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s e a f o r c e s – online
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Naval Forces
Technology, History & Information
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Guided Missile Frigate
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FFG 37 -
USS Crommelin
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USS Crommelin (FFG 37)
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US Navy photo
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Type,
Class:
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Guided Missile Frigate; Oliver Hazard Perry – class (long
hull);
planned and built as FFG
37;
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Builder:
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Todd Pacific Shipyard,
Seattle, Washington, USA
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STATUS:
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Awarded: April 27, 1979;
Laid down: May 30, 1980;
Launched: July 2, 1981;
Commissioned:
June 18, 1983;
ACTIVE UNIT/ in
commission (Pacific Fleet)
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Homeport:
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Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA
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Namesake:
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Named after and in honor of the 5 Crommelin brothers:
Vice Admiral
Henry Crommelin (1904 – 1971),
Rear Admiral John Crommelin (1902 – 1996),
Captain Quentin Crommelin (died 1997),
Commander Charles L. Crommelin (1909 – 1945) and
Lieutenant Commander Richard Crommelin (1917 – 1945).
> see history, below;
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Ship's
Motto:
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> MUNUS BENE FACTUM
< 'job
well done'
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Technical Data:
(Measures, Propulsion,
Armament,
Aviation, etc.)
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see: INFO > Guided
Missile Frigate / Oliver Hazard Perry - class.
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Pictures,
photos & more ...
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Henry,
John, Quentin, Charles & Richard Crommelin
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VAdm Henry Crommelin
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RAdm John G. Crommelin
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Capt Quentin Crommelin
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Cdr Charles L. Crommelin
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LCdr Richard G. Crommelin
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Photo credits: US Navy, US Naval Historical
Center
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Namesake
& History:
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USS Crommelin
(FFG-37) was named for five brothers:
Vice Admiral
Henry Crommelin (August 11, 1904 – March 2, 1971),
Rear Admiral
John Crommelin (1902 – November 2, 1996),
Captain Quentin
Crommelin (died 1997),
Commander
Charles L. Crommelin (1909 – March 28, 1945) and
Lieutenant
Commander Richard Crommelin (1917 – 1945).
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Courtesy of Alabama Heritage:
"Alabama Heritage" Tells How 5 Alabama Brothers Made History:
History-making seemed to come naturally to the Crommelin boys of Wetumpka,
Ala., both at sea and in the air. The five brothers made their mark in World
War II, earning a series of medals, and in the process becoming one of the
most decorated families in naval history. A monument to the Crommelins in
Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama, commemorates their bravery.
The Crommelin family's connection to the Navy began when the boys' parents
decided to send their rambunctious eldest son, John, to the U.S. Naval
Academy at Annapolis after he had completed one year at the University of
Virginia. Thus began a family tradition, with John's four brothers also
enrolling in the academy. Four of the brothers earned their wings and engaged
in air combat in World War II, while Henry, whose eyesight prevented him from
becoming a pilot, made his mark aboard destroyers.
In the Fall 1997 issue of Alabama Heritage, John B. Scott, Jr., incorporates
the lives and heroic acts of the Crommelin brothers with the history of the
naval battles that took place in the Pacific theater in World War II. In the
first great air battle between carrier-based planes, Richard Crommelin, based
on the carrier Yorktown, fought enemy fire during his first combat engagement
in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Richard was able to eliminate six Japanese
Zeros and then, when his engine failed, successfully belly-land on the sea.
He was awarded a Navy Cross for his bravery.
John and Quentin Crommelin also distinguished themselves aboard the
Enterprise and the Saratoga in the Battle of Midway. Charles Crommelin
assumed command of Carrier Air Group 5 aboard the Yorktown after a series of
victorious attacks against the Japanese, earning a Distinguished Flying
Cross. Henry Crommelin had been in command of a destroyer in the Atlantic and
was later given command of a destroyer in the Pacific. He carried on the
Crommelin tradition by earning the Silver Star and then the Bronze Star Medal
with Combat "V" for his heroic actions in Guam.
Time magazine dubbed the Crommelin brothers "The Indestructibles"
for their amazing escapes from death, but it wasn't long before this proved
sadly untrue. Within three months of each other, Richard and Charles were
both killed in mid-air collisions with other Navy planes, and "the
fleet's most famous flying family" was broken up.
After the war, while living in Georgetown and attending the National War
College in Washington, D.C., John Crommelin challenged naval authorities by
arguing against the "Unification Act" and in favor of maintaining
the Navy's aircraft carrier force. His actions initiated what became known as
"The Revolt of the Admirals," which resulted in the saving of the
Navy's air arm, but cut short Crommelin's own brilliant career as an admiral.
