USS Jesse L. Brown (FF 1089)

• Namesake Honor: USS Jesse L. Brown (FF 1089) was named after Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the first African American aviator in the U.S. Navy and the first African American naval officer killed in the Korean War. • Class and Role: The ship was a Knox-class frigate, primarily designed for anti-submarine warfare during the Cold War. • Commissioning: The vessel was commissioned on February 17, 1973, at Boston Naval Shipyard, with Mrs. Daisy Brown Thorne, Jesse Brown’s widow, as the ship’s sponsor. • First African American Namesake: USS Jesse L. Brown was the first U.S. Navy ship named in honor of an African American naval officer. • Operational Deployments: The ship participated in numerous deployments, including operations in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, and Caribbean, often conducting anti-submarine patrols and escort missions. • Humanitarian Missions: In 1980, the frigate rescued Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea, part of the wave of "boat people" fleeing after the Vietnam War. • Cold War Service: During the 1980s, the ship was involved in NATO exercises and shadowed Soviet vessels, contributing to U.S. naval presence and deterrence. • Lebanon Operations: USS Jesse L. Brown participated in peacekeeping operations off the coast of Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War in the early 1980s. • Decommissioning and Transfer: The ship was decommissioned from U.S. Navy service on July 27, 1994, and transferred to the Egyptian Navy, where it was renamed Damiyat (F961). • Legacy: The story of Jesse L. Brown and the ship bearing his name has inspired books, documentaries, and the 2022 film Devotion, highlighting the enduring significance of breaking racial barriers in the Navy.