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  • Destroyers Namesake

    The first USS Norfolk was a brig in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France.

    Norfolk was built by the city of Norfolk, Virginia for the public service at the beginning of the Quasi-War with France in 1798. Captain Thomas Williams was appointed to the command and she was reported ready for sea, except for her other officers, on 9 September 1798.

    Captain Alexander Murray, commanding Montezuma, was advised that Norfolk was to be included in the little squadron under his command. Ordered to sail for the West Indies for the purpose of destroying French armed vessels and protecting American commerce, Montezuma, Norfolk, and Retaliation Lt. William Bainbridge in command, sailed from Norfolk 25 October.

    On the cruise south Retaliation was captured by two French ships. Montezuma and Norfolk, after recapturing a small American vessel which had been captured by the French, put in at Antigua. Thereafter Norfolk cruised near St. Kitts.

    Norfolk joined Commodore Truxtun’s squadron and 20 January 1799 the Commodore ordered Captain Williams to join him at Basseterre, St. Kitts. Norfolk sailed northward with a convoy of merchant ships 6 March, and proceeded to Philadelphia.

    Master Commandant William Bainbridge was ordered to relieve Captain Williams 29 March and to refit the ship for sea as soon as possible. Norfolk then sailed to St. Kitts to join Truxtun’s squadron; she arrived Basse-terre Roads 17 May and was subsequently ordered to Commodore Thomas Tingey’s Squadron. In company with Ganges 16 June Norfolk captured the French privateer Vainqueur off Guadaloupe.

    Norfolk arrived New York 14 August with French prisoners. After extensive repairs, she was ordered to the West Indies again 16 September, cruising on the San Domingo Station and later in the vicinity of Havana, actively protecting American commerce and opening island ports to American trade. She sailed from Havana 3 April 1800 with a number of merchant ships under convoy, arriving Philadelphia 12 April.

    Lt. Thomas Calvert took command of Norfolk 29 April, and on 20 May she was ordered to convoy vessels to Cartagena and then to take up station with the squadron at San Domingo. Norfolk sailed in June and en route encountered two French privateers, but both escaped, one after a half hour’s fight in which Lt. Calvert was seriously wounded. Later, in company with Boston, Norfolk captured a small cutter sloop. Lt. Calvert was ordered by Commodore Murray 2 August to take under convoy vessels from Cartagena and Cape St. Nicole Mole and proceed with them to the coast of North America, after which, due to Norfolk’s poor condition, he sailed to Baltimore.

    The Secretary of the Navy ordered Lt. Calvert to pay off the crew of Norfolk 21 October, to remove her stores and furnishings, and to prepare her for sale. Norfolk was subsequently sold, probably in November 1800.

    USS Norfolk (DL-1)
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    Career
    Builder: New York Shipbuilding Corporation
    Laid down: 1 September 1949
    Launched: 29 December 1951
    Commissioned: 4 March 1953
    Decommissioned: 15 January 1970
    Struck: 1 November 1973
    Fate: Sold 22 August 1974 and scrapped
    General Characteristics
    Displacement: 5,600 tons
    Length: 540 ft
    Beam: 54 ft
    Draft: 26 ft
    Speed: 32 knots
    Complement: 411
    Armament: 1951:
    8 × 3 in / 50 caliber guns
    16 × 20 mm AA guns
    8 × 21 in torpedo tubes
    1960:

    3 in / 50 guns replaced with 3 in / 70 guns
    20 mm guns removed
    ASROC launcher added

    For other ships with this name, see USS Norfolk.
    The second USS Norfolk (DL-1) was the first destroyer leader of the United States Navy.

    Originally projected as a hunter-killer cruiser CLK-1, she was laid down 1 September 1949 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, launched 29 December 1951, sponsored by Miss Betty King Duckworth, and commissioned 4 March 1953, Capt. Clarence Matheson Bowley in command.

    The first major U.S. warship built after the construction boom of World War II, Norfolk was authorised in 1947 as an anti-submarine hunter killer ship which could operate under all weather conditions and would carry the latest radar, sonar, and other electronic devices. As a large destroyer leader designed on a light cruiser hull she could carry a greater variety of detection gear than a destroyer.

    After her Caribbean shakedown cruise (February 1954), Norfolk was assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and between 1955 and 1957 served successively as flagship for Commander Destroyer Flotillas 2, 4, and 6. During 1956 and 1957 she acted as flagship for Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. In June 1957, Norfolk participated in the International Fleet Review as flagship for Admiral Jerauld Wright, Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet and Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic.

