USS Barney (DDG-6)

For other ships of the same name, see USS Barney.

USS Barney (DDG-6)
Career (US)
Name:	Barney (DDG-6)
Namesake:	Joshua Barney
Ordered:	March 28, 1957
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down:	August 10, 1959
Launched:	December 10, 1960
Acquired:	July 31, 1962
Commissioned:	August 11, 1962
Decommissioned:	December 17, 1990
Struck:	November 20, 1992
Fate:	Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling February 22, 2006
General characteristics
Class and type:	Charles F. Adams-class destroyer
Displacement:	3,277 tons standard, 4,526 full load
Length:	437 ft (133 m)
Beam:	47 ft (14 m)
Draft:	15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion:	2 × Westinghouse steam turbines providing 70,000 shp (52 MW); 2 shafts 4 x Foster-Wheeler 1,275 psi (8,790 kPa) boilers
Speed:	33 knots (61 km/h)
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement:	354 (24 officers, 330 enlisted)
Sensors and processing systems:	AN/SPS-39 3D air search radar AN/SPS-10 surface search radar AN/SPG-51 missile fire control radar AN/SPG-53 gunfire control radar AN/SQS-23 Sonar and the hull mounted SQQ-23 Pair Sonar for DDG-2 through 19 AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar
Armament:	1 Mark 11 launcher (DDG2-14) or Mark 13 single arm launcher (DDG-15-24) for Tartar SAM system or later the Standard SM-1 and Harpoon antiship missile 2x Mark 42 5in(127mm)/54 1x ASROC Launcher 6x 12.8in(324mm) ASW Torpedo Tubes (2xMark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes)
Aircraft carried:	None

USS Barney (DDG-6) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the third Navy ship named for Commodore Joshua Barney USN (1759–1818).

Her original designation was DD-956. On April 23, 1957, it was decided to build her as a guided missile destroyer.

Barney was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden, New Jersey on August 10, 1959, launched on December 10, 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Harry D. Wortman, and commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on August 11, 1962, Comdr. Joseph J. Doak in command.

1960s

After outfitting at Philadelphia, the guided missile destroyer put to sea on September 27 to conduct pre-shakedown qualification tests off the Virginia Capes and missile firings at Roosevelt Roads near Puerto Rico. At the conclusion of that mission, she arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 8 and remained there until the end of the year. Barney embarked upon her shakedown cruise on New Year's Day 1963 and returned to Norfolk on February 20, 1963 for availability alongside a destroyer tender before moving north to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in mid-March for a post shakedown overhaul. The guided missile destroyer completed the overhaul on May 31 and began normal operations out of Norfolk with the 2nd Fleet. That fall, she headed for the Mediterranean Sea for a five month cruise with the 6th Fleet. During that deployment, she made port visits and conducted training operations with units of the 6th Fleet and with ships of Allied navies. The warship returned to Norfolk in March 1964 and resumed operations with the 2d Fleet.

In September 1964, she returned to sea to participate in a series of NATO exercises. Those evolutions continued into November when Barney headed back to Norfolk. Type training and 2d Fleet operations carried her into the New Year. On February 15, 1965, she embarked upon her second tour of duty in the Mediterranean. For the next five months, the warship steamed the length and breadth of the "middle sea" in the screen of a fast carrier task force. She visited a number of ports in France, Italy, and Turkey and participated in a bilateral, American French, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise, Operation "Fairgame III." Barney returned to Norfolk on July 12, 1965. Second Fleet operations out of Norfolk kept her busy for the remainder of 1965 and the first two months of 1966. Those evolutions included a tour of duty at Key West, Florida, early in January as school ship for the Fleet Sonar School. On March 1, Barney entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to begin her first regular overhaul.

Repairs complete, the guided missile destroyer put to sea on September 26 to conduct ship's qualification tests and missile firings. On November 7, she began a month of post overhaul refresher training out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Following that, the warship conducted a missile firing exercise on the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range located near Puerto Rico and a gun shoot at Culebra Island. After a visit to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Barney returned to Norfolk on December 19 and remained in the Hampton Roads area for the rest of 1966.

