USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)

USS "Samuel B. Roberts" (FFG-58) is one of the final ships in the United States Navy's "Oliver Hazard Perry" class of guided missile frigates (FFG). The ship was severely damaged by an Iranian mine in 1988, leading U.S. forces to respond with Operation Praying Mantis.

Commissioning and namesake

The frigate was named for Samuel B. Roberts, a Navy coxswain who was killed evacuating US Marines during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. FFG-58, the third U.S. ship to bear the coxswain's name, was launched in December 1984 by Bath Iron Works (BIW) and sponsored by the wife of Jack Yusen, a sailor who served in World War II and in the battle of Leyte Gulf on the former Samuel B Roberts. Put in commission in April 1986 under the command of Commander Paul X. Rinn, the ship racked up numerous awards and commendations even before its first deployment.

1988 deployment and mine strike

The frigate deployed from its homeport of Newport, Rhode Island in January 1988, heading for the Persian Gulf to participate in Operation Earnest Will, the escort of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers during the Iran–Iraq War. The Roberts had arrived in the Gulf and was heading for a refueling rendezvous on April 14 when the ship struck an M-08 naval mine in the central Persian Gulf, an area it had safely transited a few days previously. The mine blew a 15-foot (5 m) hole in the hull, flooded the engine room, and knocked the two gas turbines from their mounts. The crew fought fire and flooding for five hours, thereby saving the ship. Ten sailors were medevaced for injuries sustained in the blast; six returned to the "Roberts" in a day or so, while four burn victims were sent for treatment to a military hospital in Germany, and eventually to medical facilities in the United States. [Liewer, Steve, "Teamwork Saved Stricken Warship", "San Diego Union-Tribune, April 19, 2008.]

When U.S. divers recovered several unexploded mines, they found that their serial numbers matched the sequence on mines seized the previous September aboard an Iranian minelayer named Iran Ajr. Four days later, U.S. forces retaliated against Iran in Operation Praying Mantis, a one-day campaign that was the largest American surface engagement since World War II. [Love, Robert William. "History of the U.S. Navy." Harrisburg: Stackpole Books, 1992. ISBN 0811718638 p. 787] U.S. ships, aircraft, and troops destroyed two Iranian oil platforms used to control Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf, sank one Iranian frigate, damaged another, and sent at least three armed, high-speed boats to the bottom. The U.S. lost one Marine helicopter and its crew of two airmen in what appeared to be a night maneuver accident rather then a result of hostile operations.

Repairs

On 27 June 1988, "Roberts" was loaded onto the "Mighty Servant 2", a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship owned by Dutch shipping firm Wijsmuller Transport and carried back to Newport for $1.3 million. [ [http://navybook.com/nohigherhonor/timeline.shtml NO HIGHER HONOR: Timeline ] ] The frigate arrived at BIW's Portland, Maine, yard on 6 October, 1988 for repairs. The repair job was unique: the entire engine room was cut out of the hull, and a 315-ton replacement module was jacked up and welded into place. [ [http://navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-ffg58repair.shtml NO HIGHER HONOR: Photos: FFG 58 under repair at Bath Iron Works ] ] She undocked 1 April, 1989 for sea trials. "Roberts" returned to service after a ceremony on 16 October, 1989 after 13 months of repairs. She was completed three weeks ahead of schedule at a cost of $89.5 million, $3.5 million less than expected.cite book|author=Peniston, Bradley|title= [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf] | location=Annapolis | publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2006 | id=ISBN 1-59114-661-5] By comparison, USS|Princeton|CG-59|6 set off a bottom moored mine during the 1991 Gulf War and cost was $24 million. [Annati] However, she was not directly struck by the mine and the cruiser's displacement is nearly twice that of "Roberts". The mine that nearly sank "Roberts" had an estimated cost of $1500. [Annati]

After repair

"Roberts" would make her second deployment in 1990 for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. On March 28, 1991, she returned to Newport after conducting operations with the Red Sea Maritime Interception Force working cooperatively with an international force of ships to enforce U.N. sanctions against Iraq. The frigate alone conducted over 100 boardings of merchant ships to prevent cargo shipments to or from Iraq. [http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/dstorm/dsmar.htm (PD-USN)]

On August 30, 1991, Joseph A. Sestak took command of "Roberts", which was named the Atlantic Fleet's best surface combatant in the 1993 Battenberg Cup competition.

"Sammy B", as the ship is sometimes called, is homeported in Mayport, Florida.

Notes

ources

*Annati, Massimo "Al diavolo le mine" RID magazine, Coop. Riviera Ligure, Italy, n. 6/2005

Further reading

*cite book
author=Peniston, Bradley
title= [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf] |location=Annapolis | publisher=Naval Institute Press
year=2006
id=ISBN 1-59114-661-5
*cite book
author=Wise, Harold Lee
title= [http://www.insidethedangerzone.com Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88]
location=Annapolis | publisher=Naval Institute Press
year=2007
id=ISBN 1-59114-970-3

External links

* [http://www.roberts.navy.mil/ USS "Samuel B. Roberts" official site]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/07/0758.htm navsource.org: USS "Samuel B. Roberts"]
* [http://www.navysite.de/ffg/FFG58.HTM navysite.de: USS "Samuel B. Roberts"]
* [http://www.nohigherhonor.com "Samuel B. Roberts" narrative and timeline]
* [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-ffg58new.shtml Photos of "Samuel B. Roberts" during February 1986 sea trials]
* [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-ffg58commissioning.shtml Photos of "Samuel B. Roberts" being commissioned in April 1986]
* [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-servant.shtml Photos of "Samuel B. Roberts" being hauled from the Persian Gulf to Newport, R.I. aboard "Mighty Servant 2" in 1988]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/frigates/pages/samuel_b_roberts_ffg58_page_1.htm MaritimeQuest USS Samuel B. Roberts FFG-58 pages]