He retired and went home to Alabama. Eventually, Henry and Quentin also
retired with Admiral and Captain status, respectively. Quentin, the youngest
brother and the last of the famous flying Crommelins, died at his home, on
family lands fronting the Coosa River, in April 1997.
Alabama Heritage is a nonprofit quarterly
magazine published by The University of Alabama and The University of Alabama
at Birmingham. To order the magazine, write to Alabama Heritage, Box 870342,
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, or call (205) 348-7467.
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Vice Admiral
Henry Crommelin (August 11, 1904 - March 2, 1971):
Admiral Crommelin commanded the Destroyer Squadron Fifty during the Gilbert
Islands Campaign (World War II) for which he was awarded the Silver Star
Medal for gallantry. He also earned theBronze Star Medal for heroism during
the amphibious assault which resulted in the capture and occupation of Guam,
Mariana Islands.
Admiral Crommelin later served as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel and
Chief of Staff to Commander Destroyers, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He commanded the
cruiser Des Moines (CA-134), flagship to the Sixth Fleet, was commander of
Battleship Division Two and served as Commander Naval Base Newport, Rhode
Island until his retirement on 1 November 1959.
Admiral Crommin was buried with full military honors in Section 5 of
Arlington National Cemetery.
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Rear Admiral
John G. Crommelin (1902 – November 2, 1996):
... info wanted
...
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Captain Quentin
Crommelin (died 1997):
... info wanted
...
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Commander
Charles L. Crommelin (1909 – March 28, 1945):
He earned two
Distinguished Flying Crosses, one for leading aerial raids on the Marcus
Islands and the other for gallantry as Commander Air Group Five during the
Gilbert Islands Campaign. After assuming command of Carrier Air Group Twelve,
he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism during the first
carrier task force raids on Japan on 17 February 1945. On 28 March, Crommelin
volunteered to fly from another aircraft to participate in pre-invasion
strikes on Okinawa. He never returned.
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Lieutenant
Commander Richard Gunther Crommelin (1917 – 1945):
He received the
Navy Cross as a Navy Pilot for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of the
Coral Sea and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Navy Cross for heroism as a
pilot during the Battle of Midway. He was in command of Fighting Squadron
Eighty-Eight when he was lost in a midair collision with an American plane
near Hokkaido, Japan.
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USS Crommelin
(FFG 37):
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Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyard,
Seattle, Washington on 27 April 1979 as part of the Fiscal year 1979 program,
Crommelin was laid down on 30 May 1980, launched on 2 July 1981, and
commissioned on 18 June 1983.
Crommelin was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 9 and reached its homeport of
Long Beach, California in August 1983.
In 1985, Crommelin was assigned to the Constellation (CV-64) carrier battle
group and deployed to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. During this
deployment, Crommelin became the first FFG to successfully engage a
high-speed, maneuvering target with missiles. It was also the first ship to
complete an operational deployment with the LAMPS MK III weapon system. In
June 1986, Crommelin received the first Chief of Naval Operations LAMPS MK
III Safety Award.
In the summer of 1986, Crommelin was awarded every departmental and
divisional excellence award and won its first Navy "E" award. In
1987, Crommelin was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 13 and began an
accelerated deployment with the Constellation battle group. Crommelin was the
first FFG to deploy with two LAMPS MK III helicopters embarked. Crommelin was
assigned to Commander, Middle East Force from 1 July to 25 August 1987,
earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
for the convoy escort of the first five reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in
Operation Earnest Will.
On 1 January 1988, Crommelin was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 9, and on 6
March 1988, the ship received a second consecutive Navy "E" award.
Upon completion of its second availability period at Todd Pacific Shipyard,
Crommelin was deployed in March 1989 again to the Persian Gulf. In October
1990 Crommelin was deployed in support of joint service, counternarcotics
operations in the Central, South American, and Caribbean theater. Crommelin
was awarded the Joint Services Meritorious Unit Award for its performance
during this deployment. In 1991, Crommelin received the Navy "E" as
well as its fifth consecutive warfare excellence awards for anti-air and
anti-surface warfare, navigation and seamanship, damage control, engineering,
and communications. On 1 September 1991, Crommelin shifted homeports to Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, and joined Destroyer Squadron 31.
Crommelin completed a second four-month counternarcotics deployment in the
Central, South American and Caribbean theater from November 1992 to March
1993. Upon return to its homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Crommelin was
assigned to Commander Naval Surface Group, Middle Pacific.
