View source for USS Leftwich

{{short description|Spruance-class destroyer (1979–2003)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{coord|22.8130560|-160.5666670|display=title}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS Leftwich (DD-984) at Seattle, Washington (USA), on 1 August 1986 (6475451).jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Leftwich'' in [[Seattle]] on 1 August 1986
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1998}}
|Ship name= ''Leftwich''
|Ship namesake=[[William G. Leftwich, Jr.]]
|Ship ordered=15 January 1974
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship laid down=12 November 1976
|Ship launched=8 April 1978
|Ship acquired=6 August 1979
|Ship commissioned=25 August 1979
|Ship decommissioned=27 March 1998
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=27 March 1998
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NPFD
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}{{ICS|Delta}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-984
|Ship motto=''Superiority Through Teamwork''
|Ship fate=[[Target ship|Sunk as target]], 1 August 2003{{citation needed|reason=Date and coordinates needed.|date=November 2019}}
|Ship badge=[[File:DD-984 crest.png|150px]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Spruance class destroyer infobox ship characteristics
|armament type=ABL
}}
|}

'''USS ''Leftwich'' (DD-984)''' was a ''[[Spruance-class destroyer]]'' built by the [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] Division of [[Litton Industries]] at [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]]. She was named for [[Lieutenant colonel|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[William G. Leftwich, Jr.]],<ref>[http://www.mca-marines.org/programsGroundDinner_LeftwichBio.asp USMC biography of LtCol William Leftwich] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907233147/http://www.mca-marines.org/programsGroundDinner_LeftwichBio.asp |date=7 September 2008 }}</ref> [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] (1931–1970), commander of the [[1st Reconnaissance Battalion]] who was killed in action during [[Operation Imperial Lake]] in [[Quảng Nam Province]] [[South Vietnam]] on 18 November 1970 in a helicopter crash during the extraction of one of his reconnaissance teams. For this action, Lieutenant Colonel Leftwich received the [[Silver Star]]. Lieutenant Colonel Leftwich's medals and awards include: the [[Navy Cross]], the Silver Star (posthumous), the [[Legion of Merit]] with Combat "V" and two gold stars, the [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]], the [[Air Medal]] with one gold star, the [[Purple Heart]] with two gold stars, and various personal awards from the Republic of Vietnam.

''Leftwich'' was laid down on 12 November 1976; and launched 8 April 1978<!--, sponsored by SPONSOR-->; and commissioned 25 August 1979. The Commissioning speaker was the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], Admiral [[Thomas B. Hayward]], USN, who was a classmate of Bill Leftwich at the [[United States Naval Academy]]. Also in attendance at the Commissioning was [[H. Ross Perot]], also a classmate of Lieutenant Colonel Leftwich. Both of Colonel Leftwich's sons and his widow attended the commissioning as well.

== 1979–1985 ==
''Leftwich'' sailed from Pascagoula, MS the morning following the commissioning on 26 August 1979, en route via the [[Panama Canal]] for her [[homeport]], [[Naval Station San Diego]], from which she operated until March 1985.

On sailing, [[Hurricane David]] was threatening to make its way into the [[Gulf of Mexico]], so shipping traffic on the transit to the Panama Canal was unusually light. Hurricane David did strike the Gulf coast, and was followed shortly after by [[Hurricane Frederic]], which caused many ships at Ingalls Shipbuilding and Drydock to sortie into the hurricane.

The ''Leftwich'' made one of the fastest transits on record of the Panama Canal, making the passage without having to anchor. On sailing north in the Pacific Ocean, ''Leftwich'' found herself behind [[1979 Pacific hurricane season|Hurricane Guillermo]], which tracked along the western coast of [[Mexico]], and then turned westward out into the Pacific, allowing the ship to arrive at her new homeport on schedule. While following the storm, ''Leftwich'' experienced {{convert|30|ft}} waves.

In the few months after arrival in San Diego, CA, ''Leftwich'' conducted "Shakedown" training under the guidance of Fleet Training Group, Pacific, in the San Diego Operations Area (OPAREA). In January 1980, ''Leftwich'' returned to Litton Industries at Pascagoula, MS for Warranty repairs and a Post-Shakedown Availability, which included the installation of the NATO [[RIM-7 Sea Sparrow|Sea Sparrow]] and [[Harpoon (missile)|Harpoon]] missile system.

On 29 November 1982 she collided with the submarine [[USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610)|USS ''Thomas A. Edison'']] (SSBN-610) approximately {{convert|40|mi}} east of [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]], Philippines. Both ships were conducting war games. ''Thomas A. Edison'' was at [[periscope depth]] when the collision occurred. Both ships suffered damage and returned to Subic Bay.  ''Edison'' suffered damage to her [[Sail (submarine)|sail]], [[Diving plane|sail planes]], and [[sonar]] dome. ''Leftwich'' suffered damage to her sonar dome, sonar dome "banjo" strut, and forward fuel storage tanks located in the forward hull. Two months later, ''Thomas A. Edison'' made a surface transit to [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]] for decommissioning without the damage having been repaired.

