Crewmembers filed out of the Perry class guided missile frigate as part of the Decommissioning Ceremony at Pearl Harbor. For the crew of about 120 sailors, this day is bittersweet. They will no longer hear the hum of her engines out at sea. But the crew’s also looking forward to the next chapter in their military career.
"The life blood of the ship is the crew and it’s gonna be sad to see them go, but they’re all moving on to bigger and better things, and they’ll take the skills and knowledge they learned here and hopeful and make their next ship or their next station a better place," said Crewmember LT. Tyler Sharp.
The USS Crommelin is named after three brothers who served in the Navy and were hailed as heroes during World War II. Two of them died in battle. She was first commissioned back in 1983 in Seattle, and as the first commanding officer remembers it, one of the most powerful ships of its kind.
"This ship was beautiful, she ran as well in the trough as she ran going into the sea or even better," said retired First Commanding Officer, Captain James Orvis.
In 1991, Pearl Harbor became the homeport for the USS Crommelin. She served several deployments in the Persian Gulf. And has also battled in the war against drugs.
In 2004, her crew intercepted more than 20 tons of cocaine worth more than a billion dollars. In recent years, the Crommelin has served mainly in anti-submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean.
So what happens now that the U.S. Navy no longer needs her services? She’ll likely be sold and serve another country.
"That’s typically what it will do it will be brought back to life in another navy," said LT. Sharp.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
