USS John A. Moore FFG 19 / Commander John A. Moore / Oliver Hazard Perry class Guided Missile Frigate
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Naval Forces Technology, History & Information

 

Guided Missile Frigate

FFG 19   -   USS John A. Moore

USS John A. Moore (FFG 19)

US Navy photo

Type, Class:

 

Guided Missile Frigate; Oliver Hazard Perry – class (short hull);

planned and built as FFG 19;

Builder:

 

Todd Pacific Shipyard, San Pedro, California, USA

STATUS:

 

Awarded: February 28, 1977;

Laid down: December 19, 1978;

Launched: October 20, 1979;

Commissioned: November 14, 1981;

Decommissioned: September 1, 2000;

 

Fate: stricken September 1, 2000;

transferred to Turkey (sold) on September 1, 2000;

renamed TCG Gediz (F-495); in service in Turkish Navy;

Homeport:

 

-

Namesake:

 

Named after and in honor of Commander John A. Moore (1910 – 1944);

> see history, below;

Ship's Motto:

 

> NEVER GIVE IN <

Technical Data:

(Measures, Propulsion,

Armament, Aviation, etc.)

 

see: INFO > Guided Missile Frigate / Oliver Hazard Perry - class.

 

Pictures, photos & more ...

 

John A. Moore

 

 

Photo credits: US Navy, US Naval Historical Center

 

Namesake & History:

Commander John A. Moore (January 12, 1910 – March 28, 1944);

 

FFG 19 was named in honor of Commander John A. Moore, whose distinguished and gallant service to his country during WW II became a hallmark for those who followed.

Commander Moore was born on January 12, 1910 in Brownswood, Texas. He attended the US Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign on June 2, 1932. He first served onboard the USS Arizona and in November 1934 he was transferred to New London, Connecticut, for submarine training.

After serving five tours on various submarines, and two tours ashore, Commander Moore received orders to the USS Grayback (SS 208) as Commanding Officer, on June 29, 1943. It was while he was commanding the Grayback that he distinguished himself as a courageous and highly effective submariner.

Commander Moore was a pioneer in the development of the American style wolf-pack tactics and the submerged radar approaches that were used so effectively against the Japanese in the later stages of the war. The Grayback was a member of the first American wolf-pack in the Pacific that consisted of six submarines. This group sank more than 100000 tons of Japanese shipping in one month alone in the early 1944.

During the Graybacks last three war patrols under the command of Commander Moore, the ship was credited with sinking at least nine Japanese ships and inflicting damage to many more. It was on Commander Moore's third patrol with the Grayback, that the submarine and its heroic crew were listed as missing in action (MIA) when they failed to return from patrol on March 28, 1944.

For his service during World War II, Commander Moore was awarded the Navy Cross with two Gold Stars in lieu of the second and third awards, the Purple Heart, the Navy Unit Commendation, the Asia-Pacific Area Campaign Medal, the American Area Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the American Defense Service Medal.

 

USS John A. Moore (FFG 19):

 

Construction for JOHN A. MOORE began with keel laying by Todd Pacific Shipyards corporation in Los Angeles, Calif., on December 19, 1978. The ship was christened by John A. Moore's widow, Mrs. Virginia S. Moore on October 20, 1970 and commissioned on November 14, 1981.

USS JOHN A. MOORE transferred to the naval surface reserve force in 1987 as part of Surface Squadron 1, which later became Destroyer Squadron 1. The ship was partially crewed by naval reservists. Over the 19 years of service, the ship made nine deployments; four to the Western Pacific, one to the Arabian Gulf and four counternarcotics deployments to the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. During these deployments, the ship visited 21 countries and operated with many foreign navies. Previously homeported in Long Beach, USS JOHN A. MOORE shifted homeports to San Diego in early 1994.

The ship returned from the last deployment on May 22, 2000. This deployment was exceptionally successful with the ship and embarked detachments from HSL-84 and the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific tactical law enforcement being credited with the interdiction of 11.5 metric tons of cocaine. Additionally, the ship located six fishing vessels in violation of Colombian law and suspected of supporting narcotics traffic through the Eastern Pacific.

 

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