USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22) - 1970s

1970s

The guided-missile destroyer remained in port until 12 January 1970, when she got underway for a three-day exercise at the Barking Sands Tactical Underwater Range (BARSTUR). The warship conducted a second such training mission between 9 and 13 February, firing exercise rockets and torpedoes at underwater targets both times. In addition to putting to sea for routine training, she also did so to serve as standby ship for the Apollo 13 recovery mission. In May, Benjamin Stoddert conducted a very successful nuclear submarine detection and tracking exercise with Epperson (DD-719), Knox (DE-1052), and Sargo (SSN-583). At the end of a short availability alongside Bryce Canyon (AD-36), the guided-missile destroyer passed her pre-deployment inspections in early June before joining the annual summer antisubmarine warfare exercise — conducted by American, Canadian, New Zealand, and Japanese warships — off Pearl Harbor at the end of the month. She followed up this exercise with a final tender availability in mid-July.

On 1 August, Benjamin Stoddert sailed for the western Pacific in company with Goldsborough (DDG-20); and, after stopping for fuel at Midway and Guam, the two warships arrived in Subic Bay on the 15th. Stoddert then moved on to "Yankee Station" where she provided planeguard and screen services for Bon Homme Richard between 22 and 30 August. The guided-missile destroyer then headed south for Indonesia, held "a rousing shellback initiation" when she crossed the Equator on 3 September and entered Surabaya harbor for a goodwill visit on the 4th. Departing Java on 7 September, Benjamin Stoddert traced a northerly course between Borneo and Celebes and arrived back at Subic Bay on the 11th.

Following a short upkeep period, the guided-missile destroyer headed for Danang and a tour on the northern search and rescue station (SAR) in the Gulf of Tonkin. Relieving USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) on 17 September, Benjamin Stoddert provided continuous radar and communications services for barrier combat air patrol (BARCAP) operations over the next 25 days. She then headed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where her crew received four days of liberty. Over the next five weeks, Stoddert conducted two more patrols on the north SAR station, the second of which was interrupted by a small fire in the forward fireroom. Although damage was minimal, the warship sailed to Sasebo, Japan, for minor repairs alongside Hector (AR-7). To make matters worse, she suffered another setback when a boiler pipe cracked on the return voyage, and she diverted to Subic Bay for repairs.

The warship finally returned to South Vietnam on the 13th, when she stood to on the gunline off Chu Lai. Once there, the warship settled into a pattern of sporadic call-fire missions during the day and night harassment and interdiction fire after dark. Over the next two weeks, her gun crews fired 2,200 rounds at targets ashore. Sailing for Hong Kong on 29 December, Benjamin Stoddert’s crew closed the year with liberty in that city. Underway again on 5 January 1971, the guided-missile destroyer commenced a final three days of lifeguard duty on "Yankee Station" before sailing for home on the 15th. After stops at Taiwan, Guam, and Midway, she finally returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 February.

Following preparations for a second shipyard overhaul — during which time Benjamin Stoddert was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 33 — she entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on 17 May. The warship received improvements to her missile and gun systems, and much-needed repairs to her hull, sonar dome, and engineering spaces. With shipyard work completed on 17 September, the crew began refresher training on 13 October. In the evening of 29 October, however, a fire broke out in sonar control in the forward part of the warship. In the darkness and heavy rain, it took damage control teams and the shipyard fire department just over four hours to extinguish the blaze. The crew then spent the next six weeks helping shipyard workers repair the fire damage and get the warship's ASW systems back in battery. It was not until 13 January 1972 that Stoddert could begin a two months of refresher training and other local operations.

The warship finally got underway for deployment on 25 March, arriving in Subic Bay via Midway and Guam on 7 April. The next day, she sailed for the Tonkin Gulf and commenced gunline operations upon arrival off Vietnam on the 10th. She joined other 7th Fleet units in heavy attacks against North Vietnamese military units pushing south along the coast, firing numerous bombardment missions against enemy troops and tanks advancing towards Hue. Four days later, Benjamin Stoddert joined Task Unit (TU) 77.1.0 for Operation "Freedom Train" — a series of strikes against enemy forces and their logistical infrastructure in North Vietnam.

After rearming from ammunition ships Pyro (AE-24) and Haleakala (AE-25) early on 17 April, Benjamin Stoddert joined Oklahoma City (CLG-5) for a raid on Vinh, North Vietnam. As the warships closed the port, Stoddert’s electronic warfare unit registered signals from an enemy fire-control radar, followed almost immediately by the launch of two surface-to-surface missiles. Fortunately, both of the missiles missed her; one burst 50 yards to starboard while the other exploded well astern. When enemy gunfire started falling close aboard, including several air bursts that sprayed shell fragments near the warship, Benjamin Stoddert returned double salvos commencing an inconclusive gun duel that lasted about 13 minutes.