In mid February 1967, the warship departed Norfolk bound for the Far East and her only cruise in the combat zone during the Vietnam War. That deployment lasted almost exactly seven months. On the outbound voyage, she stopped at Mayport, Florida; Guantanamo Bay; the Panama Canal Zone; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Midway Island; Guam in the Marianas; and at Subic Bay in the Philippines. While off Vietnam, Barney served in various ways. She performed duty as sea air rescue controller, interdicted Viet Cong seaborne logistics, and shelled targets ashore in both North and South Vietnam. On several occasions, the guided missile destroyer came within range of enemy shore batteries. She suffered no hits, but a member of her crew was wounded by a shell fragment from a near miss. The warship also visited Hong Kong and ports in the Philippine Islands and in Japan.

Reversing her outbound itinerary—and adding a stop at Okinawa--Barney returned to Norfolk on September 19, 1967 and began a post deployment leave and upkeep period. Following the standdown time, the warship resumed operations along the Atlantic seaboard. That occupation continued until early in March 1968 when Barney departed Norfolk for her third deployment with the 6th Fleet. Exercises and port visits constituted her main fare as they had in the past. The warship concluded her assignment with the 6th Fleet on July 12 when she departed Pollença Bay, Majorca, to return to Norfolk. She reentered her homeport on July 22, 1968.

After completing the usual post-deployment standdown, Barney resumed 2d Fleet operations out of Norfolk. Those operations included the annual winter exercise in the West Indian waters in January 1969 and ASW exercises off the coast of Florida late in February and early in March. She returned to Norfolk on March 5, 1969 to prepare for overseas movement. The guided missile destroyer stood out of Norfolk again on April 1, bound for European waters. Later that month before Barney joined the 6th Fleet, she participated in a trilateral ASW exercise with American, Spanish, and Portuguese warships. That operation was followed by hunter killer exercises in cooperation with USS Wasp (CV-18). Between 14 and May 22, the guided missile destroyer visited Portsmouth, England, for the naval review celebrating the 20th anniversary of NATO. She resumed hunter-killer exercises on May 22 and continued them until June 2 when she entered the Mediterranean.

Immediately upon joining the 6th Fleet, Barney took part in a bilateral ASW exercise with other units of the fleet and ships of the French Navy. She then visited several ports before joining in an amphibious exercise conducted at Sardinia early in August. More port visits and a carrier screening exercise followed. Finally, on September 28, she was relieved by USS Stickell (DD-888) at Pollença Bay, Majorca. On the 30th, Barney headed back to the United States and arrived in Norfolk on October 10. The customary leave and upkeep period followed. On December 1, 1969, the guided missile destroyer entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to begin regular overhaul.

1970s

Barney completed repairs in June 1970. After post-repair trials, she departed Norfolk on July 7 for refresher training in the West Indies. That assignment lasted until September when she began missile exercises. Those, however, were cut short by an urgent need for her presence in the eastern Mediterranean in response to the Jordanian crisis that resulted when open fighting erupted between the Jordanian Army and PLO guerillas. Barney departed Norfolk on September 23 and arrived on station with Task Group (TG) 60.1 on October 7. Built around carrier John F. Kennedy, TG 60.1—with Barney in the screen—cruised the eastern Mediterranean until the crisis abated early in November. The guided missile destroyer operated with the 6th Fleet for about another month during which time she visited Spanish, Italian, and Maltese ports. On December 8, 1970, she departed Rota, Spain, to return to the United States. She tied up at Norfolk on the 15th and began post deployment and holiday standdown.

Resuming normal operations at and out of Norfolk on January 15, 1971, she underwent various efficiency inspections and got underway frequently for multiship exercises, type training, and single ship drills. She remained so occupied through the summer and into the fall. In October, Barney began preparations for another tour of duty with the 6th Fleet. On December 1, the warship stood out of Norfolk wearing the pennant of the Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 2. She joined the 6th Fleet at Rota on the 9th and, for the next six months, cruised in the Mediterranean in company with other ships of the 6th Fleet, most frequently in a task group built around John F. Kennedy. The guided missile destroyer visited ports on the European, African, and Middle Eastern shores of the "middle sea." She frequently engaged in intelligence surveillance missions directed at Soviet ships in the area. She also participated in at least one bilateral exercise—with HMS Juno of the Royal Navy--as well as in a number of unilateral exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet. On June 22, she departed the Mediterranean to return home. Barney arrived back in Norfolk on June 29, 1972. After the normal leave and upkeep period, she resumed operations out of Norfolk. Those evolutions continued until November 8 when work began to convert her main propulsion plant to the use of Navy distillate fuel.