From 6 July to 14 December 1994, Crommelin was assigned to the Kitty Hawk
(CV-63) battle group in the Western Pacific for Korean contingency
operations. There, Crommelin received the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award
for the prosecution of a Chinese Hahn Class Submarine. Upon completion of
this deployment she underwent dry-docking SRA-5 at Pearl Harbor Naval
Shipyard, following which she began the cycle for her 1996 Western Pacific
deployment with the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) battle group.
After a three month work up cycle, Crommelin deployed with the Carl Vinson
battle group on 20 May 1996. This deployment took Crommelin and her crew back
to the Persian Gulf for a variety of missions, including escorting ships
through the Straits of Hormuz, patrolling the Northern Persian Gulf, and
conducting maritime interception operations. Crommelin returned from that
deployment on 20 November 1996.
Following WESTPAC 96, Crommelin entered SRA-6 from January to March 1997.
Crommelin received upgrades to all major weapons systems as well as the
engineering plant. Following this availability, Crommelin and her crew began
yet another work up cycle to prepare for her fifth deployment to the Persian
Gulf as part of the U.S. 5th Fleet. Crommelin departed Pearl Harbor on 21
February 1998. During this deployment Crommelin distinguished herself by
setting a Fifth Fleet record for number of vessels boarded and tonnage of
illegal Iraqi petroleum seized and diverted.
Crommelin completed a demanding nine week private sector SRA in early 1999,
where she made major repairs and upgrades throughout the ship. Immediately
following the SRA, Crommelin aggressively entered the inter-deployment
training cycle and proceeded to set numerous records throughout her training.
Chief among these was condensing what is normally a twelve week training
cycle into nine weeks. Other achievements were completing cruise missile test
qualification on the first day of training and completing engineering
qualification with 100% of drills and 28 of 29 evolutions graded as
"satisfactory".
With her training cycle complete, Crommelin departed Pearl Harbor on 24
August 1999 for a three month deployment to the Eastern Pacific in support of
counter narcotics operations. During this deployment, Crommelin steamed 77 of
92 days, flew more than 350 mishap-free SH-60B flight hours, and was a key
player in four major cocaine seizures. Upon her return to Pearl Harbor on 24
November 1999, Crommelin immediately began the work up cycle for her next
deployment with Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) battle group in August 2000.
In February 2000, Crommelin was awarded the Battle "E" for
Destroyer Squadron 31 as well as each of the four command excellence awards.
Other accomplishments included the 1999 Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet
Retention Excellence Award, 1999, Commander Naval Surface Forces Pacific
(COMNAVSURFPAC) Surface Ship Safety Award, COMNAVSURFPAC Self-Sufficient Ship
of the Quarter Award (Q4 FY99 and Q2 FY00), and the distinction of being the
first Pearl Harbor ship to hoist the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
Pennant.
During WESTPAC 2000, eighteen non-compliant vessels were boarded by
Crommelin's Visit Board Search and Seizure Team, twelve were found to be
smuggling petroleum products from Iraq and diverted to friendly ports for
disposal of the ships and their illegal cargo. On the eve of the homecoming
from deployment, Crommelin received her second consecutive Battle Efficiency
Award.
From 18 April 2001 to June 2001, Crommelin was dry-docked at Pearl Harbor
Naval Shipyard for Dry-dock Selected Restriced Availability. In January 2002
Crommelin received the 2001 COMNAVSURFPAC Surface Ship Safety Award.
In Dec. 2001, FFG 37 had
the opportunity to serve as a testing bed for the employment of U.S. Army
helicopter OH-58s from her flight deck. Three OH-58s and their crews from the
U.S. Army 3rd Squadron 4th Aviation Cavalry Regiment/25th ID (L) were
embarked onboard for the trials. The CROMMELIN, working together with Joint
Shipboard Helicopter Integration Process (JSHIP) personnel, successfully
increased the operational maneuvering envelopes, on deck safety procedures
and improved operational tactics necessary for future joint operations.
USS CROMMELIN worked together with USS REUBEN JAMES (FFG 57) to resolve many
of the issues associated with the Army OH-58s operating on the decks of Navy
frigates. Hours were spent in the rolling seas off the coast of Hawaii documenting
safe flight envelopes and recording safe deck handling procedures for the
OH-58s.
The CROMMELIN returned to Pearl Harbor on April 22, 2003 following a
six-month deployment to the SOUTHCOM AOR where she took part in drug
interdiction operations. CROMMELIN also was involved in three rescues at sea,
rescuing 174 Ecuadorian citizens from a leaky vessel at sea, and lending
assistance to two fishing vessels.
As of November 2005 Crommelin remains active, assigned to Destroyer Squadron
31 and homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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… and patches …
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>> seaforces.org
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