Namesake William H. P. Blandy Laid down 29 December 1955 Commissioned 26 November 1957 Construction started 29 December 1955 Builder Fore River Shipyard | Ordered 23 October 1954 Acquired 20 November 1957 Decommissioned 5 November 1982 Launched 19 December 1956 | |
USS Blandy (DD-943) was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer, named for Admiral William H. P. Blandy USN (1890–1954),
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Blandy was built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts and was launched 19 December 1956, sponsored by Mrs. John M. Lee, daughter of Admiral Blandy; and commissioned 26 November 1957, Commander William F. Cafferata in command.
History
In 1958, Blandy bore the American Unknown Soldier of World War II's European Theater from Naples to a rendezvous off the Virginia Capes with Boston (CAG-1), which bore the Unknowns of the Pacific Theater and the Korean War, and Canberra (CAG-2). After the selection of the Unknown of World War II was made on board Canberra, the selected casket and the Korean Unknown were transferred to Blandy for transportation to Washington, D.C. Arriving at the U.S. Naval Gun Factory on 28 May, both caskets lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda until 30 May, after which they were interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1961, Blandy won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet. In 1968, Blandy was awarded the Arleigh Burke fleet trophy award for all Atlantic Fleet
Fate
The ship was decommissioned on 5 November 1982 and struck from the Navy List on 27 July 1990.
She was sold for scrap to the Fore River Shipyard and Iron Works on 11 December 1992. When the shipyard went bankrupt in 1993, she was resold to N. R. Acquisition Incorporated of New York City by the Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court and scrapped by Wilmington Resources of Wilmington in North Carolina in 1996.