Over the next week, the guided-missile destroyer continued strikes against coastal targets, including daily bombardments of the shore as far north as Thanh Hoa. North Vietnamese shore batteries repeatedly took her under fire and finally scored on 23 April when a shell struck Benjamin Stoddert forward in the windlass room. Although put out quickly, the resulting fire destroyed the medical storeroom and the degaussing cable. Returning to gunline duty shortly thereafter, Stoddert steered south and provided defensive fire for South Vietnamese (ARVN) forces ashore — at one point firing 1,009 rounds in a 24-hour period.

After a two-week repair and refitting period at Subic Bay between 12 and 26 May, she reentered the Tonkin Gulf on the 29th for more missions against the enemy's coastal logistics pipeline. Once American mines shut down the major North Vietnamese harbors, many Chinese communist merchant ships sought refuge in strategic lagoons and inlets whence their cargoes were ferried ashore. One of the guided-missile destroyer's missions was to search out and destroy the small ferry craft and any nearby supply caches. On the night of 10 and 11 June, Benjamin Stoddert closed one such merchant ship, firing on several small craft trying to make a run for shore. When she hit one, and its crew abandoned ship; Stoddert sent a boarding party to inspect the sampan. The craft — loaded with seven tons of rice — was later sunk by 5-inch gun and machinegun fire.

Resuming gunline operations on the 14th, the warship fired at enemy troop formations attacking ARVN troops, helping to stall and then repulse this communist thrust into South Vietnam. During one such mission, at 09:10 on 26 June, the forward 5-inch mount suffered a misfire which left a live round hung up in the barrel. Sadly efforts to extract the live shell failed when it exploded, killing two sailors outright and mortally wounding two others. The blast also heavily damaged the gun mount and nearby living spaces. Departing immediately for Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer spent the next month in port, replacing the wrecked gun mount and repairing other damage.

According to the ship’s Deck Logs, from April till the end of June when the gun mount incident occurred, 10,476 rounds were fired. Many were not logged or recorded due to the intense combat situations.

Arriving back in the Tonkin Gulf on 30 July, Benjamin Stoddert spent the next three weeks conducting fire missions with TU 70.8.9 off North Vietnam. At this point, South Vietnamese forces had taken Quang Tri City, driving North Vietnamese forces back toward the DMZ; and the naval campaign against the North began to wind down. Coincidentally, Stoddert’s deployment drew to a close at about the same time, and she headed for home on 27 September, mooring in Pearl Harbor on 6 October after a quick transit. Three days later, she entered the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a much needed 30-day standdown.

Benjamin Stoddert remained in the Hawaiian area for the next seven months, conducting routine training operations in preparation for her next 7th Fleet deployment. During this time, a cease-fire agreement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973, and American forces in South Vietnam began to withdraw. Underway for the Far East on 14 May, Stoddert stopped at Yokosuka, Japan, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, before finally arriving off South Vietnam on 9 June. With combat operations over, the warship helped enforce the terms of the cease fire while on PIRAZ and antiair warfare picket duty in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Following liberty at Hong Kong in early August and two weeks of repairs at Subic Bay, Benjamin Stoddert received orders to sail for the Gulf of Thailand in response to a domestic crisis in Thailand. She arrived in the gulf on 29 August and operated for three days with Task Group (TG) 76.4, the contingency force assembled in case Americans had to be evacuated from Thailand. Once the crisis eased, Stoddert returned to the Gulf of Tonkin. Arriving on station on 11 September, the guided-missile destroyer spent the next six weeks patrolling off Vietnam. Her only diversion came in mid-October, when the warship conducted antisubmarine tactical training in the Subic Bay operating area. Then, on 30 October while steaming near Singapore to avoid a typhoon in the Gulf of Tonkin, she suffered a boiler breakdown which forced her back to Subic Bay.

Following three weeks of repairs, the warship sailed for Hawaii, arriving in Pearl Harbor, via Guam and Midway, on 7 December. Upon her return home, the guided-missile destroyer was greeted by a shrinking defense budget, lack of spare parts, and a shortage of fuel oil — the latter caused by the October 1973 Arab oil embargo — all of which cut back the operating tempo of the Pacific Fleet's surface ships. In response, the Navy concentrated on improving overall operational readiness, a routine markedly different from previous training which had concentrated on preparing warships for combat operations off Vietnam. Benjamin Stoddert spent the first three months of 1974 participating in a series of fleet-wide inspections and maintenance programs. She remained in the Pearl Harbor area through October, engaged in extensive propulsion repairs, improving her maintenance procedures, and conducting a few local training operations.

On 2 November, Benjamin Stoddert got underway for her sixth deployment to the Far East. After a stop at Midway to refuel, the guided-missile destroyer arrived at Yokosuka on the 12th. After putting to sea four days later, she conducted ASW operations with Sailfish (SS-572) near Okinawa before sailing for Jinhae, South Korea. Arriving at that port on 25 November, the warship then participated in a three-day antisubmarine operation called Exercise "Tae Kwon Do IV." After a two-week repair stop at Yokosuka in early December and a holiday port visit to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, she ended the year at Subic Bay.

