![[Picture of USS Elliot and USS Vincennes]](elliot.gif)
The USS Elliot (DD-967) moored alongside USS Vincennes (CG-49) inport Fremantle, Australia.
Designed and built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi, ELLIOT is a member of the first major class of surface ships in the U.S. Navy to be poweredby gas turbine engines. Four General Electric LM-2500 engines, marine versions of those used on DC-10 and C-5A aircraft, drive the ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots. Twin controllable reversible pitch propellers provide ELLIOT and her sister ships with a degree of maneuverability unique among warships of their size.
A highly versatile multi-mission destroyer, ELLIOT has a primary mission of operating in an Anti-Submarine and Strike Warfare role. She is capable of operating independently or in company with Amphibious or Carrier Task Forces. Her overall length is 563 feet and she displaces 7800 tons. ELLIOT is one of the most powerful and advanced platforms in the Navy's arsenal. ELLIOT's ASW Suite, the most advanced underwater detection and fire control systems developed, is fully integrated into a digital Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) providing the ship with faster and more accurate processing of target information. Integration of the ship's digital gun and missile fire control systems into NTDS provides quick reaction in the preformance of ELLIOT's other primary mission areas which are Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Air Warfare and Naval Gunfire Support.
The ship's weapon systems include two MK45 5-inch light weight guns, two triple barrel MK32 torpedo tubes, a NATO Sea Sparrow missile launcher, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and two Vulcan Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems. Also installed is the new MK41 Vertical Launch System that can carry and fire TOMAHAWK land-attack and anti-ship missiles. A LAMPS MK III antisubmarine helicopter is embarked onboard to provide long range reconnaisance and targeting data. Space, weight and electrical power reservations have been built into the design of the ship to provide for the addition of future weapons systems and enable ELLIOT to keep abreast of future technology.
Crew amenities in ELLIOT are an integral part of her design with spacious berthing compartments, library, classroom and weight room. Automated weapons and engineering systems permit operation of the ship with a crew of 24 Officers, 24 Chief Petty Officers and 320 enlisted personnel.
ELLIOT's decorations include the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal and two Battle "E" Awards. In 1984, ELLIOT was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commentation for search efforts in support of the Korean Airlines Flight 007 that was shot down off the East Coast of the Soviet Union. In January 1987, ELLIOT was awarded a second Meritorious Unit Commentation for operations in support of exercise Kernal Potlatch 87-1 requiring cold weather operations in the Northern Pacific and Bering Sea.
ELLIOT is the first of the Spruance-class to be named after a Vietnam War hero. Lieutenant Commander Authur James Elliot II, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Elliot of Thomaston, Maine, was born 9 April 1933. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Gorham State Teachers College in Gorham, Maine, in 1955. In June 1956, he entered the Navy Officer Candidate School and was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve in October of that year. He then served successive sea duty tours on USS LYMAN K. SWENSON (DD-729) and USS LITTLE ROCK (CLG-4). In 1962, Lieutenant Commander Elliot was assigned as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Upon completion of this tour, he reported for duty as Operations Officer aboard USS JOHN KING (DDG-3).
In December 1967 Lieutenant Commander Elliot volunteered for duty in Vietnam, where he served as Commanding Officer of PBR Squadron 57, operating in the Mekong Delta. Under his command, his squadron of river boats achieved an outstanding combat record, taking part in several major riverine operations. On 29 December 1968 Lieutenant Commander Elliot was killed in action while leading his squadron in a riverine interdiction mission.
Lieutenant Commander Elliot's awards include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service medal with two bronze stars, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, the National Order of Vietnam (5th Class), the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, the Armed Forces Expetitionary Service Medal and the U.S. Navy Expedition Medal.
ELLIOT's coat of arms serves as a heraldic remembrance of the ship's namesake, Lieutenant Commander Elliot. The red, white and blue partitions of the shield are patterned after the insignia of Lieutenant Commander Elliot's command, River Squadron Fifty-seven. Red is the heraldic symbol of courage, zeal, and leadership; white symbolizes integrity; blue represents devotion and perseverence. The unsheathed sword is symbolic of command, and its position on the shield, point downward, is significant of death in combat.
The crest, composed of a mainmast and mainsail, symbolizes the Elliot family's long association with nautical heritage of their native state of Maine. Generations of the family engaged in the shipbuilding and sailing trades. including Lieutenant Commander Elliot's paternal grandfather and namesake Arthur James Elliot, whose shipbuilding firm launched the last fivemasted schooner ever built.
The pine tree emblazoned on the sail is the symbol of the state of Maine.
The ship's motto, "Courage, Honor, Integrity," is representative of those values that characterized Lieutenant Commander Elliot throughout his career. The motto serves as a guide and an inspiration for the men who will serve onboard USS ELLIOT throughout her commissioned life.
Photograph Copyright © 1995 Mark Turner.