View source for USS Conolly

{{short description|Spruance-class destroyer}}
{{distinguish|USS Connolly}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:USSConolly.jpg|300px|USS ''Conolly'']]
|Ship caption=USS ''Conolly'' laid up at [[Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility|Philadelphia Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility]] on 4 August 2005
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1998}}
|Ship name=''Conolly''
|Ship namesake=[[Richard L. Conolly|Richard Lansing Conolly]]
|Ship ordered=15 January 1974
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship laid down=29 September 1975
|Ship launched=3 June 1977
|Ship acquired=25 September 1978
|Ship commissioned=14 October 1978
|Ship decommissioned=18 September 1998
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=18 September 1998
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NRLC
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Charlie}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-979
|Ship honours=
|Ship motto=''Leading The Way''
|Ship badge=[[File:DD-979 crest.png|150px|Ship's crest]]
|Ship fate=[[Target ship|Sunk as target]], 29 April 2009
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Spruance class destroyer infobox ship characteristics
|armament type=ABL
}}
|}
'''USS ''Conolly'' (DD-979)''', named for [[Admiral]] [[Richard L. Conolly|Richard Lansing Conolly]] [[United States Navy|USN]], was a {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer}} built by the [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] Division of [[Litton Industries]] at [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]].

==History==
''Conolly'' was laid down 29 September 1975, launched 19 February 1977, and commissioned 14 October 1978.

===1980s===
[[File:USS Conolly (DD-979) aerial port bow view 1982.jpg|left|thumb|USS ''Conolly'' in 1982]]
From August to December 1980, ''Conolly'' deployed as part of the Middle East Force. She deployed as part of this force again from October 1981 to February 1982.  In approximately May 1982, ''Conolly'' cruised to the U.S. Virgin Islands from U.S. Naval Base Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.  While in the USVI, ''Conolly'' suffered a cracked bow sonar dome that required her return, under her own power, to Newport News Shipyards for repairs.  While in route to Newport News, ''Conolly'' experienced a fire in one of the engineering spaces, which the ship’s damage control fire fighters promptly contained.  Upon arrival in Newport News, ''Conolly'' was repaired in dry docks.   In September 1982, she deployed to the Mediterranean including operations off the coast of [[Lebanon]].

In June 1983 ''Conolly'' deployed again participating in [[UNITAS]] XXIV, an annual exercise working with partner navies in South America. ''Conolly'' made multiple port visits and worked with a variety of South American navies before returning home in December of the same year.  ''Conolly'' was the flagship for the cruise, with the staff of Commander, South Atlantic (COMSOLANT), Rear Admiral Clint Taylor, USN, embarked.

Due to equipment casualties in the engineering plant while on the east coast of Chile, the crew had to repair in place the pneumatic clutch-brake assemblies on the two forward gas turbine engines, the second repair having to be completed at sea en route Montevideo, Uruguay.  Once in port, the damaged LM-2500 Gas Turbine Main Engine was replaced in 82 hours, using a large floating crane in the port facility.

In addition to the UNITAS cruise, ''Conolly'' left Brazil in November and sailed, initially in company with {{USS|Jesse L. Brown|FF-1089|2}}, east to conduct a West African Training Cruise (WATC).  ''Conolly'' visited Liberville, [[Gabon]]; Lagos, [[Nigeria]]; Monrovia, [[Liberia]] and finally Dakar, [[Senegal]], before transiting west to Roosevelt Roads, PR for a refueling stop before returning to her homeport of Norfolk, VA in mid-December, 1983.

While sailing from Brazil, ''Conolly'' was required to conduct a transfer of fuel, while underway, to the ''Jesse L. Brown'', so that ship would have sufficient fuel to make her port call in [[Equatorial Guinea]].  ''Conolly'' was the first ''Spruance''-class vessel to complete such a task, which was not an assigned capability for the ships.  Approximately 30,000 gallons were sent to the ''Brown'' using 2{{frac|1|2}}" fire hoses to deliver the fuel, taking about 4 hours.

