The fifth and latest ship to be named Cushing is the 23rd unit of the Spruance class of destroyers. The DD-985 was laid down on February 2, 1977 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS. She was launched on July 29, 1978, and commissioned on September 21, 1979, not on October 20, as many histories claim. Her first Commanding Officer was CDR W. C. Miller.

The reason for the difference in dates is quite simple. While Cushing was still at the building yard, Hurricane Frederick formed, and headed straight to the Mississippi coast. Understandably, the Navy was not too keen on having its newest ship get wrecked by a storm. Therefore, Cushing got underway with the USN crew assisting personnel from Ingalls, who were technically in command, to avoid the storm. We met up with USS Lexington CV-16, and followed the storm around the Gulf. This counted as our final sea trials. we were the first, and as far as I know, the only USN crew to take a combatant to sea under no national flag. We were supposed to commission in Pascagoula a week later. But, since the shipyard and the city were a bit beat up, the ceremony was moved to San Diego. So, we cleaned up the BB&G, moved some final items aboard the ship, muster on the helo/flight deck, and put the ship in commission. Upon arriving in San Diego, we tied up at Pier 7, and went out of commisson until the formal ceremony took place on October 20, 1979.

I know all of this to be true, because I was there. I am a plankowner of the Cushing. I was the first enlisted member of the Engineering Department to report to Pre-Commissioning duty in San Diego. The only other Department member there was the Chief Engineer. I reported to the ship in Mississippi in August of 1979. After the storm, we passed through the Panama Canal, and arrived in our home port, San Diego, October, 1979.

We made another trip through the Canal several months later. We had returned to Pascagoula for an upkeep. During this yard period, we had our NATO Sea Sparrow installed. On the trip back home to San Diego, Cushing became the last US combatant to pass through the Canal while it was still under US control.

The Spruance class destroyers were designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare. They carry the most powerful surface-ship mounted sonar in the world. Coupled with ASROC and anit-sub torpedoes, they are a formidable opponent for any submarine that may cross their paths.

With the addition of the Vertical Launch System (VLS) for their missile armament, the Spruance class have truly become multi-mission ships. With VLS, they can carry anti-air, sub, and surface to surface missiles, along with the 5 inch guns and the torpedoes.

These ships were the first major combatants built for the US Navy to use gas turbines as their main propulsion. The US Coast Guard and the Soviet Navy had been using turbine for several years, with good results. The primary advantage to turbines is their quick response time. On an old oil-fired ship, a speed change took a fair amount of time to be noticed. On a Spruance, the change is apparent almost at once.

There have been many ideas proposed to re-build these ships for the last half of their service lives. Most of there ideas have involved putting a flight deck (!) on board. These schemes are always being shot down. The reason is always either the cost, or the plain truth that such a modification would not enhance the ships' designed mission. They don't need to be able to carry fighters to hunt subs. The best sources that I have seen with pictures of the various schemes are "Electronic Greyhounds" by Capt. Michael Potter, and "The Hybrid Warship" by R. D. Layman & Stephen McLaughlin. Both were published by the Naval Institute Press.

Since she was commissioned, Cushing has made the usual trips to West Pac, and has served in the Persian Gulf. In 1993, she took aboard her first female crewmembers.

After commissioning, Cushing was homeported in San Diego, CA. In 1991,she was transferred to Pearl Harbor. On March 16, 1998, Cushing departed Pearl Harbor for her new homeport in Yokosuka, Japan.

USS Cushing DD-985 was decommissioned at Naval Station San Diego on September 22, 2005. She may be transferred to the Turkish Navy, but her final fate is still unknown.

Ship's Statistics

(as built)

Displacement: 7800 Tons

Dimensions: 563' 4" X 55' x 19'

Armament: (1) 2-5" 54 Cal.
(2) NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System
ASROC launcher
(3) 6-12.75" torpedo tubes

Complement: 300

Machinery: 80,000shp; 4 General Electric LM-2500 Marine Gas Turbines

Speed: 30+ Knots

Range: 6,000 Nautical Miles at 20 knots

(Changes as of 1997)

Displacement: 8040 Tons Full Load

Complement: 325

Armament:(5) 2-20mm CIWS close in defense system; ASROC launcher removed; (4) 8-Harpoon Missiles in 2-Quad canisters; (6) 1-61 Cell VLS for Tomahawk, and ASROC.

Sources

US Naval Institute Press

As Built Statistics from

(1) USS Cushing Commissioning Booklet

(2) The Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet 14th Edition

1997 Changes in Statistics from Jane's Fighting Ships 1997/1998 Edition

Text excerpts from "USS Cushing Memories"

Edited by Mark and Debra Eyman-Whitehead

"Memories" is a collection of stories, both sea and true, (and we all know the difference) that every sailor has. Naturally, we are looking for stories that are related to your service on any of the Cushings, but we would be delighted to take anything that you would like to send.

We have just completed work on the 3rd edition of "Memories". So, if you have any Cushing-related stories that you would like to have included in the 4th Edition, please contact me at the below address.

Mark Whitehead
P.O. Box 384
Manchester, WA , 98353

Last Updated 3/1/2006