USS Conolly (DD-979), named for Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly USN, was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi.
History
Conolly was laid down 29 September 1975, launched 19 February 1977, and commissioned 14 October 1978.
1980s
From August to December 1980, Conolly deployed as part of the Middle East Force. She deployed as part of this force again from October 1981 to February 1982. In approximately May 1982, Conolly cruised to the U.S. Virgin Islands from U.S. Naval Base Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. While in the USVI, Conolly suffered a cracked bow sonar dome that required her return, under her own power, to Newport News Shipyards for repairs. While in route to Newport News, Conolly experienced a fire in one of the engineering spaces, which the ship’s damage control fire fighters promptly contained. Upon arrival in Newport News, Conolly was repaired in dry docks. In September 1982, she deployed to the Mediterranean including operations off the coast of Lebanon.
In June 1983 Conolly deployed again participating in UNITAS XXIV, an annual exercise working with partner navies in South America. Conolly made multiple port visits and worked with a variety of South American navies before returning home in December of the same year. Conolly was the flagship for the cruise, with the staff of Commander, South Atlantic (COMSOLANT), Rear Admiral Clint Taylor, USN, embarked.
Due to equipment casualties in the engineering plant while on the east coast of Chile, the crew had to repair in place the pneumatic clutch-brake assemblies on the two forward gas turbine engines, the second repair having to be completed at sea en route Montevideo, Uruguay. Once in port, the damaged LM-2500 Gas Turbine Main Engine was replaced in 82 hours, using a large floating crane in the port facility.
In addition to the UNITAS cruise, Conolly left Brazil in November and sailed, initially in company with , east to conduct a West African Training Cruise (WATC). Conolly visited Liberville, Gabon; Lagos, Nigeria; Monrovia, Liberia and finally Dakar, Senegal, before transiting west to Roosevelt Roads, PR for a refueling stop before returning to her homeport of Norfolk, VA in mid-December, 1983.
While sailing from Brazil, Conolly was required to conduct a transfer of fuel, while underway, to the Jesse L. Brown, so that ship would have sufficient fuel to make her port call in Equatorial Guinea. Conolly was the first Spruance-class vessel to complete such a task, which was not an assigned capability for the ships. Approximately 30,000 gallons were sent to the Brown using 2" fire hoses to deliver the fuel, taking about 4 hours.
In February, 1984, Conolly sailed to Portland, ME, to enter a regular overhaul (ROH) at the newly opened Bath Iron Works facility. The overhaul lasted 10 months, during which Conolly was fitted with the Tomahawk Weapons System. Also installed was the MK 15 Close in Weapons System and the Mk 23 Target Acquisition System. During the yard period, Commander Harry Maixner was relieved by Commander Gary Voorheis as Captain of the ship.
In October 1985 Conolly once again deployed as part of the Middle East Force. During this deployment "Conolly" was involved in the boarding of an American flagged ship by the Iranian Navy. She returned from this deployment in April 1986. In June 1987 she made another deployment to the Mediterranean and followed this up with two more deployments in 1989 as part of the Middle East Force, and 1992 MIF (Maritime Interception Force)during Iraq war.
1990s
Conolly spent January 1991 at Metro Machine (now General Dynamics NASSCO) in Norfolk, Virginia for a regular overhaul (ROH).
In 1993, Conolly was deployed in support of Operation Uphold Democracy, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Haiti.
From 6 to 10 June 1994, Conolly participated in World War II commemoration activities at Cavalaire-sur-Mer, France.
That same year, Conolly deployed to the Arabian Peninsula, conducting maritime interception operations in the Red Sea in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. During that deployment, on 12 July 1994, Conolly came to the rescue of sixty-two crewmembers of the Panamanian-registered ferry Al Loloa following a fire on board the ferry. Conolly answered the vessel's distress call and proceeded to the scene of the fire. Sixty-one of the ferry's all Egyptian crew had already abandoned ship and were found safe in five life rafts. A survey team from Conolly boarded the Al Loloa and found the fire out of control. Before returning to Conolly, the survey team found the missing crewmember unharmed.