In 1984, ''Leftwich'' suffered hull and sonar window damage due to high-speed operations in heavy seas during fleet exercises on her deployment to Indian Ocean/Western Pacific (WESTPAC 1984).

== 1985–1998 ==
On 1 April 1985 ''Leftwich'' arrived at her new homeport of [[Pearl Harbor#Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard|Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]]. This remained her homeport for the rest of her career.

Leftwich, under the command of RADM (then Commander) Daniel Bowler, participated in [[Operation Nimble Archer]] on 19 October 1987. This was a response to Iran's 16 October 1987 attack on the MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait, with a Silkworm missile.
[[File:Royal Navy Westland Lynx HAS.3 aboard USS Leftwich (DD-984) during the 1991 Gulf War.jpg|left|thumb|[[Royal Navy]] [[Westland Lynx|Westland Sea Lynx]] aboard USS ''Leftwich'' in 1991]]
''Leftwich'' with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 Detachment 5 embarked, arrived at Naval Station Pearl Harbor homeport. In 1990–91, under the command of Commander Patrick Garrett in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the destroyer conducted more than 200 merchant ship interceptions and one boarding. She was one of the first ships to fire [[BGM-109 Tomahawk]] [[cruise missile]]s during the conflict, and was the first combatant to conduct a wartime reload of Tomahawks for continued operations. With embarked [[helicopter]]s and [[SEALs]], she captured the first Iraqi territory repatriated in the war (an island off the coast of the al-Faw waterway), multiple enemy prisoners of war, and conducted 16 combat search and rescue cases. For her efforts in the Persian Gulf, The Leftwich and her crew were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon and the Combat Action Ribbon.
{{stack|[[File:USS Leftwich (DD-984) at anchor off Bahrain on 16 May 1993.jpeg|thumb|USS ''Leftwich'' off [[Bahrain]] on 16 May 1993]]}}
During her career, ''Leftwich'' made eight deployments in the Western Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and [[Persian Gulf]]. She participated in [[Operation Nimble Archer]], [[Operation Desert Shield (Gulf War)|Desert Shield]], and [[Desert Storm]] as well as operations in support of UN sanctions against [[Iraq]].

''Leftwich'' was decommissioned and stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 27 March 1998. She was sunk as a target on 1 August 2003 at {{coord|22|48|47|N|160|34|00|W|}} in the Pacific Ocean.

Awards, Medals, and Commendations for ship and/or crew: (needs more help) Sept 87 – Nov 87, Jan 97 – Mar 97, Apr 97 Three [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]s, Jan 91 – Feb 91 [[Combat Action Ribbon]], Jan 91 – Feb 91 [[Navy Unit Commendation]], Jul 81- Sept 81 [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]], Jan 88 – Jun 89 & Jan 91 – Dec 92 Two [[Battle Effectiveness Award]]s, [[National Defense Service Medal]], Dec 90 – Mar 91 [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]], 8 [[Sea Service Ribbon]]s, Dec 97 – Dec 98 Chief of Naval Operations Letter of Commendation, [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)|Kuwait Liberation Medal]], [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)]] 1990? Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon (drug interdiction ops, relieved the Ingersoll)

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
USS Ingersoll (DD-990) and USS Leftwich (DD-984) at Pearl Harbor on 1 April 1983.jpeg|[[USS Ingersoll (DD-990)|USS Ingersoll]] and USS ''Leftwich'' in [[Pearl Harbor]] on 1 April 1983
US Navy 330-CFD DN-SC-92-06798 Starboard beam view of USS Leftwich (DD-984) underway.jpg|USS ''Leftwich'' on 1 April 1987
USS Leftwich (DD-984) underway on patrol in the Gulf of Oman on 1 October 1987.jpg|USS ''Leftwich'' in the [[Gulf of Oman]] on 1 October 1987
USS Leftwich (DD-984) underway in the Pacific Ocean on 16 December 1988 (6483090).jpg|USS ''Leftwich'' in the [[Pacific Ocean]] on 16 December 1988
</gallery>

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DD984|title=nvr.navy.mil: USS ''Leftwich''}}
*{{navsource|05/984}}
*[http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd984.htm united-states-navy.com: USS ''Leftwich'']
*[https://archive.today/20070701074850/http://www.us-submarine.com/edisoncrash.html Webpage showing damage to ''Thomas A. Edison'' from ''Leftwich'']
*[https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1790779 LinkedIn.com Group: USS Leftwich DD-984]
*[https://www.facebook.com/groups/76827325502 USS Leftwich Alumni Association page]

{{Spruance class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leftwich (Dd-984)}}
[[Category:Spruance-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gulf War ships of the United States]]
[[Category:1978 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]