STATUS:
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Awarded: November 7, 1958
Laid down: September 6, 1960 (as DLG 19)
Launched: July 28, 1962 (as DLG 19)
Commissioned:
November 23, 1963 (as DLG 19)
Redesignated
CG 19: June 30, 1975
Decommissioned: September 27, 1994;
Fate: sunk as a target (Atlantic) – April 6, 2000
during a SINKEX exercise.
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Richard Dale was born in
Norfolk County, Virginia, on 6 November 1756. He went to sea at the age of
twelve and had command of several merchant vessels before his twentieth
birthday. After the outbreak of the American Revolution, Dale became an officer
in the Virginia State Navy. Taken prisoner by the British, he joined the
Loyalist forces but was subsequently captured by the Continental Brig
Lexington. That vessel's Commanding Officer, John Barry, persuaded young Dale
to return to the American cause.
He was an officer on Lexington from mid-1776 until she was taken by the
British cutter Alert on 19 September 1777. Imprisoned in England, Dale twice
escaped, finally making his way to France. His next position was as a
Lieutenant on board the Continental warship Bonhomme Richard, commanded by
John Paul Jones. He performed valiantly during her desperate fight with HMS
Serapis on 23 September 1779. For the remainder of the war, Dale served in
the frigates Alliance and Trumbull, and was Commanding Officer of the
privateer Queen of France.
After the Revolution Dale was again a merchant marine officer. When the
United States established its Navy in 1794, he was one of the first six men
appointed to the rank of Captain, though the Navy's lack of ships ensured
that he was primarily employed in commercial trade for the next four years.
In 1798, after undeclared war began with France, Dale took command of USS
Ganges, in which he cruised in search of enemy shipping. Returning to the
merchant marine, he made a cruise to China in 1799. In 1801 Captain Dale was
given command of a U.S. Navy squadron and sent to the Mediterranean Sea to
confront the piratical states along the North African coast. Relieved of this
command in 1802, after a successful cruise, he resigned his commission
shortly afterwards.
Dale spent the rest of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a
prominent citizen and was active in local defense efforts during the War of
1812. Richard Dale died in that city on 26 February 1826.
The U.S. Navy has named five ships in honor of Richard Dale, including: USS
Dale (1840-1921); USS Dale (Destroyer # 4), 1902-1920; USS Dale (Destroyer #
290, later DD-290), 1920-1931; USS Dale (DD-353), 1935-1946; and USS Dale
(DLG-19, later CG-19), 1963-2000.
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The fifth DALE
(DLG-19/CG-19) was laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, 6
September 1960; launched 28 July 1962; sponsored by Mrs. Daniel J. Flood, wife
of Congressman Flood, Pennsylvania, 11th District; and commissioned 23
November 1963 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Captain Robert R. Crutchfield
USN, commanding.
Upon entering service she was assigned to the Commander Cruiser-Destroyer
Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. As a unit of the Pacific Fleet, DALE made five
deployments to the far-east for duty with the U.S. Seventh Fleet.
During these deployments, she operated in support of U.S. military operations
in South Vietnam.
DALE was decommissioned on 10 November 1970 for modernization to increase
flexibility in combat systems. A major portion of the modernization was the
installation of the Naval Tactical Data Systems (NTDS) which provides real
time communications and information displays to ship and force commanders.
Upon recommissioning on 11 December 1971, DALE was assigned to Commander
Cruiser-Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and homeported in Newport,
Rhode Island.
DALE began her first Mediterranean Deployment in June 1973, participated in
the multinational exercise "Swift Move" in northern European
waters, and helped augment the Sixth Fleet during the October 1973
Arab-Israeli War.
In February 1974, DALE moved to her new homeport in Mayport, Florida. During
1974, DALE was selected as the operational platform for the newly deployed
AN/SPS-49 two-dimensional air search radar, which took DALE to the Caribbean
several times during 1974 and early 1975. On 30 June 1975 she was
reclassified a guided missile cruiser (CG-19). In October 1975, DALE deployed
again to the Mediterranean, participating successfully in several national
and multinational exercises and earning praise from Commander, Sixth Fleet
and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe on her departure for home.
Returning to Mayport in May 1976, DALE participated in the international
Naval Review in New York Harbor celebrating the Nation's Bicentennial on July
4, 1976. Then DALE began a regular twelve-month overhaul at Charleston Naval
Shipyard which upgraded DALE'S NTDS and Missile Fire Control Systems. Upon
completion of the overhaul, DALE returned to Mayport and made preparations
for another Mediterranean deployment in June 1978. DALE again had a very
successful deployment and returned to Mayport in February 1979 with many
commendations from both military and civilian authorities. In September 1979,
DALE deployed to the North Atlantic for two months to serve as the flagship
for the Commander Striking Force Atlantic Fleet for the NATO exercise
"Ocean Safari." In January and February 1980 DALE participated in
the Atlantic Fleet Readiness Exercise "READEX 1-80". DALE deployed
to the Mediterranean Sea in March 1980 and, as a unit of the Sixth Fleet,
served as flag ship for Commander-Destroyer Group Eight. A highlight of this
deployment was a visit to the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania. DALE
returned to Mayport in August 1980. The remainder of the year included two
trips to the Caribbean for carrier support operations and participations in
"COMPUTEX/ASWEX 1-81".
DALE entered Charleston Naval Shipyard in March 1981 to begin a Baseline
Overhaul to update the ship's combat weapons systems and overhaul major
engineering equipment. During the overhaul, which DALE completed a month
early in February 1982, the 3"/50 caliber gun mounts were replaced with
Harpoon missile systems, and the Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems were added
to the port and starboard sides.
DALE completed Refresher Training in June 1982, and since that time has been
involved with her continual cycles of inspections, and underway exercise
periods.
DALE was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy Register on 22 September
1994, then laid up with reserve fleet at Philadelphia PA.
In December 1999 she was towed to the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training
Facility ranges out of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads (NSRR), Puerto Rico, for
use in the DD-21 Weapons Effect Test (WET). The WET program is designed to
help the Navy and naval shipbuilders design ships with increased
survivability against anti-ship missile attacks. This test involved two
separate events.
On 17 December 1999, a 500 lb. WDU-40 SLAM-ER warhead was detonated in the
aft portion of the ship. The DALE was located on the South Range,
approximately 75 miles south of Roosevelt Roads. Then on 13 Jan 2000, F/A-18
pilots fired a tactical SLAM-ER and made a direct hit into the forward
portion of the ship. SLAM-ER was chosen because of the missile’s ability to
precisely hit a pre-determined aimpoint on the ship. This event was off the
North Range, approximately 160 miles north of Roosevelt Roads. For both
tests, over 180 sensors were placed throughout the ship to measure the level
of damage inflicted on the ship.
The missile was launched and controlled by Lt. Russ "Beacon"
McCormack. Lt. Keith "Squishy" Henry and Lt. Scott "Squeeze"
Topple flew in a second F/A-18 with a backup missile. All F/A-18 pilots were
from the Weapons Test Squadron at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons
Division, Pt. Mugu, California. Mid-course updates of the target ship
location were transmitted to the missile while it was in flight. This SLAM-ER
capability allows it to engage moving targets from long standoff ranges.
SLAM-ER transmits infrared imagery that allows the pilots to lock-on the
seeker.
After the test, DALE was cleared for tow back to NSRR by Naval Sea Systems
Command, Salvage representatives. Once at NSRR the damaged area of the ship
would be thoroughly studied and documented. NVR reports that she was expended
as a target, 6 Apr 2000.
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