USS Tattnall DDG 19 / Commodore Josiah Tattnall / Charles F. Adams class Guided Missile Destroyer – US Navy

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Guided Missile Destroyer
DDG 19 - USS Tattnall
		USS Tattnall (DDG 19)						US Navy photo
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Destroyer; Charles F. Adams - class; planned and built as DDG 19;
Builder:		Avondale Shipyards, Inc; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;
STATUS:		Awarded: July 21, 1959 Laid down: November 14, 1960 Launched: August 26, 1961 Commissioned: April 13, 1963 Decommissioned: January 18, 1991 Fate: stricken June 12, 1993; sold for scrap to International Shipbreakers, Brownsville, Texas February 10, 1999; scrapped;
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		Named after and in honor of Commodore Josiah Tattnall (1795 – 1871); > see history, below;
Ship’s Motto:		> JE ME SOUVIEROR AI <
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO >> Guided Missile Destroyer / Charles F. Adams – Class
Pictures, photos & more ...
Josiah Tattnall
Josiah Tattnall - in pre-Civil War uniform				Josiah Tattnall
Photo credits: US Navy, US Naval Historical Center,
Namesake & History:
Commodore Josiah Tattnall (November 9, 1795 – June 14, 1871);
Josiah Tatnall was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War, and the Mexican-American War. He later served in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Schooling and War of 1812 Born at Bonaventura, near Savannah, Georgia, Tattnall was appointed midshipman on 1 January 1812 and attended the Naval School at Washington, D.C., until 1 August when he was assigned to the frigate, Constellation. When his ship tried to slip out to sea, the strong British squadron operating in the Chesapeake Bay forced her to put into Norfolk, Virginia. Constellation remained bottled up in Hampton Roads for the duration of the War of 1812, but Tattnall and his comrades still managed to get into the fray. He was among the 100 or so sailors and marines assigned to the shore battery on Craney Island. On 22 June 1813, the British attempted to carry the island by storm in preparation for an attack on nearby Norfolk. Tattnall's battery and a force of American boats gave the attackers a sound rebuff that deterred the British from further attempts to take the city. In April 1814, Midshipman Tattnall was detached from Constellation and, by 24 August, was in command of a force of employees from the Washington Navy Yard. He led them into battle at Bladensburg in an unsuccessful effort to stop the British advance on the American capital. On 14 October, he was ordered to Savannah for duty in Epervier. In May 1815, that sloop sailed for the Mediterranean with Commodore Stephen Decatur's squadron to engage the Algerine pirates. On 17 June, she participated in the capture of the frigate Mashuda and, two days later, of the brig Estedio. In July, when Epervier was ordered back to the United States with dispatches, Tattnall remained in the Mediterranean in Constellation. In January 1817, he transferred to Ontario and returned in her to the United States. Interwar Years, 1818-1845 Promoted to lieutenant on 1 April 1818, Tattnall was assigned to the frigate Macedonian on 30 June, and he sailed in her for the Pacific in November. He was detached from Macedonian on 30 August 1820 and returned to the United States. Ordered to Norfolk on 26 December 1822, he joined Commodore David Porter's squadron in schooner Jackall. Lieutenant Tattnall served in the West Indies on an expedition to suppress piracy until he was detached on 4 May 1823. On 23 June 1824, Tattnall was ordered to Constitution for Mediterranean service. In March 1826, he transferred to Brandywine and returned home in her in May. On the 15th of that month, he was granted six months leave, which was later extended into 1828. Tattnall served in Erie from October 1828 to August 1829 and then went on to survey the Tortugas until March 1830. Lt. Tattnall took command of schooner Grampus on 15 April 1831 and cruised the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico. In August 1832, he captured the Mexican schooner, Montezuma, which had boarded and robbed an American ship on the high seas. He was detached from Grampus in September 1832 and went on leave awaiting orders for almost four years before being ordered in, July 1836, to recruit men for Captain Thomas ap Catesby Jones' survey and exploration expedition. Tattnall was promoted to commander on 25 February 1836 and, in April, reported for a three-year tour of duty at the Boston Navy Yard. Mexican-American War Following service with the Mediterranean and African squadrons, Commander Tattnall joined the Mosquito Division in the Gulf of Mexico in 1846, commanding the steam gunboat, Spitfire. During the Mexican War, he took part in the attacks on Vera Cruz, San Juan d'Ulloa, and Tuxpan, and he suffered an arm wound. For his gallantry before Vera Cruz, the state of Georgia presented him with a sword. Interwar Years, 1848-1860 In 1848 and 1849, he returned to shore duty at the Boston Navy Yard. On 5 February 1850, he was commissioned captain and, the following month, was given command of Saranac. Next, he commanded the Pensacola Navy Yard from July 1851 to June 1854. From August 1854 to November 1855, Captain Tattnall was flag captain in Independence to Commodore William Mervine on the Pacific Station. At Hong Kong on 29 January 1858, he relieved Commodore James Armstrong taking command of the East India Squadron, breaking his flag in San Jacinto. During his two years in the Far East, Commodore Tattnall came to the assistance of a