Naval Warfare

USS Elliot (DD-967)

Destroyer Warship [ 1977 ]

The USS Elliot DD 967 was sunk as a target vessel in June of 2005 off of Australia, becoming an artificial reef.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/02/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The USS Elliot was one of the 31 Spruance-class destroyers (no longer in service with the United States Navy - USN). One of her final support operations involved action in Operation Enduring Freedom. After some 30-plus years of active service, the vessel was relegated to target duty and was sunk off of the coast of Australia in joint operation exercises to which she would become an artificial reef for the local environment. A conventional naval vessel operated by up to 334 personnel, the USS Elliot set out in 1977, was later fitted with her Sea Sparrow missile capabilities, and then reported for service in 1978. Her voyages took her primarily around the Pacific Ocean serving in fleet and deployed multiple times.

Power was derived from her four General Electric GE LM2500 gas turbines feeding twin shafts at 80,000 shaft horsepower providing up to 32 knots. Armament for the type initially revolved around her 2 x 5" Mark 45 dual-purpose main guns (one forward and one aft). This would shortly be supplemented by the addition of her NATO Sea Sparrow missile launchers. Additional offensive firepower was supplied by 2 x 324mm torpedo launchers, Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers and Phalanx CIWS systems, the latter around her primary superstructure. Her profile was characterized by her twin main masts amidships. A helicopter pad at near-stern served the 2 x Sikorsky-type SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.

The USS Elliot was ordered in 1971, laid down in 1973 and launched in 1974, being officially commissioned in 1977. She was named after Lieutenant Commander Arthur Elliot II whom lost his life while serving in the United States Navy as a commander in the Patrol Boat River Squadron 57 in the Vietnam War.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1977

Origin

United States

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

334
PERSONNEL

Class

Spruance-class

Number-in-Class

31
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

USS Spruance (DD 963); USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964); USS Kinkaid (DD 965); USS Hewitt (DD 966); USS Elliot (DD 967); USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968); USS Peterson (DD 969); USS Caron (DD 970); USS David R. Ray (DD 971); USS Oldendorf (DD 972); USS John Young (DD 973); USS Comte de Grasse (DD 974); USS O'Brien (DD 975); USS Merrill (DD 976); USS Briscoe (DD 977); USS Stump (DD 978); USS Conolly (DD 979); USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); USS John Hancock (DD 981); USS Nicholson (DD 982); USS John Rodgers (DD 983); USS Leftwich (DD 984); USS Cushing (DD 985); USS Harry W. Hill (DD 986); USS O'Bannon (DD 987); USS Thorn (DD 988); USS Deyo (DD 989); USS Ingersoll (DD 990); USS Fife (DD 991); USS Fletcher (DD 992); USS Hayler (DD 997)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

Length

563.0 ft
171.60 m

Beam

55.0 ft
16.76 m

Draught

29.0 ft
8.84 m

Displacement

8,040
tons

Installed Power: 4 x General Electric GE LM2500 gas turbines feeding 2 x shafts and delivering 80,000shp.

Surface Speed

32.0 kts
(36.8 mph)

Range

3,240 nm
(3,728 mi | 6,000 km)

2 x 5" Mark 45 main guns

2 x 20mm Phalanx Mark 15 CIWS anti-aircraft anti-missile systems

1 x Octuple NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 anti-aircraft missle launchers

2 x Quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers

2 x 324mm Mark 23 torpedo tubes for Mark 46 type torpedoes

2 x Quadruple ABL Mark 43 Tomahawk cruise missile launchers

1 x 21 RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launcher

1 x Mark 41 VLS Tomahawk/ASROC launcher

Supported Types

Graphical image of a historical warship turreted main gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft Gatling-style rotating gun

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a medium-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

Graphical image of an aircraft anti-ship missile

Graphical image of an air launched cruise missile weapon

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

2 x Sikorsky Sh-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.