The USS Richard L. Page (FFG-5) was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate of the United States Navy. It was the only ship of the U.S. Navy to bear this name.
History
Namesake
The ship was named for Richard Lucian Page (1815–1901), a career U.S. Navy officer who resigned his commission to join the Confederate States Navy at the outbreak of the American Civil War. He later became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, notably commanding Fort Morgan during the Battle of Mobile Bay. The naming of a U.S. Navy ship after a former Confederate officer generated some controversy.
Construction and Commissioning
Richard L. Page (FFG-5) was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
- Laid down: 4 January 1975
- Launched: 22 January 1977
- Commissioned: 24 January 1979, with Commander David G. Clark in command.
Service History
Richard L. Page was homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, and served with the Atlantic Fleet throughout its career. Its duties included anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-air warfare (AAW), and anti-surface warfare (ASUW) operations, as well as general escort and patrol missions.
Notable deployments and operations included:
- Operation Earnest Will: The ship participated in this operation in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War in the late 1980s, protecting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers.
- NATO Exercises: Richard L. Page frequently participated in multinational exercises with NATO allies in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
- Drug Interdiction: The frigate also conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Decommissioning and Fate
After thirteen years of service, USS Richard L. Page was decommissioned on 31 October 1992. It was subsequently stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 January 1995. The ship was eventually sold for scrap in 2004, marking the end of its existence.
Earlier Designations
Two earlier destroyer escorts were designated with the name Richard L. Page but were never built or commissioned under that name:
- DE-220: The original Richard L. Page (DE-220) was cancelled in 1943 before construction began.
- DE-247: Another destroyer escort, Richard L. Page (DE-247), was renamed Brackett (DE-247) before construction commenced.