USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DLG-13)

• Namesake: USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13, later DDG-44) was named after Admiral William Veazie Pratt, the fifth Chief of Naval Operations (1930–1933), who was instrumental in shaping the modern U.S. Navy. • Class and Type: She was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer, originally designated as a Guided Missile Frigate (DLG-13) before being reclassified as a Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG-44) in 1975. • Commissioning: The ship was launched on March 16, 1960, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and commissioned into service on November 4, 1961. • Vietnam War Service: Pratt participated in Vietnam War operations, including naval gunfire support, search and rescue, and screening aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin. • Cuban Missile Crisis: Shortly after commissioning, USS William V. Pratt was deployed during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, helping enforce the naval quarantine of Cuba. • Missile Capabilities: She was equipped with the RIM-24 Tartar surface-to-air missile system, providing advanced air defense for carrier task groups during the Cold War. • Mediterranean Deployments: Pratt routinely served with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, participating in NATO exercises and responding to regional crises throughout the 1960s and 1970s. • Collision Incident: In 1977, the ship was involved in a significant collision with the USS Manley (DD-940) during exercises, resulting in repairs but no major casualties. • Final Years and Decommissioning: Pratt continued in active service into the 1980s, taking part in operations off Lebanon in 1983 before being decommissioned on January 30, 1989. • Legacy: After being stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, the ship was sold for scrap in 1995. USS William V. Pratt is remembered for her extensive Cold War service and as a testament to the evolution of missile-armed surface combatants in the U.S. Navy.