USS DALE was the fourth ship in the LEAHY - class of "double-end" guided missile cruisers and the fifth ship in the Navy named for Commodore Richard Dale, who earned distinction as a naval leader during the American Revolution. On April 6, 2000, the DALE became the victim of a SINKEX of the Navy in the Atlantic.
DALE was last homeported in Mayport, Fla. and has won the Atlantic Fleet Battle Efficiency E Award for 1977 and 1980.
General Characteristics:
Awarded: November 7, 1958
Keel laid: September 6, 1960
Launched: July 28, 1962
Commissioned: November 23, 1963
Decommissioned: September 27, 1994
Builder: New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.
Propulsion system:4 - 1200 psi boilers; 2 General Electric geared turbines
Propellers: two
Length: 535 feet (163 meters)
Beam: 53 feet (16.1 meters)
Draft: 26 feet (7.9 meters)
Displacement: approx. 7,800 tons
Speed: 30+ knots
Aircraft: none
Armament: two Mk 141 Harpoon missile launchers, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-10 missile launchers for Standard missiles (ER), Mk 46 torpedoes from two Mk-32 triple mounts, one Mk 16 ASROC missile launcher
Crew: 27 officers and 413 enlisted
Dale was built at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, USA and commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 23 November 1963. Her sponsor was Mrs. Daniel Flood. Assigned to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force Pacific Fleet, she made five deployments to the Western Pacific over the next seven years. Between 1965 and 1970, Dale's Seventh Fleettours included participation in Vietnam War operations, during which she rescued several American aviators in the Gulf of Tonkin.
On 10 November 1970 Dale was decommissioned and began modernization at Bath, Maine to increase flexibility in combat systems. This work fitted her with the Naval Tactical Data System(NTDS) and other improvements that enhanced her anti-air and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. When recommissioned on 11 December 1971, Dale was assigned to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet and homeported in Newport, Rhode Island.
In Dale's first Mediterranean deployment in June 1973, she participated in the multinational exercise "Swift Move" in northern European Waters, and helped augment the Sixth Fleet during in the eastern Mediterranean during the tense period of U.S.-Soviet relations that accompanied the October 1973 Yom Kippur War.
In February 1974, Dale moved to her new homeport in Mayport, Florida. During 1974, Dale was selected as the operational platform for the newly deployed AN/SPS-49 two dimensional air search radar, which took Dale to the Caribbean several times during 1974 and early 1975.
Dale was reclassified as a guided-missile cruiser (CG-19) at the beginning of July 1975. In October 1975, Daledeployed to the Mediterranean, participating successfully in several national and multinational exercises and earning praise from Commander, Sixth Fleet and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe on her departure for home.
In July 1976, she helped represent the U.S. Navy during the Bicentennial Naval Review in New York Harbor. Then,Dale began a regular 12-month overhaul at the Charleston Naval Shipyard which upgraded Dale's NTDS and missile fire control systems. Upon the completion of the overhaul, Dale returned to Mayport in February 1979.
In September 1979, Dale deployed to the North Atlantic for two months to serve as the flagship for the Commander Striking Force Atlantic Fleet for the NATO exercise "Ocean Safari."
Dale spent much of her final years of service on counter-narcotics patrols in the Caribbean area, and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as on regular cruises with the Sixth Fleet. During 1991 she went to the Red Sea to help enforce sanctions against Iraq after Operation Desert Storm. She had similar duties in 1992?93, in support of United Nations' Resolutions concerning Bosnia and Yugoslavia.
Returning to Mayport in May 1976, DALE participated in the international Naval Review in New York Harbor celebrating the Nation's Bicentennial on July 4, 1976. Then DALE began a regular twelve-month overhaul at Charleston Naval Shipyard which upgraded DALE'S NTDS and Missile Fire Control Systems. Upon completion of the overhaul, DALE returned to Mayport and made preparations for another Mediterranean deployment in June 1978. DALE again had a very successful deployment and returned to Mayport in February 1979 with many commendations from both military and civilian authorities. In September 1979, DALE deployed to the North Atlantic for two months to serve as the flagship for the Commander Striking Force Atlantic Fleet for the NATO exercise "Ocean Safari." In January and February 1980 DALE participated in the Atlantic Fleet Readiness Exercise "READEX 1-80". DALE deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in March 1980 and, as a unit of the Sixth Fleet, served as flag ship for Commander-Destroyer Group Eight. A highlight of this deployment was a visit to the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania. DALE returned to Mayport in August 1980. The remainder of the year included two trips to the Caribbean for carrier support operations and participations in "COMPUTEX/ASWEX 1-81".
DALE entered Charleston Naval Shipyard in March 1981 to begin a Baseline Overhaul to update the ship's combat weapons systems and overhaul major engineering equipment. During the overhaul, which DALE completed a month early in February 1982, the 3"/50 caliber gun mounts were replaced with Harpoon missile systems, and the Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems were added to the port and starboard sides.
DALE completed Refresher Training in June 1982, and since that time has been involved with her continual cycles of inspections, and underway exercise periods, proving her value as an active contributor to fleet readiness.