    By 1959 Norfolk's 8 3 inch / 50 caliber guns had been replaced by 8 3" / 70 caliber guns and her 20 mm. battery had been removed. In 1960 the addition of an ASROC launcher enhanced her antisubmarine capabilities.

    On 10 May 1960, an 83-foot Cuban vessel harassed Norfolk while she was patrolling the Florida Straits with The Sullivans (DD-537) in Cuban waters.

    In Fall 1961 she took part in UNITAS II as flagship for Commander Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 2. During the operation she performed ASW training exercises with the navies of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Norfolk repeated this cruise over the next five years during which she served as flagship of Commander South Atlantic Forces except in 1962 when she was flagship for Commander Cruiser Destroyer Forces Atlantic Fleet.

    Norfolk joined LANTFLEX 66 as flagship between 28 November and 16 December 1966. During this exercise she shadowed the Russian trawlers Repiter and Teodilit. She proved her antisubmarine capabilities again as flagship for Commander South Atlantic Forces during UNITAS VIII in Fall 1967.

    Norfolk was assigned to Commander Middle East Forces as flagship (17 April–15 October 1968). On this mission she visited Bahrain, French Somaliland, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia. Kenya, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Malagasy Republic, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Mexico, and Panama Canal Zone. In October 1968 Norfolk returned to Norfolk where she decommissioned 15 January 1970 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

    USS Norfolk (SSN-714), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Norfolk, Virginia. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 20 February 1976 and her keel was laid down on 1 August 1979. She was launched on 31 October 1981 sponsored by Mrs. Caspar Weinberger, and commissioned on 21 May 1983, with Commander Kenneth R. Karr in command.

    at least 22 years of history go here
    On August 25, 2004, Norfolk returned to Norfolk, VA after a 22-month Engineering Refueling Overhaul (ERO) at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

    The Norfolk was also at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine Between 1991 and 1993. This shipyard period was known as a Depot Modernization Period (DMP). Interesting notes about this period are that it was only supposed to take 1 year but wound up taking nearly two. To accomplish this accelerated pace the crew and shipyard were worked nearly 24 hours a day. The shipyard was in shift work and the crew was simply over worked. Most crewmen worked an average 100 hours per week with stretches as long as 36 hours without sleep. Interesting as a social experiment the Norfolk had nearly 300 captains masts in a single year with a crew of only 150 men. Most ships of this size have only 7 or 8 per year. Also during this time the ships crew had dozens of drunk driving convictions, the second lowest re-enslitment record on the east coast, and 1 suicide.

  • #2
    some interesting info from our namesake....

    Los Angeles Riots -- at a number of points in its history the city of LA has seen rioting of some sort or another. Most recently in the aftermath of the Rodney King incident when large portions of a small part of LA were burned and looted. And when the Riots win a title this season....beware....Rioting and Looting will arrive.

    As an aside, most fans would be interested to know that anytime their franchise wins a title (basketball, baseball, football, hockey, bowling, etc.), that LA fans are close by starting trouble looking to bring more RIOT fans to the fold....

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    • #3
      You know you have a virtual casino gambling problem when you write an article that had to be worth 1000 Gindens, but you still only have -60 in your account.

      Hello my name is Dr. Mac, I have a gambling problem.....
      Chad Schilling
      Original Owner/GM: St. Louis Nemesis

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Las Vegas GM
        You know you have a virtual casino gambling problem when you write an article that had to be worth 1000 Gindens, but you still only have -60 in your account.

        Hello my name is Dr. Mac, I have a gambling problem.....
        Yea I meant to bring that up to Flashen.

        I recieved 75 gindons for the post, so I tested it out and posted it again but doubled the size and only recieve 75 gindens for the 2nd post. I'm guessing that we are capped at 75 gindens per post. Then when I deleted the 2nd post it put me way in the negative, not sure why that happened.

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        • #5
          I believe if L.A. ever wins a championship the fans will just yawn, hoe hum and go about their day. Bunch of laid back fans out there in SoCal.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Dr. Mac
            I believe if L.A. ever wins a championship the fans will just yawn, hoe hum and go about their day. Bunch of laid back fans out there in SoCal.
            Ever win a championship? They need to try and win a division first. :lol:
            Stanley Morgan
            GM Boise RoughRiders

            BOISE ROUGHRIDERS -
            FIVE-TIME WALKER BOWL CHAMPIONS &
            THREE-TIME 19-0 PERFECT SEASONS

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