British squadron under fire from the Barrier Forts at the mouth of the Pei Ho River and, on his return voyage early in 1860, carried the first diplomatic embassy from Japan to the United States. American Civil War At the outbreak of the Civil War, Capt. Tattnall held command of the Sackett's Harbor Station. Though he opposed secession, Tattnall resigned his commission on 21 February 1861. A week later, Governor Joseph E. Brown commissioned Tattnall as the senior flag officer of the Navy of Georgia. On 26 March 1861, he received his commission as a captain in the Confederate Navy. Tattnall commanded Southern naval units during the defense of Port Royal until the harbor was captured by Union forces on 7 November 1861. From there, he moved to overall command of the defense of Virginia's waters early in March 1862. Tattnall, by then a flag officer in the Confederate Navy as well as the Navy of Georgia, directed CSS Jamestown and other warships in captures of Federal merchantmen off Sewell's Point in April 1862. On 11 May 1862, in the face of advancing Federal forces, Flag Officer Tattnall ordered the destruction of his flagship, CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimack). He was later acquitted by a court martial of all charges stemming from that action. He resumed command of the naval defense of Georgia on 29 May 1862 and retained it until 31 March 1863, when he turned over command of forces afloat to Comdr. Richard L. Page and concentrated upon the shore defenses of Savannah. When Savannah fell to General William Tecumseh Sherman's troops, Tattnall became a prisoner of war. Final Years He was paroled on 9 May 1865 and, soon thereafter, took up residence once more in Savannah. Capt. Tattnall died there and was buried in Bonaventura Cemetery.
USS Tattnall (DDG 19):
The second Tattnall (DDG-19) was laid down on 14 November 1960 at New Orleans, La., by Avondale Marine Ways, Inc.; launched on 26 August 1961; sponsored by Mrs. Mary Adams Mason and commissioned on 13 April 1963 at Charleston S.C., Comdr. William F. Regan in command. Following commissioning, Tattnall conducted sea trials out of Charleston and tested her Tartar and ASROC missile systems in the Charleston, Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, operating areas. Late in August, she returned to Charleston before departing again for shakedown training in the Caribbean. The guided-missile destroyer returned to Charleston once again on 20 October for post-shakedown availability. Training, exercises, and local operations followed from early February until late April 1964. After a visit to New York City late in April, she resumed operations from Charleston. On 8 September, she gob underway for her first overseas cruise during which she participated in NATO Exercise "Teamwork," an operation conducted in the Norwegian Sea and in the Bay of Biscay. The exercise ended early in October, and the warship put into Portsmouth, England, on the 3d. Tattnall moved from there to Edinburgh, Scotland, for a one-day visit on 12 October, before heading back to the United States. On the 22d, she reentered Charleston and resumed normal operations. Following missile firings and bombardment practice in the San Juan operating area, Tattnall departed the western Atlantic on 7 December for her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. On 14 December, she reached the Straits of Gibraltar and became a unit of the 6th Fleet. While in the Mediterranean, she visited Tunis, Genoa, and Naples in Italy, Marseilles and Theoule in France, and Barcelona in Spain. She also participated in several exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet and with ships of foreign navies. On 4 March 1965, she retransited the Straits of Gibraltar and headed back toward the United States. The guided-missile destroyer made Charleston on 14 March and began an availability period in preparation for her participation in projects for the Chief of Naval Operations. She completed the availability on 19 April and put to sea to conduct Fleet Research Project Number 69. She finished her work on the research project on 7 May and returned to Charleston. Tattnall resumed normal operations until 30 August when she put to sea to conduct the first of two additional tasks for the Chief of Naval Operations. This project, designated D/S 336, sought to insure her combat readiness prior to the second project, O/S 102. During project D/S 336, Tattnall's crew averaged 10 to 12 hours a day at general quarters as they tracked single and multiple-plane air raids and simulated missile firings. Weather conditions hampered the gathering of data so that project D/S 336 was not concluded until 2 October. She put to sea again on 4 October for project O/S 102, a multi-phase test of the combat effectiveness of the Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer. She completed the project early in December and returned to Charleston for availability, holiday leave, and preparation for another Mediterranean deployment. On 15 February 1966, Tattnall departed Charleston once more to join the 6th Fleet. From 27 February to 3 March, she participated in Exercise "Fairgame IV," a Franco American exercise conducted in the western Mediterranean. On 17 May, she conducted an intelligence surveillance of Russian warships. In June, she joined in another western Mediterranean exercise, "Deep Six." On this cruise, she added Rhodes; Majorca; Thessalonica and Volas, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey, to her list of ports visited. On 1 July, the warship put to sea from Palma de Mallorca and headed back toward Charleston, where she arrived