Barney's fuel conversion lasted until early in the spring of 1973. On April 23, she got underway from Norfolk for refresher training in the West Indies. The warship returned to Norfolk on May 19 and remained there until June 25 when she got underway to join NATO's Standing Naval Force, Atlantic. Barney arrived in Plymouth, England, on July 6 and operated with the NATO force in European waters for the next five months. During that period, she participated in three multinational maneuvers. One took her into the Baltic where she shadowed Soviet bloc warships. Another saw her cross the Arctic Circle, while the third took place in the North Sea. On December 5, Barney headed back to the United States. She arrived in Norfolk on December 17, 1973 and began the usual post deployment standdown period. She remained at Norfolk through the end of the year and for the first three months of 1974. On April 4, she made the short, round trip to Yorktown and back to unload ammunition in preparation for regular overhaul. She stood out of Norfolk on April 10 and arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard the next day.

Barney completed her overhaul on February 24, 1975 and arrived back in Norfolk the 26th. She spent the rest of the year operating out of Norfolk, first engaged in post-overhaul refresher training and qualifications and, later, conducting normal Atlantic Fleet operations. That employment carried her into 1976. On July 7, 1976, the guided missile destroyer departed Norfolk bound for the Mediterranean. She reached Rota on July 17 and relieved USS Sellers (DDG-11). For the next six months, she cruised the "middle sea" making port visits and conducting exercises with other units of the 6th Fleet and with elements of allied navies. On January 28, 1977, Barney departed Leixoes, Portugal, to return to the United States. She tied up at Norfolk on February 7 and, after two weeks of leave and upkeep, went into the drydock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for repairs to her sonar dome. The guided missile destroyer completed repairs on April 14 and, after sea trials, resumed normal operations out of Norfolk a week later. Training evolutions and inspections occupied her for the remainder of the year and for the first 10 weeks of 1978.

On March 16, 1978, Barney departed Norfolk on her way back to the Mediterranean. After stops at Bermuda and at Ponta Delgada in the Azores, she arrived in Rota on the 27th and joined the 6th Fleet. However, Barney remained in the "middle sea" only briefly. On April 6, she transited the Suez Canal and became a unit of the Middle East Force. The warship conducted exercises and made port visits at various East African and Persian Gulf ports over the next four months. She also collected intelligence on Soviet ships operating in the vicinity. On August 12, she retransited the Suez Canal and briefly rejoined the 6th Fleet. After a stop at Rota on August 21 and 22, she headed back to the United States and reached Norfolk on September 1. After three weeks of post deployment leave and upkeep, the guided missile destroyer entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on September 29 for a regular overhaul.

1980s

The repairs lasted for more than a year. She returned to active duty on November 5, 1979 and for the remainder of that year conducted post overhaul refresher training. Over the next year, she operated along the east coast and in the West Indies training and undergoing inspections. On November 18, 1980, Barney stood out of Norfolk bound for the Mediterranean Sea. She arrived in Rota, Spain on the 29th and joined the 6th Fleet. On December 21, she transited the Suez Canal once again and joined the Middle East Force. Again, she visited many East African and Persian Gulf ports. That assignment lasted until February 22, 1981 when she departed Bahrain to begin the long voyage home. Steaming via the Suez Canal and performing a short tour of duty with the 6th Fleet en route, Barney arrived back in Norfolk on April 9. After post deployment leave and upkeep, she resumed 2d Fleet operations out of Norfolk. Three other six month deployments would occur during the 80's....another Red Sea/Persian Gulf/Indian Ocean Cruise in 84-85. In 1987-1988 Barney embarked on a Med Cruise that involved a stint with other NATO countries in a joint exercise with other NATO ships and crews...Then Barneys final six month deployment was another Med in 1989-1990...Duties in between deployments included ship yard repair stints..one in Norfolk and another extended ship yard stay in Baltimore (Dundalk) Md...also refresher training in Gitmo was accomplished twice along with a couple joint Navy/Coast Guard drug ops cruises in the Caribbean...

Decommissioning

Barney was decommissioned on December 17, 1990, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on November 20, 1992 and sold for scrap on April 15, 1994. The scrap contract was terminated on October 1, 1996 and the ship resold on February 10, 1999.

References

• This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

• USS Barney Association web site