-detection training shortly before BRUMBY became involved in operations connected with the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon.

During much of 1983 BRUMBY supported United States naval operations off Lebanon. The country remained divided by civil war, and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 had created a complex confrontation involving Israeli, Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese forces. American Marines were ashore as part of the multinational peacekeeping force in Beirut, while Sixth Fleet ships maintained a continuing presence offshore.

BRUMBY's first qualifying Navy Expeditionary Medal period connected with Lebanon ran from January 1 through January 22, 1983. On January 27, the ship suffered structural damage along her starboard side and required major repairs. She proceeded to Naples and spent approximately 45 days in a shipyard there. After completing repairs, BRUMBY returned to the station off Beirut and remained there for another six weeks. Her additional qualifying Lebanon service periods were March 6 through April 8, April 12 through April 17, and April 24 through April 27. During the deployment, BRUMBY performed the surveillance, escort, communications and offshore-support duties required of surface ships assigned to the eastern Mediterranean. On May 18, 1983, she was documented participating in NATO Exercise Distant Drum, adding multinational training to an operational period otherwise dominated by events in Lebanon.

After leaving the Mediterranean, BRUMBY returned to western Atlantic operations. While conducting training off Cuba in June 1983, she suffered a serious casualty in one of her two main boilers. The ship returned to Charleston for repairs. Once the engineering casualty had been corrected, BRUMBY proceeded again toward Cuban waters and completed further training.

BRUMBY remained active in Atlantic Fleet exercises during 1984. From April 20 through May 5, she participated in Exercise Ocean Venture 84, a large joint exercise conducted in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida and adjacent Atlantic waters. The exercise involved more than 30,000 United States military personnel and was intended to practice command and control, rapid deployment, protection of sea lines of communication and integration of active and reserve forces. BRUMBY continued Atlantic Fleet operations and training through the remainder of the year. Commander James D. Eldridge Jr. relieved Commander West on September 14.

BRUMBY remained heavily employed during 1985. Beginning on May 3, she participated in Exercise Solid Shield 85. She subsequently served as an antisubmarine escort for USS SARATOGA (CV 60) and later operated as flagship for Commander, Destroyer Squadron 22 during antisubmarine patrols in the Atlantic.

On October 10, 1985 BRUMBY entered Ancona, Italy, as the United States representative in the twenty-ninth activation of the Naval On-Call Force Mediterranean. The multinational formation also included ships from Greece, Italy, Turkey and the United Kingdom and conducted coordinated surface and antisubmarine operations in the Mediterranean.

Early in 1986 BRUMBY entered USS ALAMOGORDO (ARDM 2) for an extended dry-docking period. She remained in dry dock from January 2 through February 19, a total of 48 days, while the rubber covering of her sonar dome was replaced and general maintenance and upkeep were carried out. Following completion of the work, she resumed Atlantic Fleet operations and training. On June 3, Command Master Chief Quartermaster Master Chief George Dervin died unexpectedly from a heart attack while jogging. Several members of the crew attended his military funeral at Sumter, South Carolina, on June 7.

In October 1986 BRUMBY conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean. Commander John R. "Rusty" Wall relieved Commander James D. Eldridge Jr. on November 14 and became BRUMBY's final United States Navy commanding officer. Counter-narcotics operations continued into 1987, and BRUMBY spent the first three weeks of January operating in the Caribbean in support of maritime drug-interdiction efforts. Her service during this period was subsequently recognized by a Coast Guard award covering October 1, 1986 through June 30, 1987.

BRUMBY participated in Exercise Solid Shield 87 beginning on April 22, 1987, but her participation was interrupted when she received an emergency search-and-rescue assignment. The civilian tug GUARDIAN, traveling from New Orleans to New York, encountered severe weather off Cape Hatteras and began taking water over the stern. BRUMBY proceeded to the disabled tug and remained nearby during the emergency. A rescue the following day removed all five members of GUARDIAN's crew safely, after which BRUMBY returned to her normal operational schedule.

In August 1987, BRUMBY entered Bath Iron Works for her third major regular overhaul. The work lasted approximately fourteen months. The overhaul contract was valued at approximately $14.5 million and included extensive maintenance and modernization. BRUMBY remained at Bath through the remainder of 1987 and most of 1988. In October 1988, she was documented moving down the Kennebec River and through Casco Bay as the yard period approached completion. On October 31, she departed Portland, Maine, for sea trials following the fourteen-month overhaul.

Despite the extensive work recently completed, broader force-structure decisions were bringing the GARCIA-class toward the end of its United States Navy career. Newer gas-turbine-powered surface combatants were replacing older steam-powered frigates, and BRUMBY returned to Charleston with only a few months of American service remaining.

From January through March 1989, BRUMBY prepared for decommissioning and transfer to Pakistan. A Pakistani Navy crew arrived in Charleston during the first week of February. BRUMBY's American crew then conducted intensive training for their Pakistani counterparts both alongside and at sea, covering operation of the engineering plant, navigation, weapons, sensors, damage control and normal shipboard procedures. USS BRUMBY was decommissioned at Naval Station Charleston on March 31, 1989 after approximately twenty-three years and eight months of United States Navy service. On the same day she was leased to Pakistan and entered Pakistani Navy service as PNS HARBAH (F 266). The transfer occurred during the closing phase of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, when Pakistan remained an important United States security partner in southwest Asia.

HARBAH remained in Pakistani service into the 1990s. The strategic relationship between Washington and Islamabad changed after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the Cold War. United States military assistance to Pakistan was increasingly restricted under nuclear non-proliferation legislation, and arrangements under which several former United States Navy ships had been supplied to Pakistan were eventually terminated.

The former BRUMBY was struck from the United States Naval Vessel Register on August 19, 1994. On September 9, she was returned to the United States Maritime Administration at Singapore and sold for scrapping to Trusha Investments Pte. Ltd., represented through Jacques Pierot Jr. & Sons, for $635,602.


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