on 22 August. Upon arrival, Tattnall immediately began her first major overhaul since commissioning. She remained in Charleston Naval Shipyard from 22 August 1966 until 7 March 1967. After exiting the shipyard, she resumed local operations along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and in the West Indies until early July. Following a week-long visit to New York City from 12 to 19 July, the guided-missile destroyer returned to Charleston to prepare for her third Mediterranean cruise. That deployment lasted through January 1968; and, by early February, Tattnall was back in Charleston. She resumed normal operations along the southeastern coast of the United States and in the West Indies until June, when she returned to Europe. After a stop in the Azores and a visit to Germany for the "Kiel Week" celebration, Tattnall reentered the Mediterranean for another tour of duty with the 6th Fleet The warship remained in the Mediterranean until mid-November and then returned to the east coast and local operations. Tattnall continued to operate from Charleston until late July 1969, when she shifted home ports to Mayport, Fla. She arrived in Mayport on 29 July and conducted normal operations until September. From 2 to 24 September, the guided-missile destroyer participated in NATO Operation "Peacekeeper." On the 24th, she entered Amsterdam in the Netherlands for a week, then put to sea for hunter-killer operations and visits to the European ports of Hamburg, Bergen Edinburgh, and Le Havre. She reentered Mayport on 10 December 1969. After four months operating out of Mayport, Tattnall steamed north to Chesapeake Bay, where she assisted in tests conducted at Randle Cliffs, Md., by scientists of the Naval Research Laboratory. She visited Newport R.I., in mid-month and returned to Mayport on the 25th. Following five months of operations and exercises in the vicinity of Mayport, Tattnall steamed to Charleston for her second regular overhaul. She remained in Charleston Naval Shipyard until 24 March 1971, when she began post-overhaul trials. On 22 April, she headed back to Mayport and operations in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. On 16 September 1971, the ship departed Charleston bound for northern Europe and Exercise "Royal Knight." During that cruise, she visited Rosyth, Scotland, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands before returning to Mayport on 22 October. In March 1972, Tattnall deployed to the Mediterranean once again. She conducted exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet and with ships of foreign navies. The guidedmissile destroyer visited Valencia, Spain, Genoa and Naples in Italy, Patras and Athens, Greece, Kusadasi and Iskenderun, Turkey; Sousse, Tunisia; Menton, France; and Sicily. On 28 August, she changed operational control to the 2d Fleet and headed for Mayport, where she arrived on 5 September. Tattnall resumed operations from Mayport until 29 May 1973, when she got underway to participate in a joint American-French exercise conducted in the vicinity of Charleston. In late May and early June, she visited Norfolk, Va., and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. She returned to Mayport on 18 June. After a month in the Mayport area, Tattnall embarked upon her first UNITAS deployment to South America. She visited ports in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay in between operations and exercises conducted with units of those countries navies. On 15 December, she returned to Mayport and resumed exercises in the western Atlantic and upkeep in her home port through July 1974. On 22 July, she began a two-month restricted availability at Charleston. Tattnall returned to Mayport on 21 September and began preparations for another Mediterranean deployment. The guided-missile destroyer departed Mayport on 25 November and changed operational control to the 6th Fleet at Rota, Spain, on 5 December. That tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea continued through the first five months of 1975. She returned to the United States at Mayport on 6 June and began western Atlantic operations once more. Late in August, she visited Newport, R.I., and then returned to the Florida area on the 29th. She resumed local operations in that vicinity until early October. On 4 October, Tattnall arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for regular overhaul. Completing overhaul on schedule on 6 August 1976, Tattnall conducted post-overhaul refresher training off the east coast and in the Caribbean. Completing these Operations, she returned to her home port of Mayport on 20 November and commenced an availability period and Christmas standdown. Following participation in a major fleet exercise CARIBEX 2-77, from 29 January to 10 February 1977 Tattnall departed on a seven-month deployment with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean on 30 March. She returned to Mayport on 21 October. Holiday leave period followed. Tattnall operated off the east coast until 12 June 1978 when she departed for a deployment with the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic (SNFL) in the North Atlantic. This deployment, which concluded at Mayport on 16 December, included various NATO exercises and port visits to the Netherlands, Great Britain Norway, Belgium Germany, and Portugal. Tattnall finished the year 1978 in port at Mayport. >> more DDG 19 history wanted … Decommissioned 18 January 1991, she was stricken 12 June 1993 and was berthed at Philadelphia, awaiting disposal. Sold by DRMS for scrap, 10 Feb 1999.
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