Destroyer USS Conolly (DD-979)

The USS Conolly (DD-979), named in tribute to Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly USN, was a Spruance-class destroyer crafted by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Construction commenced on 29 September 1975, the ship was launched on 19 February 1977, and finally commissioned on 14 October 1978.

From August to December 1980, Conolly embarked on a mission as part of the Middle East Force. A subsequent deployment in this capacity occurred from October 1981 to February 1982. Around May 1982, while voyaging from U.S. Naval Base Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Conolly suffered a cracked bow sonar dome, compelling her return to Newport News Shipyards for repairs. En route, a fire broke out in one of the engineering spaces, swiftly contained by the ship’s damage control fire teams. Once in Newport News, Conolly underwent repairs in dry docks. In September 1982, she ventured to the Mediterranean, engaging in operations off the Lebanese coast.

In June 1983, Conolly participated in UNITAS XXIV, an annual exercise collaborating with South American partner navies. Serving as the flagship, Conolly made multiple port visits and interacted with various South American navies before returning home in December of that year.

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

Apart from the UNITAS voyage, Conolly sailed from Brazil in November, initially alongside Jesse L. Brown, to conduct a West African Training Cruise (WATC). Conolly made visits to Liberville, Gabon; Lagos, Nigeria; Monrovia, Liberia, and finally Dakar, Senegal, before refueling at Roosevelt Roads, PR, and returning to her homeport in Norfolk, VA in mid-December 1983.

During the transit from Brazil, Conolly was tasked with transferring fuel to the Jesse L. Brown while underway, ensuring the latter had enough fuel for its port call in Equatorial Guinea. Conolly was the first Spruance-class vessel to undertake such a task, which was not a designated capability for these ships. Roughly 30,000 gallons were transferred to the Brown using 21⁄2" fire hoses, taking about 4 hours.

In February 1984, Conolly sailed to Portland, ME, for a regular overhaul (ROH) at the newly opened Bath Iron Works facility. The overhaul lasted 10 months, during which Conolly was equipped with the Tomahawk Weapons System. The MK 15 Close in Weapons System and the Mk 23 Target Acquisition System were also installed. During this period, Commander Harry Maixner was relieved by Commander Gary Voorheis as the ship’s Captain.

In October 1985, Conolly redeployed as part of the Middle East Force. During this mission, she was involved in boarding an American flagged ship by the Iranian Navy. Returning in April 1986, she commenced another deployment to the Mediterranean in June 1987, followed by two more deployments in 1989 as part of the Middle East Force and 1992 MIF (Maritime Interception Force) during the Iraq war.

In January 1991, Conolly underwent a regular overhaul (ROH) at Metro Machine (now General Dynamics NASSCO) in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1993, Conolly was deployed in support of Operation Uphold Democracy, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Haiti. From 6 to 10 June 1994, she participated in World War II commemoration activities at Cavalaire-sur-Mer, France.

That same year, Conolly was deployed to the Arabian Peninsula, conducting maritime interception operations in the Red Sea to support United Nations sanctions against Iraq. During this deployment, on 12 July 1994, Conolly rescued sixty-two crewmembers of the Panamanian-registered ferry Al Loloa following a fire onboard. As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet's surface combatant ships, Conolly's homeport shifted from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport, Florida, between 1996 and 1997.

Conolly embarked on a scheduled deployment with the USS George Washington carrier battle group on 26 January 1996. During deployment, Conolly participated in various naval exercises, including SHAREM 114 and Operation Destined Glory 96. She assisted in escort duties and search and rescue efforts while engaging in Operation Sharp Guard in the former republics of Yugoslavia.

In June 1996, Conolly participated in Exercise TAPON 96, conducting warfare exercises with allied vessels in the Alboran Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. She also completed live-firing exercises in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Conolly relocated its homeport from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport, Florida, in March 1997.

Conolly was decommissioned on 18 September 1998 and laid up at the Philadelphia Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility. Attempts to preserve her in Illinois failed due to insufficient funds. Consequently, Conolly was sunk as a target off Florida on 29 April 2009 as part of UNITAS Gold, a multinational naval exercise.