History of USS Mitscher

USS Mitscher was named for Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher. He was born January 26,1887, in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy 3 June 1910. After serving in various capacities around the world, he returned to the United States in 1946, to serve as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air Service. He served briefly as commander 8th Fleet and on 1 March 1946 became Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, with the rank of admiral. While serving in that capacity, he died at Norfolk, VA, 3 February 1947.

USS Mitscher had a displacement of 3,676 tons. She was 493 feet long with a beam width of 50 feet and a draft of 13 feet 10 inches .She could attain a speed of 30 knots. She had a crew of 403 officers and enlisted men. Her armament consisted of two 5-inch and four 3-inch gunmounts, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, ASROC, and one depth charge tract. She was a Mitscher class DL.

Mitscher's keel was laid down as DD-927, 3 October 1949, by the Bath Iron Works, Corp., Bath, Maine; re-designated DL 2, 2 February 1951; launched 26 January 1952; sponsored by Mrs. Marc A. Mitscher, widow of Admiral Mitscher; and commissioned 15 May 1953, with Comdr. Terrell H. W. Connor in command.

After initial shakedown exercises off Cuba, Mitscher a guided missile frigate, returned to Boston for further modification.

On September 20, 1958, she had the honor of taking President Eisenhower and his presidential party and guests out for the start of the America's Cup Race off Block Island, Rhode Island.

After another shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, ending 31 August 1964. Her homeport then became Newport, RI.

She conducted exercises off the east coast until 3 January 1966, when she sailed on a good-will cruise to England, Germany, and France, returning to Rhode Island 10 February. For the next six years, she continued her east coast operations, deploying annually either to the northern or eastern Atlantic for NATO exercises.

On 9 February 1961, she departed her new homeport Charleston, SC, and steamed to the Mediterranean for her first 8-month tour with the 6th Fleet. Such deployments over the next four years involved her in further NATO exercises as well as 6th Fleet exercises.

In August 1964, while in the Mediterranean, she stood off Cyprus to aid in the evacuation of American nationals, then steamed through the Suez Canal to patrol the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

On 2 March 1966, Mitscher departed Newport for the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. There, on the 18th of March, she was decommissioned for conversion to a guided missile destroyer, DDG 35. Re-commissioned 29 June 1968, Mitscher reported the same day to ComCruDesLant for fitting out at Philadelphia. Following more sea trials and shakedown exercises off the east coast, she reported to DesDiv 182 for duty in the Atlantic Fleet.

USS Mitscher (DDG 35) was decommissioned on June 1, 1978. It was 25 years after her first commissioning.

Submitted by Al Marquis, Historian
Posted: 12 June 2004