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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books History Accidents aboard the Ship About the Name "Underwood" About the Ship's Coat of Arms Patch Gallery Image Gallery to end of page |  |
Last homeported in Mayport, Florida, USS UNDERWOOD was the twenty-ninth OLIVER HAZARD PERRY - class Guided Missile Frigate and the first in the third generation (Flight III) of the class. USS UNDERWOOD was the first ship in the Navy named after Captain Gordon Waite Underwood. Decommissioned on March 8, 2013, she was subsequently laid up at Philadelphia, Penn., before being sold to International Shipbreaking of Brownsville, Tx., for scrapping. The ship arrived under tow at Brownsville for dismantling on February 27, 2023.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: April 27, 1979 |
| Keel Laid: July 30, 1981 | |
| Launched: February 6, 1982 | |
| Commissioned: January 29, 1983 | |
| Decommissioned: March 8, 2013 | |
| Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine | |
| Propulsion system: two General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines, two 350 Horsepower Electric Drive Auxiliary Propulsion Units | |
| Propellers: one | |
| Blades on each Propeller: five | |
| Length: 453 feet (138 meters) | |
| Beam: 47 feet (14.32 meters) | |
| Draft: 24,6 feet (7.5 meters) | |
| Displacement: 4,100 tons | |
| Speed: 28+ knots | |
| Aircraft: two | |
| Armament: one | |
| Crew: 17 Officers and 198 Enlisted |
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 UNDERWOOD. 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 UNDERWOOD Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageHistory of USS UNDERWOOD:
USS UNDERWOOD was built by Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine; laid down July 30, 1981; launched February 6, 1982; delivered January 14, 1983; and commissioned January 29, 1983. As an OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class guided missile frigate, she entered service with an Atlantic Fleet Mayport, Florida, operational pattern that paired escort and sea-control duties with helicopter-enabled antisubmarine and surface surveillance capabilities. In July 1984, USS UNDERWOOD was used for early fleet shipboard operations with the production SH-60B Seahawk, reflecting the Navy's push to field the LAMPS Mk III system at sea.
In May 1985, USS UNDERWOOD deployed to the Mediterranean in a period when Cold War maritime presence missions remained routine and the wider Middle East was growing more volatile as the Iran-Iraq War expanded into attacks on commercial shipping. In January 1986, she played a key role in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster search-and-recovery effort, a mission set far removed from her usual warfighting training but consistent with the Navy's rapid-response support to national emergencies. Her awards record includes a Coast Guard Unit Commendation tied to that era as well as the 1986 Battenburg Cup along with the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation as "Best Ship in the Atlantic Fleet." In 1987, she operated in the North Atlantic, and in 1989 she again deployed to the Mediterranean and onward into the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf region during a time when U.S. and allied navies were still absorbing the operational lessons of the 1980s "Tanker War" and sustaining forward presence near strategic waterways.
Across the early 1990s, USS UNDERWOOD's deployment summary and decorations reflect repeated tasking tied to major U.S. security priorities: the Gulf War period (with a Southwest Asia Service Medal dated 1991 in her awards record), a Red Sea deployment in 1994, and a 1996 Persian Gulf deployment associated with enforcement and regional stability operations in the post-Gulf War sanctions era (her awards include an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and a Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation for 1996). The best-documented pivot into the late-1990s operational tempo begins on October 3, 1997, when USS UNDERWOOD got underway for a deployment associated with the aircraft-carrier-centered forces around USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73). During that broad 1997-1998 Mediterranean-to-Central Command timeframe, she also appears in the escort screen of the amphibious group built around USS BATAAN (LHD 5) and USS SHREVEPORT (LPD 12), which was diverted east in early February 1998 and spent the balance of its cruise in the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch's no-fly-zone enforcement regime over southern Iraq. In 1998, she also served with NATO's Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, consistent with allied maritime security and presence operations after the Balkan conflicts intensified NATO's day-to-day patrol and readiness requirements in southern European waters.
On September 21, 1999, USS UNDERWOOD deployed with the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) battle group. On October 20, 1999, she ran aground off Alexandria, Egypt, during operations connected to Exercise Bright Star 1999, an incident that became one of the notable material readiness events of her career before she completed that deployment cycle in March 2000. In spring and summer 2002, USS UNDERWOOD deployed again with the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY battle group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, operating across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Arabian Gulf operational arcs typical of early post-9/11 surge deployments, and she returned to Mayport on August 17, 2002. On August 20, 2004, USS UNDERWOOD departed Mayport as part of USS SAIPAN (LHA 2) Expeditionary Strike Group tasking in support of the Global War on Terrorism, reflecting the Navy's then-standard use of escort ships to protect high-value units, provide maritime security, and extend presence through key chokepoints and regional seas.
