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USS Blakely (FF 1072)

USS BLAKELY was the 21^st KNOX - class frigate. Originally designated as destroyer escort (DE), the BLAKELY was redesignated as frigate (FF) in July 1975. Decommissioned on November 15, 1991, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the BLAKELY was scrapped in 2000.

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Crew List:

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

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USS BLAKELY Cruise Books:

• Mediterranean Cruise Book 1974

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About the Ship's Name:

USS BLAKELY was named jointly in honor of Captain Johnston Blakeley, who commanded the sloop-of-war USS WASP during the War of 1812, and Vice Admiral Charles Adams Blakely, a twentieth-century naval officer whose career included senior commands in the Atlantic and Pacific.

Captain Johnston Blakeley (1781-1814):

Johnston Blakeley was born in October 1781 near Seaforde in County Down, Ireland. His family emigrated to the United States when he was two years old and initially settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Following the deaths of his mother and younger brother, Blakeley moved with his father to Wilmington, North Carolina. He later studied at the newly established University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but financial difficulties caused by the destruction of property he had inherited forced him to end his education.

Blakeley entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1800. His first sea assignment was aboard the frigate USS PRESIDENT under Captain Richard Dale. He subsequently served in the Mediterranean during operations against the Barbary States and participated in actions off Tripoli aboard USS JOHN ADAMS. He received his commission as a lieutenant on February 10, 1807, and later served aboard several ships and with the gunboat force responsible for enforcing the American embargo in Chesapeake Bay.

In 1811, Blakeley received his first independent command, the schooner USS ENTERPRISE. After the outbreak of war with Great Britain in June 1812, he conducted patrols and commerce-raiding operations along the American east coast. Promoted to master commandant in July 1813, he was ordered to supervise the completion and fitting out of the new sloop-of-war USS WASP at Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Blakeley sailed from the United States aboard USS WASP on May 1, 1814, and began attacking British merchant shipping in the eastern Atlantic. On June 28, 1814, WASP encountered the British sloop-of-war HMS REINDEER west of Plymouth. After a short but intense engagement, Blakeley's crew repelled British boarding attempts and captured the opposing vessel. REINDEER was too badly damaged to preserve and was subsequently burned.

After repairing at Lorient, France, Blakeley resumed operations against British shipping. On September 1, 1814, USS WASP fought the British brig-sloop HMS AVON in a night action. AVON was forced to surrender and later sank, although the arrival of additional British warships prevented Blakeley from taking possession of her. WASP continued her cruise, capturing several more merchant vessels, including the brig ATALANTA, which Blakeley sent to the United States with a prize crew.

USS WASP was last reported in early October 1814 after meeting the neutral Swedish brig ADONIS in the Atlantic. The American ship, Blakeley, and her entire crew subsequently disappeared. WASP was probably lost in a storm, although no wreckage or definite evidence of her fate was ever found.

For his final cruise, Johnston Blakeley received the Thanks of Congress, a Congressional Gold Medal, and a posthumous promotion to captain. His career became associated particularly with the professional handling of USS WASP and the successful American campaign against British naval and merchant shipping during the War of 1812.

Vice Admiral Charles Adams Blakely (1879-1950):

Charles Adams Blakely, the great grandnephew of Capt. Johnston Blakeley, was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky, on October 1, 1879. He graduated from Williamsburg Academy in 1897 and served with the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War in 1898. He entered the United States Naval Academy in September 1899, graduated on February 2, 1903, and was commissioned as an ensign after completing the two years of sea duty then required of naval cadets.

His early assignments included service aboard USS SANTEE, USS BALTIMORE, USS CLEVELAND, USS DENVER, and the presidential yacht USS MAYFLOWER. He later commanded the torpedo boat USS THORNTON and the destroyer USS MacDONOUGH. From 1911 to 1914, he commanded reserve torpedo units and the protected cruiser USS ATLANTA. Following shore duty at the New York Navy Yard, he assumed command of the destroyer USS ROWAN in 1916.

During World War I, Blakely commanded the destroyer USS O'BRIEN in European waters. O'BRIEN operated around the British Isles, escorting shipping through areas threatened by German submarines and mines. Blakely received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his wartime service.

After the war, he served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and as engineering officer on the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet. Further assignments included duty as inspector of ordnance at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Lake Denmark, New Jersey, executive officer of the battleship USS TEXAS, commander of a destroyer squadron in the Asiatic Fleet, and president of the Naval Reserve Inspection Board in the Bureau of Navigation.

