By Ensign Christopher M. Cate, USS Robert G. Bradley Public
Affairs
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Nearly 30 years after she was
commissioned in 1984, Cmdr. Pete Ehlers, commanding officer of USS Robert G.
Bradley (FFG 49), decommissioned the ship March 28, at a Naval Station Mayport
ceremony.
Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander, Joint Special
Operations Command, was the guest speaker; Commodore, Destroyer Squadron 14,
Capt. Ryan Tillotson, presided over the decommissioning event. Also in
attendance were previous commanding officers, as well as three survivors of USS
Princeton (CVL 23).
FFG 49 was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for a
Washington D.C. native. Lt. Robert Graham Bradley served as assistant first
lieutenant aboard Princeton, where he led a repair party in efforts to save the
ship after it was attacked by a Japanese dive bomber during the battle of Leyte
Gulf. Bradley and his repair team lost their lives when the flames spread to an
aft torpedo magazine and detonated four, 100-pound bombs. For his actions,
Bradley was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
"For nearly 30 years this ship has carried Lt. Robert
G. Bradley's name and spirit in defense of our nation," said Ehlers.
"It has been a privilege and an honor to be the commanding officer of the
last crew of 'Bradleymen.' I could not be more proud of them."
After participating in UNITAS in the Western Caribbean Sea
in September 2012, and completing a Board of Inspection and Survey, the ship
departed in late October for a seven-month deployment to the 6th Fleet Area of
Responsibility.
Initially assigned an Africa Partnership mission, the crew
quickly reconfigured the ship with four MQ-8B Fire Scouts to support Africa
Command, Counter-Terrorism Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
tasking. They completed more than 900 flight hours with the MQ-8B Fire Scouts
while on station and conducted the first concurrent Dual-Air-Vehicle mission
with another Fire Scout-equipped frigate.
The end of 2013 found the crew assisting in deployment
preparations and certifications for USS West Virginia (SSBN 123), George H.W. Bush
Carrier Strike Group, and the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group.
The ship is slated to be offered for foreign military sales.
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