From March 24, 2006, USS UNDERWOOD got underway to conduct counter-narco-terrorism operations in the western Caribbean. She visited Cartagena, Colombia, April 10-13, 2006. By April 4, 2006, she was already at sea on escort duties with plans to join the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON carrier strike group in the Caribbean for "Partnership of the Americas" engagements meant to strengthen maritime security ties with regional partners. She subsequently made goodwill and logistics stops across the Caribbean and western Atlantic: departing Honduras after a goodwill visit reported May 7, 2006; departing Chaguaramas, Trinidad, after a three-day port call on May 18, 2006; and pulling into Boston Harbor on June 8, 2006 for Boston Navy Week. Later in 2006, she was underway for COMPTUEX as part of USS BATAAN Expeditionary Strike Group Two tasking (reported October 21, 2006).
USS UNDERWOOD departed Mayport on January 5, 2007, with BATAAN ESG 2 for a scheduled deployment. She pulled into Souda Bay, Crete, on January 23, 2007; was reported operating in the Persian Gulf conducting Maritime Security Operations by April 12, 2007; and returned to Mayport on July 2, 2007 after a six-month underway that included more than 35 boarding missions in support of Commander Task Force 158 operations in the Persian Gulf.
USS UNDERWOOD was at sea in the Atlantic as part of USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) Expeditionary Strike Group COMPTUEX on July 11, 2008, and on October 5, 2008 she began a counter-illicit-trafficking deployment that included a goodwill visit to Panama City reported December 2, 2008. On December 30, 2008, her embarked helicopter detachment supported the rescue of three survivors from the fishing vessel ROSE L while underway off the west coast of Central America, transferring the survivors to USS UNDERWOOD and then to USNS SATURN (T-AFS 10) for further care. On February 11, 2009, USS UNDERWOOD hosted Pakistani navy officers and a U.S. Embassy liaison as part of regional engagement while she operated in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area. On February 27, 2009, she assisted five stranded Colombian fishermen, staying with their vessel until ARC ANDAGOYA arrived. UNDERWOOD departed Cartagena, Colombia, March 29, 2009 after a three-day visit, and returned to Mayport on April 4, 2009 after a six-month deployment during which she seized and disrupted more than 53,000 pounds of contraband valued at more than $1.6 billion, and visited Golfito, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Acapulco, Mexico. Command leadership changes in this period included Cmdr. Craig T. Bowden relieving Cmdr. Wesley A. Smith on October 30, 2009 at Mayport, and USS UNDERWOOD held an at-sea Pearl Harbor commemoration on December 7, 2009.
On January 12, 2010, USS UNDERWOOD departed Mayport for routine training but was diverted on January 13, 2010, to support humanitarian assistance after the Haiti earthquake. She stopped at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on January 15, 2010, for fuel and supplies, then operated off Haiti in Operation Unified Response. By February 6, 2010, she departed the Haiti operating area after supporting extensive helicopter logistics and medical-evacuation activity, and returned to Mayport on February 9, 2010. She then resumed counter-illicit-trafficking operations under Joint Interagency Task Force-South control beginning with an April 5, 2010 departure; completed joint operational qualifications with an Army Blackhawk regiment off Honduras (reported April 10, 2010); visited Bahia Malaga, Colombia (reported May 4, 2010); operated off Guatemala for humanitarian aid and disaster relief support (reported May 31, 2010); and returned to Mayport on October 5, 2010 after seizing 4.3 metric tons of cocaine valued around $300 million. Cmdr. Peter T. Mirisola relieved Cmdr. Bowden on April 30, 2011.