In February, 1984, ''Conolly'' sailed to Portland, ME, to enter a regular overhaul (ROH) at the newly opened [[Bath Iron Works]] facility.  The overhaul lasted 10 months, during which ''Conolly'' was fitted with the Tomahawk Weapons System.  Also installed was the MK 15 Close in Weapons System and the Mk 23 Target Acquisition System.  During the yard period, Commander Harry Maixner was relieved by Commander Gary Voorheis as Captain of the ship.

In October 1985 ''Conolly'' once again deployed as part of the Middle East Force. During this deployment "Conolly" was involved in the boarding of an American flagged ship by the Iranian Navy.  She returned from this deployment in April 1986. In June 1987 she made another deployment to the Mediterranean and followed this up with two more deployments in 1989 as part of the Middle East Force, and 1992 MIF (Maritime Interception Force)during Iraq war.

===1990s===
''Conolly'' spent January 1991 at Metro Machine (now General Dynamics NASSCO) in Norfolk, Virginia for a regular overhaul (ROH).<ref>STG2 Arnesen (Crew Member)</ref>
[[File:USS Conolly (DD-979) port quarter off Haiti 1993.jpg|left|thumb|USS ''Conolly'' off [[Haiti]] in 1993]]
In 1993, ''Conolly'' was deployed in support of [[Operation Uphold Democracy]], enforcing [[United Nations]] sanctions against [[Haiti]].

From 6 to 10 June 1994, ''Conolly'' participated in World War II commemoration activities at [[Cavalaire-sur-Mer]], France.

That same year, ''Conolly'' deployed to the [[Arabian Peninsula]], conducting maritime interception operations in the [[Red Sea]] in support of United Nations sanctions against [[Iraq]]. During that deployment, on 12 July 1994, ''Conolly'' came to the rescue of sixty-two crewmembers of the [[Panama]]nian-registered ferry ''Al Loloa'' following a fire on board the ferry. ''Conolly'' answered the vessel's distress call and proceeded to the scene of the fire. Sixty-one of the ferry's all [[Egypt]]ian crew had already abandoned ship and were found safe in five life rafts. A survey team from ''Conolly'' boarded the ''Al Loloa'' and found the fire out of control. Before returning to ''Conolly'', the survey team found the missing crewmember unharmed.

As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]]'s surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons and a new Western Hemisphere Group, ''Conolly'''s homeport was changed from [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk, Virginia]], to [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport, Florida]], with the shift to occur in 1996&ndash;1997.

''Conolly'' deployed with the {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73|6}} [[carrier battle group]], on 26 January 1996 for a regularly scheduled deployment. The previous December, the battle group and ARG participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 96-1, their "final examination" before deployment, and the culmination of a year of intense preparation.

While deployed, ''Conolly'' took part in the Ships Anti-Submarine Warfare Readiness Effectiveness Measuring 114 (SHAREM) Invitational Exercise 1-96 (INVITEX), held 23 – 29 February. SHAREM 114 was a [[U.S. 6th Fleet]] naval exercise conducted in the [[Gulf of Valencia]] off the east coast of Spain.

Following the completion of Operation Destined Glory 96, a [[NATO]] amphibious exercise, ''Conolly'' paid a visit to [[Augusta Bay, Sicily|Augusta Bay]], [[Sicily]]. Operation Destined Glory 96, lasted 16 days and was a NATO forces combined amphibious exercise which began 13 March and continued through 26 March. It tested forces in the air and at sea in the Central Mediterranean near [[Sardinia]] and in the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] and also trained ashore at [[Capo Teulada]], Sardinia. Military units from the NATO countries of Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, [[Turkey]] and United States took part in the exercise which focused on undersea, surface, electronic and air warfare, and included communications and shiphandling skills.

On 11 April, ''Conolly'' was tasked with escorting {{USS|Guam|LPH-9|6}}, {{USS|Trenton|LPD-14|6}} and {{USS|Portland|LSD-37|6}} to Liberia from the [[Adriatic Sea]] in support of JTF Assured Response. ''Guam'', ''Trenton'', ''Portland'' and ''Conolly'' were conducting routine training when they were directed to the coastal waters off Liberia.

