View source for USS John Hancock (DD-981)

{{short description|Spruance-class destroyer}}
{{Other ships|USS John Hancock}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS John Hancock (DD-981) underway 1983.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''John Hancock'' in 1983
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|2000}}
|Ship name=''John Hancock''
|Ship namesake=[[John Hancock]]
|Ship ordered=15 January 1974
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship laid down=16 January 1976
|Ship launched=29 October 1977
|Ship acquired=12 February 1979
|Ship commissioned=10 March 1979
|Ship decommissioned=16 October 2000
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NLTT
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Tango}}{{ICS|Tango}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-981
|Ship motto=''First for Freedom''
|Ship fate=[[Ship breaking|Scrapped]], 28 April 2007
|Ship badge=[[File:DD-981 crest.png|150px]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Spruance class destroyer infobox ship characteristics}}
|}

'''USS ''John Hancock'' (DD-981)''', a {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer}}, was the second ship of that name, and the sixth ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] [[John Hancock]] (1737&ndash;1793), the President of the [[Continental Congress]] and first signer of the [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]].

== History ==
''John Hancock'' was laid down on 16 January 1976 by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]], in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi|Pascagoula, Miss.]]; [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 29 October 1977<!--; sponsored by Mrs. SPONSOR-->; and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 10 March 1979<!-- at [[COMMLOC]], RANK CAPTAIN in command-->. ''John Hancock'' was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and homeported at Charleston, South Carolina from 1979 until 1987.  From 1987 onward, ''John Hancock'' was homeported at [[Naval Station Mayport]], Florida

Following commissioning, ''John Hancock'' proceeded to [[Naval Station Guantanamo Bay]], Cuba for a 'shakedown' cruise and began making routine deployments.

In March 1983, ''John Hancock'' reported to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi for a six-month overhaul. Upon completion of the overhaul, ''John Hancock'' then spent three months in Cuba where the crew successfully completed GITMO re-certification at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before being deployed to provide support in the [[Persian Gulf]] in October 1984 to April 1985. [[Hurricane Diana]] caused ''John Hancock'' and numerous other ships at [[Charleston, South Carolina]] to emergency sortie out of the path of the hurricane in September 1984. During a 'show the flag' patrol in the Persian Gulf during the [[Iran–Iraq War#Attacks on shipping|Tanker War]] between Iraq and Iran, ''John Hancock'' was fired upon by an Iraqi [[Dassault Mirage F1|Mirage]] fighter aircraft using an [[Exocet]] missile which narrowly missed the destroyer. The missile heavily damaged a [[Tugboat|salvage tug]] that was directly in the line of fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=1985 Iraqi Attack on U.S. Ship Cited |date=24 May 1987 |first=Richard |last=Halloran |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/24/world/1985-iraqi-attack-on-us-ship-cited.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref>

In April 1988 ''John Hancock'' provided support in the Persian Gulf for [[Operation Earnest Will]] during a six-month deployment and was near the point where {{USS|Stark}} was hit with two Exocet missiles launched by an [[Iraqi Air Force]] aircraft in 1987.

In 1991, ''John Hancock'' deployed with the {{USS|America|CV-66|6}} Carrier Battle Group to the North Atlantic for two months in support of Operation North Star '91.

[[File:USS John Hancock Stern.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Unique naming on stern of ''John Hancock'']]In March 1994, while deployed in the [[Red Sea]], ''John Hancock'', rendered assistance to a wounded Filipino sailor on board a merchant vessel. Shortly thereafter, ''John Hancock'' reached a milestone, while conducting multinational maritime interdiction operations (MIO) to enforce [[United Nations]] sanctions against [[Iraq]]. On 1 April 1994, a team of U.S. Navy ships -- ''John Hancock'', {{USS|Carr|FFG-52|2}}, {{USS|Underwood|FFG-36|2}} and {{USS|Taylor|FFG-50|2}} along with an embarked [[United States Coast Guard]] boarding team—intercepted the 20,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990.

As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]]'s surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons, and a new Western Hemisphere Group, ''John Hancock'' was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 (DESRON 24). The reorganization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect 31 August 1995, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998.

As a precautionary measure against oncoming [[Hurricane Fran]], ''John Hancock'' was one of 13 Navy ships sent to sea in September 1996. The hurricane was heading, at the time, for the southeast coast of [[Florida]] with winds gusting up to 120&nbsp;mph.

In 1996, ''John Hancock'', along with {{USS|Wasp|LHD-1|6}}, {{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|6}}, {{USS|Anchorage|LSD-36|6}}, and {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73|6}}, were selected to serve as test platforms for the P2 afloat program, after studies at Navy installations indicated that a large quantity of a naval base's toxic material and hazardous waste originated from ships floating material they had accumulated and stored during deployment. The P2 Afloat Program aims to reduce hazardous material procurement costs for ships, improve safety and health aboard ship, improve quality of life, and reduce operation and support costs.