USS UNDERWOOD departed Mayport on April 23, 2012 for what was described as her final deployment - Southern Seas 2012 - before decommissioning. She participated as an opposition-force unit during USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) strike group COMPTUEX (reported April 25, 2012), then transited the Panama Canal and made a sequence of well-documented port calls and exercises: refuel/supplies at Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base, Panama (May 6, 2012); Callao, Peru (arrived May 12, 2012; returned again May 23, 2012); the Peruvian bilateral ASW exercise SIFOREX 2012 (May 28-June 1, 2012); departure from Callao (June 2, 2012); Valparaiso, Chile (June 6, 2012); and a return stop at Vasco Nunez de Balboa (June 25, 2012). After a July 4, 2012 passing exercise with ARC VALLE DEL CAUCA (PO 44) off Colombia, USS UNDERWOOD again visited Vasco Nunez de Balboa (July 6, 2012), then Kingston, Jamaica (July 12, 2012), departing Ocho Rios on July 17, 2012. She made a brief stop at Guantanamo Bay on July 18, 2012 to embark a Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment for counter-transnational organized crime operations; called at Colon, Panama (July 27, 2012); visited Cartagena, Colombia (anchored for a port visit reported August 6, 2012 after a cocaine recovery tied to a "go-fast" interdiction); visited Willemstad, Curacao (August 28, 2012); and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (September 7, 2012). She visited Key West on September 14, 2012 ahead of UNITAS 53 Atlantic-phase operations (September 17-28, 2012), then made an in-port stop at Guantanamo Bay (September 29-30, 2012) and another Colon logistics stop (October 8, 2012). A contemporaneous official photo caption places USS UNDERWOOD operating in the Caribbean on October 1, 2012 in support of Operation Martillo during Southern Seas 2012. She later visited Roatan, Honduras (reported October 23, 2012) and returned to Mayport on October 30, 2012.
USS UNDERWOOD was decommissioned and stricken on March 8, 2013 at Naval Station Mayport. She was then moved to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia with a plan for disposal via scrapping, later appearing in Navy planning lists for dismantling in the FY 2022-2026 window. She was ultimately towed to Brownsville, Texas, for recycling.
back to top go to the end of the pageAccidents aboard USS UNDERWOOD:
| Date | Where | Events |
|---|---|---|
| October 20, 1999 | off Alexandria, Egypt | While entering the port of Alexandria, Egypt, UNDERWOOD ran aground about 4 p.m. The ship remained aground for approximately five hours until tugs pulled it free. Both its commanding officer and executive officer were disciplined. Damage was estimated $548,000. |
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Name:
Captain Gordon Waite Underwood was born in New York on 3 June 1910, and at an early age moved with his family to Portland, Oregon from where he was appointed to the US Naval Academy in the class of 1932. At the Naval Academy he proved to be an outstanding student and superb athlete. He earned letters and starred in football and track. He was awarded the coveted "Academy Sword" for athletic excellence.
Following his graduation from the Academy, Captain Underwood served in USS OKLAHOMA. This tour was followed by training at the US Submarine School in New London, Connecticut. After his graduation he served in the Submarine School S-21, USS MISSISSIPPI, and USS VEGA. In 1941, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a Masters Degree in Marine Engineering. Upon his return to sea duty he was assigned to the Staff of Commander Submarine Squadron TEN as Squadron Engineer supporting submarines on war patrol. In January 1944, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of USS SPADEFISH (SS-411). On this ship during three war patrols he was credited with destruction of seventy-six thousand tons of enemy shipping including one aircraft carrier, the HIJMS SHINYO. For each of his war patrols he was awarded a Navy Cross and in recognition of the great successes of the first two patrols SPADEFISH was awarded the President Unit Citation. His record of success in his war patrols remains one of the most notable in the history of the US Navy Submarine Service.
Captain Underwood, following his retirement from the Navy in 1962 after 30 years service with distinction, became associated with Spelin Inc., Mountain View California, in which he was Vice President. He was also Vice President of Filter-Aire Company of Hollister, California until his retirement. He died January 15, 1978 at the age of 67.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Coat of Arms:
The Shield:
Blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Naval Service and represent the sea and excellence. The Chevron is a symbol of strength. The dolphins honor Captain Underwood's three highly successful submarine combat patrols in the Pacific during World War II, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross each time. These are represented by the crosses embedded in the shield.
The Crest:
The trident, torches and laurel are adapted from the Naval Academy emblem and are used to symbolize naval prowess, fire power, and excellence of capabilities. The sword refers to the highly coveted "Academy Sword" awarded to, then Midshipman Underwood, for athletic excellence during his years at the United States Naval Academy.
The Motto
Whensoever hostile aggressions . . . require a resort to war, we must meet our duty and convince the world that we are just friends and brave enemies. -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Andrew Jackson, December 3, 1806.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS UNDERWOOD Patch Gallery:
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back to top go to the end of the pageUSS UNDERWOOD Image Gallery:
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The photos below were taken by me and show the UNDERWOOD at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on July 31, 2000.
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the UNDERWOOD laid up among her sisterships at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 21, 2014. UNDERWOOD is the second ship from the left and has her hullnumber painted over.
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The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the UNDERWOOD laid up at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 17, 2016.
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The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the UNDERWOOD laid up at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 7, 2018.
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