In response to the growing Soviet Navy presence in the Indian Ocean, several American warships received orders to "show the flag" in the region. On 7 January 1975, Benjamin Stoddert got underway for the Indian Ocean in company with Enterprise. The warships conducted four weeks of training operations at sea before visiting Mombasa, Kenya, between 5 and 9 February. The task force sailed back to the Pacific in mid-February and arrived at Subic Bay on the 28th.

After four weeks of liberty and repairs, the warship was placed on 48-hour alert following the success of the North Vietnamese "Easter" offensive in South Vietnam. Two days later, on 5 April, the guided-missile destroyer sailed for Vung Tau, South Vietnam. Over the next two weeks, she cruised offshore with an amphibious ready group (ARG) and covered three Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships sent to the Vung Tau area on the 23d for evacuation duty. Soon the situation worsened, and the departure of Americans and South Vietnamese from Saigon began on 29 April. The guided-missile destroyer covered helicopter and boat lifts of refugees in the Vung Tau area. Then, on 3 May, she sailed to the location of a sinking South Vietnamese naval ship and rescued 19 people, including one woman and four children. Later that same day, the warship took on another 158 refugees picked up by a Korean fishing vessel.

With the end of the evacuation after the fall of Saigon, Benjamin Stoddert sailed for Hawaii on 9 May, arriving at Pearl Harbor, via Guam and Midway, on the 21st. The warship spent the summer conducting local operations and preparing for a regular overhaul, which she began at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on 1 October. Shifted out of drydock on 6 February 1976, she conducted a long series of full-power runs and sea trials before finishing her 10-month overhaul on 17 August. The crew then spent the remainder of the year conducting training evolutions, various inspections, and helicopter flight deck certifications. On 17 February 1977, the guided-missile destroyer got underway for "RIMPAC 77," a multinational naval exercise held in the Hawaiian Islands.

After finishing this exercise on 1 March, she sailed west for her first western Pacific cruise in almost two years. The end of the Vietnam War two years earlier meant that the guided-missile destroyer conducted different operations than during her previous deployments to the Far East. Instead of antiair or gunline combat operations aimed at the North Vietnamese, the warship concentrated on training to counter the threat of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines and guided-missile warships to the western Pacific region. After a stop in the Philippines in late March, Benjamin Stoddert steamed for Okinawa on 1 April and thence to the waters off Japan and South Korea for a series of exercises. She carried out an ASW exercise against Barb (SSN-596) on 6 April, a "war-at-sea" exercise with Coral Sea on the 20th, and another ASW drill with Sailfish on 5 May before returning to Subic Bay on the 17th. Over the next eight weeks, Stoddert trained in Philippine waters, practicing underway replenishment and other drills. On 6 July, she escorted Coral Sea north to Okinawa, and then participated in "MissileEx 4-77" before putting in to Pusan, South Korea, on the 20th. After a week of liberty, she joined elements of the South Korean Navy for ASW exercise "Tae Kwon Do" on 30 July. The guided-missile destroyer then steamed south, stopping at Hong Kong in mid-August before returning to Subic Bay on the 21st.

For her trip home, which began on 6 September, Benjamin Stoddert detoured south, crossing the equator on the 10th, and mooring at Fremantle, Australia, on 17 September. Following a five-day port visit, the warship sailed on to Melbourne, Australia, and to Dunedin, New Zealand, before arriving at Pago Pago, American Samoa, on 14 September. Underway the next day, the warship visited Western Samoa before proceeding on to Hawaii, to arrive in Pearl Harbor on the 22d. She spent the remainder of the year engaged in post-deployment leave and upkeep. Starting on 9 January 1978, Stoddert began eight months of local operations in Hawaiian waters. These evolutions included several firings on the Pacific Missile Range, highlighted by the successful shootdown of two MQM 74C drones by RIM 66A Standard missiles on 29 July.

Following a series of inspections and ship surveys, the warship got underway for the South Pacific on 22 September. After crossing the equator on the 28th, Benjamin Stoddert anchored at Funafuti, Tuvalu, on 29 September. The next day, she fired a 21-gun salute in recognition of that country's independence. Proceeding westward on 2 October, the warship stopped at Suva, Fiji Islands, on the 4th; visited Cairns, Australia, on 10 October; and rendezvoused with Constellation (CV-64) south of Guam on the 21st. Delayed by the need to evade a typhoon near the Philippines, the warships did not put into Subic Bay until 30 October. Over the next seven weeks, Stoddert conducted operations similar to those of her most recent deployment. Attached to the Midway (CV-41) task group, she provided screen services to the carrier as the task group cruised as far south as Pattaya, Thailand, and as far north as Kyūshū, Japan. After arriving at the latter place on 22 December, she ended the year moored at the Naval Ordnance Facility, Sasebo.

Shifting to Yokosuka on 7 January 1979, the warship received four weeks of repairs there at the Naval Ship Repair Facility. Benjamin Stoddert then steamed to Okinawa on 10 February to participate in an antiair warfare exercise called "BuzzardEx 1-79." Moving on to Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer provided planeguard services for Constellation (CV-64) through the end of the month. Departing Philippine waters on 7 March, the warship returned to Pearl Harbor on the 19th to begin a seven-week maintenance availability.