[[File:USS John Hancock (DD-981) anchored in the Chesapeake Bay.jpg|thumb|left|''John Hancock'' anchored in the Chesapeake Bay]]
On 29 April 1997, ''John Hancock'' departed for a six-month overseas deployment as part of the {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CV-67|6}} [[carrier battle group]] (CVBG). Also departing was the {{USS|Kearsarge|LHD-3|6}} [[Amphibious Ready Group]] (ARG). The CVBG was to relieve the {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}} CVBG, which had been operating in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], [[Adriatic Sea]], Red Sea and [[Persian Gulf]] since the previous November. The ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG and ''Kearsarge'' ARG completed a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) the month prior, the culmination of about six months of pre-deployment training and work-ups. The joint service exercise included surveillance, rescue, humanitarian assistance, maritime interdiction, embassy support and non-combatant evacuation operations, all of which had been recently performed by Navy and [[United States Marine Corps]] units deployed overseas.

[[File:USS John Hancock (DD-981) bow view.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bow view c. 1981]]
In August 1997, ''John Hancock'' deployed to the coast of [[Tunisia]] to participate in Exercise NADOR 97-3. ''John Hancock'' was also there in March for NADOR 97-2. For NADOR 97-3, the crew of ''John Hancock'' operated with two Tunisian combatant [[patrol boat]]s and increased the level of difficulty. They conducted air and high speed surface gunnery exercises, air tracking and engagement simulations, and free-play "encounter" exercises. ''John Hancock'' also performed a maritime interdiction demonstration on board the two patrol boats. Simulating merchant vessels, the patrol boats were queried using the bridge-to-bridge radio. After evaluating the suspect merchants' answers, ''John Hancock''{{'}}s boarding team was sent to each vessel using a [[rigid-hulled inflatable boat]] (RHIB). The boarding team inspected each merchant's manifest and cargo, and directed the suspect vessel to continue on its journey or divert to the nearest port for a full inspection of cargo.

With the ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG, ''John Hancock'' in July participated in the [[U.S. 6th Fleet]] Exercise Invitex, involving 12 nations. During Invitex, allied forces, including 13,000 U.S. sailors and marines, were challenged to effectively manage the way they communicate and act upon operational information as it is processed and distributed to allied decision-makers. It also took part in [[NATO]]'S Exercise Dynamic Mix, from 23 September though 7 October which placed the ''John F. Kennedy'' Battle Group units on opposing sides. That exercise was designed to increase task force and unit readiness as forces implemented NATO strategy and doctrine.

{{stack|[[File:USS John Hancock (64462940).jpg|thumb|USS ''John Hancock'' sits in the Port of Brownsville Ship Channel awaiting recycling]]}}
''John Hancock'' returned home on 28 October after six months of operating in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea in support of [[Operation Deliberate Guard]] and the Persian Gulf supporting [[Operation Southern Watch]].

''John Hancock'' took part in the sixth [[International Naval Review]] (INR) in [[New York City]] from 3 to 9 July 2000.

===Fate===
On 16 October 2000, ''John Hancock'' was decommissioned and steamed to [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania where she was placed in reserve at the Naval Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania.  She was sold to International Shipbreaking Limited of [[Brownsville, Texas]] in 2006.  She was then towed to the Port of Brownsville and scrapped on 29 April 2007.

== Ship's crest ==
The official crest of ''John Hancock'' symbolizes the service John Hancock gave his country, both as President of the Continental Congress and as Chairman of the Marine Committee. The dominant colors of the crest are blue and gold, which are traditionally used by the U.S. Navy.

The shield represents the Marine Committee for which John Hancock served as the first chairman. This committee fulfilled responsibilities for naval affairs similar to those now assigned to the [[United States Department of the Navy]]. John Hancock, as chairman, supervised the construction and fitting out of the thirteen frigates of the initial shipbuilding program. The second ship named ''John Hancock'' was built and commissioned into the Navy at this time.

The white and blue wavy bars at the center of the shield form a heraldic symbol for water, and the anchor symbolizes naval affairs. The sunburst, a symbol of birth, has thirteen rays with thirteen stars representing the thirteen frigates.

John Hancock, who was the first to sign the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], also presided over the [[Massachusetts Convention]], which ratified the federal constitution. These events are represented by the scroll, [[Liberty Bell]], and quills. The quills are crossed as a symbol of strength and resolution, while their green color refers to growth and life.

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:DN-SC-86-04646 (23918589536).jpg|USS ''John Hancock''<nowiki/>'s [[5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun|5-inch gun]] on 1 February 1986
File:SH-2F HSL-34 on USS John Hancock (DD-981) 1986.JPEG|USS ''John Hancock''<nowiki/>'s [[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite|SH-2F Seasprite]] in 1986
File:USS John Hancock (DD-981) Mayport Florida.jpg|USS ''John Hancock'' in [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport]] on 22 May 1993
File:USS John Hancock (DD-981) at anchor in 1997.jpg|USS ''John Hancock'' in 1997
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DD981|title=Naval Vessel Register entry for ''John Hancock''}}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/981.htm         navsource.org: USS ''John Hancock'']
*[http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd981.htm       navysite.de: USS ''John Hancock'']
*[http://www.shiprecycling.com/                        International ShipRecycling]

{{Spruance class destroyer|state=expanded}}
{{John Hancock}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:John Hancock (DD-981)}}
[[Category:Spruance-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:1977 ships]]