Name Taylor Laid down 5 May 1983 Construction started 5 May 1983 Length 138 m Beam 14 m | Awarded 22 May 1981 Commissioned 1 December 1984 Launched 5 November 1983 Draft 6.71 m Builder Bath Iron Works | |
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Namesake Commander Jesse J. Taylor Sponsored by Barbara A. Taylor, widow of namesake | ||
USS Taylor (FFG-50), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Commander Jesse J. Taylor (1925–1965), a naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism in the Vietnam War.
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Construction
Taylor's keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, on 5 May 1983. She was launched 5 November 1983, and commissioned 1 December 1984 in Bath, Maine. Taylor was sponsored by Barbara A. Taylor, the widow of the ship's namesake, and Diane Taylor-Oeland as matron of honor.
History
Taylor was homeported in Charleston, South Carolina from 1985-1993. The ship deployed to Northern Europe as part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) in 1987 and the Persian Gulf in 1988 and 1990. Participated in Operation Earnest Will. In 1993, the Taylor changed homeport to Mayport, Florida with the closing of Charleston Naval Station.
Up to 2015, Taylor was homeported at NS Mayport, Florida, and was part of Destroyer Squadron 14.
In August 2008 Taylor entered the Black Sea conducting a pre-planned routine visit to the region to interact and exercise with NATO partners Romania and Bulgaria. It joined ships from Poland, Germany and Spain.
In September 2010, Taylor was buzzed by a Russian Tu-95 bomber. However, as of 2004, all significant anti-aircraft capability was deleted from this class. On 8 January 2014, Taylor left Naval Station Mayport for her last 7-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets. On 5 February 2014, Taylor was scheduled to enter the Black Sea along with Mount Whitney in support of the Sochi Olympics.
On 12 February 2014, Taylor ran aground while mooring in Samsun, Turkey during operations supporting the 2014 Winter Olympics. "A senior Turkish port official said the ship's propeller scraped the surface as it was mooring at Samsun." The ship's skipper, Commander Dennis Volpe, was subsequently relieved and reassigned.
Taylor was decommissioned on 8 May 2015, and is slated for transfer to Republic of China .