Namesake:
Admiral Frank George Fahrion
Admiral Fahrion was born on 17 April 1894 in Pickens, West Virginia. He
was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1917, and
served in a succession of destroyers. Prior to the attack on Pearl
Harbor, he lead a destroyer division guarding convoys to Iceland and to
Mid-Atlantic rendezvous with British escorts.
During World War II, Fahrion was the Destroyer Screen Commander for the
"YORKTOWN" carrier task force in the early Central Pacific raids on the
Gilbert Islands. For service as Chief of Staff to Commander North
Pacific Force, he was awarded the Legion of Merit. He earned a Gold
Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit for the skillful direction or
research development and manufacturing phases of the successful torpedo
program, while commanding the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode
Island, February 1943 - July 1944. The Bronze Star Medal for Valor was
won by Fahrion as Commanding Office of the battleship USS NORTH
CAROLINA (BB 55) during Fleet raids ranging from the Philippines to Iwo
Jim and Okinawa. He was advanced to flag rank in January of 1945. In
recognition of his skillful and intensive direct naval gunfire support
missions while commanding Cruiser Division Four throughout the Okinawa
Campaign, Admiral Fahrion received a Gold Star in lieu of a second
Bronze Star Medal.
At the close of World War II, Admiral Fahrion was awarded a Gold Star
in lieu of a third Legion of Merit for superbly organizing and
directing the target and salvage units of the Joint Task Force One
during "Operation Crossroads," the atomic bomb tests of July 1946 at
Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Before retirement, he served as Inspector General, Pacific and U.S.
Pacific Fleet: Commander Destroyers, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1946 - 1948),
and Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, Washington, D.C. In July
1950, he assumed command of the Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet,
and was Commander Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, from January
1952 until his retirement on 1 May 1956.
After retirement from the Navy, Admiral and Mrs. Fahrion made their
home in La Jolla, California, where he died on 16 January 1970.
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Ship's Crest:
 The Shield:
Within the shield of the seal, the
voided pile forms a "V," a symbol worn by the Navy recipients of both
the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal to denote combat
involvement. The gold stars are indicative of successive awards of
those combat awards. The combination of the "V" and the stars is
suggestive of the destroyer screens Admiral Fahrion led defending
convoys in the Atlantic and conducting raids on the Gilbert Island in
the Pacific. The red connotes wartime service, dark blue and gold the
traditional Navy colors symbolizing sea power.
The Crest: The crest, the upper
portion
consisting of the dragon and missile, symbolizes Admiral Fahrion's
weapons development work, and his significant service in "Operation
Crossroads," the atomic bomb tests of 1946 at Bikini Atoll, Marshall
Islands. The dragon also dramatizes the firepower and the design
mission of the FFG, which is to provide self-defense and protection to
underway replenishment groups and military and mercantile convoys
against surface, air and sub-surface threats.
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