Blakely began an unusually late transition into naval aviation in 1932. After completing training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, he was designated an aviation observer and assumed command of the aircraft carrier USS LEXINGTON in May 1932. He remained in command until June 1934 and then attended the senior course at the Naval War College.

Returning to Pensacola for flight training, Blakely qualified as a naval aviator on March 10, 1936, at the age of 56. Two months later, he became commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola. In August 1937, he was appointed Commander, Carrier Division 2, eventually flying his flag aboard the aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN. He subsequently commanded Aircraft, Scouting Force and, from June 1939, Aircraft, Battle Force and Carrier Division 2 with the rank of vice admiral.

Blakely's final active assignment was as Commandant of the Eleventh Naval District and commanding officer of the Naval Operating Base at San Diego. Ill health led to his relief from active duty on December 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was transferred to the retired list on October 1, 1942, and died in San Diego, California, on September 12, 1950.

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USS BLAKELY History:

USS BLAKELY was a KNOX-class destroyer escort, later redesignated as a frigate. BLAKELY was ordered on July 22, 1964, and her keel was laid down at Avondale Shipyards in Westwego, Louisiana, on June 3, 1968. She was launched on August 23, 1969, sponsored by Mrs. Lila Blakely Morgan, and was delivered to the Navy at Charleston Naval Shipyard on July 1, 1970. The ship was commissioned there on July 18, 1970, with Commander Francis L. Carelli in command.

After commissioning, BLAKELY spent the remainder of 1970 completing her fitting-out, post-commissioning trials, initial training, and shakedown preparations. A leave and upkeep period began on December 12, 1970, and continued until February 21, 1971. BLAKELY entered Charleston Naval Shipyard on February 22, 1971, for her post-shakedown availability. In addition to correcting deficiencies identified during her initial trials, the work included installation of the Basic Point Defense Missile System employing the Sea Sparrow missile, which provided the ship with a limited capability against aircraft and incoming antiship missiles. Repairs, modifications, and final contract trials continued until August 4. From August 4 to 11, she made a round trip to the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range for missile and gunfire qualification before returning to Charleston.

On August 23, 1971, BLAKELY departed Charleston on her first extended overseas cruise. Proceeding by way of Newfoundland, she crossed the North Atlantic and visited northern European waters, calling in Norway, Denmark, West Germany, and France. The cruise introduced the new escort to NATO operating areas and provided opportunities for combined training and liaison with allied naval forces at a time when the Soviet Northern Fleet was expanding its submarine and surface presence in the Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic. BLAKELY returned to Charleston on October 3. During the following thirteen months, she operated principally with the United States Second Fleet along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies, conducting antisubmarine exercises, weapons training, engineering drills, readiness evaluations, and other preparations for her first major deployment.

BLAKELY departed Charleston on December 1, 1972, for duty in the western Pacific. She passed through the Panama Canal, continued across the Pacific by way of Pearl Harbor, and reached Subic Bay in the Philippines on January 7, 1973. After final preparations, she departed Subic Bay on January 12 and proceeded to the combat zone off Vietnam. One of her principal assignments was service on a northern search-and-rescue station in the Gulf of Tonkin, where ships and aircraft maintained the ability to locate and recover aircrew members operating over or near North Vietnam.

BLAKELY's arrival coincided with the closing phase of direct American participation in the Vietnam War. The Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973, establishing a ceasefire and providing for the withdrawal of remaining United States combat forces. After completing her Gulf of Tonkin assignment, BLAKELY arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on February 5. She departed for the United States on February 19, making calls at Hong Kong, Yokosuka, and San Diego before passing through the Panama Canal. She returned to Charleston on March 23.

Following post-deployment leave, upkeep, and local operations, BLAKELY entered Charleston Naval Shipyard on June 27, 1973, for a restricted availability. During this period, her propulsion plant was converted to burn Navy distillate fuel, replacing the heavier fuel previously used by many steam-powered warships. She was also modified to operate the Light Airborne Multipurpose System, or LAMPS, adding an embarked SH-2 helicopter to her antisubmarine and surface-surveillance capabilities. The helicopter extended the effective reach of the ship's sensors and weapons beyond the detection range of her hull-mounted sonar. The availability ended on November 28.

On January 12, 1974, BLAKELY departed Charleston for refresher training in the West Indies. Over the following weeks, she conducted missile firings, torpedo exercises, naval gunfire-support training, engineering drills, and other evaluations intended to restore full operational readiness after the 1973 modifications. She returned to Charleston on March 7. Following additional inspections and preparations, she departed again on April 29 to participate in LANTREADEX 3-74, an Atlantic Fleet readiness exercise, returning on May 8.

