FFG 19 | USS JOHN A. MOORE

FFG 19

Namesake:

Commander John A. Moore

USS JOHN A. MOORE is the first ship in the United States Navy to be named in honor of Commander John A. Moore, U.S. Navy, whose distinguished and gallent service to his country during World War II became a hallmark for those who followed.

Commander Moore was born on 12 January, 1910, in Brownwood, Texas. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign on 2 June, 1932. He first served in the USS ARIZONA, and in November, 1934, transferred to New London, Connecticut, for submarine training. After serving five years on various submarines, and two tours ashore, Commander Moore received orders to the USS GRAYBACK (SS 208) as commanding officer, on 29 June, 1943. It was while he was commanding the GRAYBACK that he distinguished himself as a courageous and highly effective submariner. Commander Moore was a pioneer in the development of the American style wolf-pack tactics and the submerged radar approaches that were used so effectively against the Japanese in the later stages of the war. The GRAYBACK was a member of the first American wolf-pack in the Pacific theater that consisted of six submarines. The group sank more than 100,000 tons of Japanese shipping in one month alone in early 1944. During the GRAYBACK's last three war patrols under the command of Commander Moore, the ship was credited with sinking at least nine Japanese ships and inflicting damage to many more. It was on Commander Moore's third patrol with the GRAYBACK that the submarine and its heroic crew were listed as missing in action when they failed to return from patrol on 28 March, 1944.

For his service during World War II, Commander Moore was awarded the Navy Cross, with two Gold Stars in lieu of the second and third awards, the Purple Heart, the Navy Unit Commendation, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Medal, the American Area Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Americal Defense Service Medal.

Historical Notes:


Construction for JOHN A. MOORE began with keel laying by Todd Pacific Shipyards corporation in Los Angeles, Calif., on December 19, 1978. The ship was christened by John A. Moore's widow, Mrs. Virginia S. Moore on October 20, 1970 and commissioned on November 14, 1981.

USS JOHN A. MOORE transferred to the naval surface reserve force in 1987 as part of Surface Squadron 1, which later became Destroyer Squadron 1. The ship was partially crewed by naval reservists. Over the 19 years of service, the ship made nine deployments; four to the Western Pacific, one to the Arabian Gulf and four counternarcotics deployments to the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. During these deployments, the ship visited 21 countries and operated with many foreign navies. Previously homeported in Long Beach, USS JOHN A. MOORE shifted homeports to San Diego in early 1994.

The ship returned from the last deployment on May 22, 2000. This deployment was exceptionally successful with the ship and embarked detachments from HSL-84 and the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific tactical law enforcement being credited with the interdiction of 11.5 metric tons of cocaine. Additionally, the ship located six fishing vessels in violation of Colombian law and suspected of supporting narcotics traffic through the Eastern Pacific.

The ship's motto, "never give in," was selected by the ship's commissioning commanding officer, Capt. Alan W. Swinger, USN, (ret) based on inspiration provided by Moore's wife and daughter.

Ship's Crest:

Supporters: Not yet available

The Shield: Not yet available

The Crest: Not yet available

Motto: Not yet available

PHOTOS

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