''Conolly'' also assisted in search and rescue efforts when the airplane carrying [[United States Commerce Department]] Secretary [[Ron Brown]] crashed. It participated in Operation Sharp Guard, enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions in the former republics of [[Yugoslavia]]. While on station, ''Conolly'' queried 121 merchant vessels, ensuring no contraband cargo entered the troubled region.

{{stack|[[File:Targetship ex-USS Connolly (DD979).jpg|thumb|A [[Mexican Navy]] helicopter fires at ex-''Connolly'' on 29 April 2009]]}}
In June 1996, ''Conolly'' took part in Exercise TAPON 96, an allied exercise held in the [[Alboran Sea]], [[Gulf of Cadiz]] and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. ''Conolly'' conducted combined warfare exercises with the [[Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias|Spanish aircraft carrier ''Principe de Asturias'']], and other surface ships including the Spanish frigates [[Spanish frigate Baleares|''Baleares'']], [[Spanish frigate Santa María|''Santa Maria'']], [[Spanish frigate Numancia|''Numancia'']], the Greek destroyer [[Greek destroyer Formion (D220)|''Formion'']], the Spanish submarine [[Spanish submarine Delfín (S61)|''Delfín'']] and the US submarine {{USS|Grayling|SSN-646|2}}. ''Conolly'' participated in the nine-day exercise which emphasized procedures and tactics for effective maritime choke-point control. ''Conolly'' also completed live-firing exercises in the Central Mediterranean Sea at [[Avgo Nisi]] gun-firing range, a small island north of [[Crete]], Greece. She then traveled toward Sicily and conducted a torpedo-firing exercise.

In March 1997, ''Conolly'' moved its homeport from Norfolk, Virginia to Mayport, Florida.

==Decommissioning and disposal==
''Conolly'' was decommissioned 18 September 1998 and laid up at [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility.  An effort to preserve her in [[Illinois]] failed after it was unable to acquire the needed funds.<ref>USS CONOLLY Meseum and Memorial</ref> ''Conolly'' was sunk as a [[Target ship|target]] off [[Florida]] on 29 April 2009 as part of [[UNITAS Gold]], a multinational naval exercise.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?150465 |title=USS Conolly (DD-979) (+2009) |publisher=Wrecksite |accessdate=7 November 2011}}</ref>

==Awards==
*  3 × [[Battle Efficiency Award]]s for 1994, 1995 and 1996
*  The [[National Defense Service Medal]] presented for service during [[Operation Desert Storm]]
*  2 × [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]]s 1 November 1991-January 11, 1992, & 1997
*  12 × [[Sea Service Deployment Ribbon]] presented for each of her deployments
*  [[Humanitarian Service Medal]] presented during UNITAS XXIV – June through December 1983
*  2 × [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]]s presented for Middle East Force/North Red Sea deployments for March through September 1992, and March through September 1994.
*  [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)|Kuwait Liberation Medal]]
*  [[NATO Medal|NATO Service Medal]] presented during Yugoslavia operations October through December 1996.
*  [[Armed Forces Service Medal]] presented for [[Operation Joint Endeavor]] during Mediterranean deployment January through July 1996
*  [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] presented for Middle East Force Deployment 27 April through 16 August 1989

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:330-CFD-DN-ST-87-07130 (22125520421).jpg|USS ''Conolly'' and [[USS Iowa (BB-61)|USS Iowa]] on 1 August 1986
File:USS Conolly (DD-979) port bow view at anchor.jpg|USS ''Conolly'' on 1 November 1987
File:USS Conolly (DD-979) underway off the coast of Port-au-Prince Haiti.jpg|USS ''Conolly'' off [[Port-au-Prince]] on 31 October 1993
File:USS Connolly (DD-979) sinking.jpg|USS ''Conolly'' on 29 April 2009
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DD979|title=Naval Vessel Register entry for ''Conolly''}}
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/979.htm navsource.org: USS ''Conolly'']
* [http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd979.htm united-states-navy.com: USS ''Conolly'']
* [http://www.southcom.mil/appssc/news.php?storyId=1732:  SINKEX Report from UNITAS 50 of USS ''Conolly'']

{{Spruance class destroyer}}
{{2009 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conolly (Dd-979)}}
[[Category:Spruance-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:1977 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2009]]