BLAKELY began her first Mediterranean deployment on June 14, 1974. She arrived at Rota, Spain, on June 24 and relieved USS DAVIS (DD 937), formally beginning operations with the Sixth Fleet on June 26. Her scheduled duties included antisubmarine exercises, surveillance, escort work, and participation in national and multinational training throughout the Mediterranean. The deployment soon became associated with the Cyprus crisis. A coup against Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios on July 15 was followed by Turkish military intervention on July 20, bringing Greece and Turkey, both members of NATO, close to open conflict. As the United States and other governments sought to remove civilians from the threatened area, BLAKELY participated in Sixth Fleet evacuation operations connected with the crisis. After the immediate emergency subsided, she resumed normal Sixth Fleet duties in August, conducting exercises and making Mediterranean port visits during the remainder of the deployment.

At Gibraltar on November 23, 1974, BLAKELY was relieved by USS BLANDY (DD 943). She departed for the United States on November 25 and arrived at Charleston on December 5. After leave and upkeep, she remained in port during the opening weeks of 1975. Her first underway period of the year began on February 18 and included independent exercises, carrier qualification work with USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CVA 67), and an operational readiness inspection. She returned to Charleston on February 25.

BLAKELY entered Charleston Naval Shipyard on June 2, 1975, for a restricted availability that developed into a regular overhaul. On June 30, during the Navy-wide reclassification of surface combatants, she was redesignated from destroyer escort DE 1072 to frigate FF 1072. The overhaul continued until March 30, 1976.

After leaving the shipyard, BLAKELY carried out post-overhaul trials and refresher training. The program included an extended period in the West Indies, where her crew was evaluated in propulsion-plant operation, damage control, antisubmarine warfare, gunnery, missile employment, helicopter operations, and general shiphandling. She returned to Charleston on July 7, 1976. The remainder of the year was devoted to Second Fleet operations, inspections, maintenance, and preparations for another Mediterranean deployment.

BLAKELY departed Charleston on January 15, 1977, and reached Leixoes, Portugal, on January 24. There, she relieved USS BARNEY (DDG 6) and began approximately six months of duty with the Sixth Fleet. During the deployment, she participated in American and multinational exercises, operated with carrier, amphibious, and replenishment formations, and visited ports in the Mediterranean region. Her activities formed part of the continuing NATO maritime presence along the alliance's southern flank during a period of sustained Soviet naval operations in the Mediterranean. The deployment ended at Rota on July 20, 1977, when BLAKELY was relieved by USS CONNOLE (FF 1056). She departed Spain on July 22 and arrived at Charleston on August 1. Post-deployment leave and upkeep were followed by a tender availability. On September 11, she resumed Second Fleet operations, continuing local and regional training through the end of the year.

Preparations for BLAKELY's next Mediterranean deployment intensified in February 1978. She departed Charleston on April 4 as part of a Europe-bound formation centered on USS FORRESTAL (CV 59). The group crossed the Atlantic and reached Rota on April 14, where BLAKELY relieved BLANDY. She entered the Mediterranean on April 17 and spent the following six months conducting Sixth Fleet operations. These included antisubmarine and air-defense exercises, carrier and convoy escort work, surveillance, replenishment-at-sea training, helicopter operations, and exercises with allied navies. The deployment also provided a continuing American naval presence during a period marked by political instability in the eastern Mediterranean, continuing Arab-Israeli tensions, and competition between NATO and Soviet naval forces.

BLAKELY returned to Rota on October 11, 1978, and was relieved by USS CONYNGHAM (DDG 17). She departed for Charleston on October 15 and arrived on October 26. Post-deployment leave and upkeep were followed by two Destroyer Squadron 4 inspections. From December 4 to 15 she operated off the southeastern United States for additional training before beginning the holiday stand-down period.

BLAKELY resumed Second Fleet operations late in January 1979. During the following months, she conducted independent ship exercises, naval gunfire-support training, antisubmarine warfare drills, and numerous helicopter deck-landing qualification periods. On May 29, she departed Charleston for Boston, arriving on May 31. Boston became her official home port on June 1 in connection with a major repair and modernization period. BLAKELY entered dry dock on June 4. She was undocked on October 4 but remained at Boston while work continued on her engineering plant, hull, combat systems, and habitability spaces.

The overhaul was completed on April 21, 1980. BLAKELY departed Boston that day, and her home port was officially changed back to Charleston. She arrived there on April 24. Following post-overhaul training and qualification, she spent the remainder of 1980 operating along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies. These activities restored her readiness for an extended deployment and included the full range of engineering, weapons, aviation, and antisubmarine training expected of an Atlantic Fleet frigate.

On January 12, 1981, BLAKELY departed Charleston in company with USS TATTNALL (DDG 19) for duty with the Middle East Force. The two ships arrived at Rota on January 23 and began crossing the Mediterranean on January 24. BLAKELY transited the Suez Canal on January 31 and joined United States naval forces operating in the Middle East and Indian Ocean. The deployment took place during a period of exceptional regional tension. The Iran-Iraq War had begun in September 1980, threatening shipping and political stability around the Persian Gulf. The Iranian hostage crisis had ended only days before BLAKELY entered the region, while the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan continued to influence American naval planning throughout the Indian Ocean. For almost four months, BLAKELY operated in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and Persian Gulf. Her duties included maritime surveillance, presence operations, exercises, and protection of American interests and freedom of navigation along strategically important sea routes.

BLAKELY was relieved by USS BIGELOW (DD 942) on May 18, 1981. She began her return passage and retransited the Suez Canal on May 26. From June 1 to 7 she visited Malaga, Spain, before continuing westward. Additional calls were made at Ponta Delgada in the Azores and at Bermuda. She arrived at Charleston on June 18. Following leave and upkeep, she resumed Second Fleet operations on July 21.

During 1982, BLAKELY undertook another extensive overseas deployment as a participant in UNITAS XXIII, the annual series of exercises conducted by the United States Navy with the navies of Latin American countries. The cruise involved a succession of bilateral and multinational exercises designed to improve communications, tactical coordination, antisubmarine warfare, gunnery, air-defense procedures, and combined operations with regional naval forces. BLAKELY also took part in the associated West African training program, extending the deployment into eastern Atlantic waters and providing opportunities for exercises and professional exchanges with African maritime services.

In early 1983, BLAKELY was assigned to special operations in the eastern Pacific during the escalating political and military crisis in Central America. American naval forces were then maintaining a conspicuous presence near Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador as the Reagan administration increased its attention to the conflicts involving the Sandinista government, the Contra forces, and neighboring states. BLAKELY's work included surveillance and presence operations in the eastern Pacific. On May 9, 1983, USS ESTOCIN (FFG 15) arrived at Naval Station Rodman in the Panama Canal Zone and conducted a turnover with BLAKELY, bringing the latter's assignment in the area to an end.

After returning to Atlantic Fleet waters, BLAKELY resumed operations from Charleston. During 1984 and the opening months of 1985 she continued readiness training in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, including antisubmarine exercises, engineering drills, helicopter operations, weapons qualifications, and support for fleet training requirements. By this stage, the increasing number of newer SPRUANCE-class destroyers and OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class frigates was gradually moving the KNOX-class away from the most demanding front-line assignments.

In 1985, BLAKELY was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force. She thereafter operated with a permanent nucleus crew of active-duty and Training and Administration of the Reserve personnel, augmented by Selected Reservists during drill periods and annual training. This arrangement allowed the Navy to retain an operational frigate at lower day-to-day manning while providing reservists with practical experience at sea. BLAKELY continued to conduct short deployments and training cruises in the Atlantic and Caribbean, qualifying reservists in navigation, engineering, damage control, communications, gunnery, antisubmarine warfare, aviation support, and other shipboard duties.

Although her operating pattern was now oriented increasingly toward reserve training, BLAKELY remained a commissioned warship capable of responding to fleet requirements. She continued to make domestic and regional port visits and participated in exercises with active and reserve units. In 1988, she made a documented show-the-flag visit to Baltimore in company with USS HARRY E. YARNELL (CG 17). Such visits combined public access and recruiting activities with routine naval training and demonstrated the continued operational status of Naval Reserve Force ships.

During the final years of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, BLAKELY continued reserve training cruises from the Atlantic coast. Her age increasingly affected maintenance demands, particularly in the steam propulsion plant and other systems that had been in continuous naval service since the early 1970s. Nevertheless, she remained active through 1991. On February 1, 1991, BLAKELY was photographed underway off Newport, Rhode Island, documenting continued operations and training during the final year of her commissioned career.

The end of the Cold War, reductions in naval force levels, the increasing cost of maintaining steam-powered KNOX-class frigates, and the availability of more modern ships led to BLAKELY's retirement. She was decommissioned at Charleston on November 15, 1991, after twenty-one years and almost four months of commissioned service. She remained in Navy custody after decommissioning and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 11, 1995.

Plans for a possible transfer abroad did not result in BLAKELY returning to service. On September 29, 1999, a contract covering her removal and dismantling was awarded to Metro Machine Corporation in Philadelphia. The former frigate was subsequently scrapped, and disposal was recorded as complete on September 30, 2000.

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