USS Chandler (DDG-996)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Chandler.

USS Chandler (DDG-996) was the final ship in the Kidd class of guided-missile destroyers operated by the U.S. Navy. Derived from the Spruance class, these vessels were designed for air defense in hot weather. She was named after Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler.

USS Chandler on 1 June 1988
History
United States
Namesake	Theodore E. Chandler
Ordered	23 March 1978
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	7 May 1979
Launched	28 June 1980
Commissioned	13 March 1982
Decommissioned	23 September 1999
Stricken	23 September 1999
Identification	Callsign: NPES Hull number: DDG-996
Fate	Sold to Taiwan, 30 May 2003; commissioned as ROCS Ma Kong (DDG-1805)
General characteristics
Class & type	Kidd-class destroyer
Displacement	9,783 tons full
Length	171.6 m (563 ft)
Beam	16.8 m (55 ft)
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 80,000 shp total
Speed	33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement	31 officers 332 enlisted
Sensors & processing systems	AN/SPS-48E 3D air search radar AN/SPS-49 2D air search radar SPG-60 gun fire control radar AN/SPG-51 missile fire control radar AN/SPS-55 surface search radar AN/SPQ-9A gun fire control radar SQS-53 sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32(V)3
Armament	2 × Mark 26 RIM-66 Standard missile launchers 2 × Mark 141 quad launcher with 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon 2 × Mark 15 20 mm Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mark 45 5 in (127 mm) / 54 caliber gun 2 × Mark 32 triple tube mounts with 6 × Mark 46 torpedoes
Aircraft carried	1 × SH-3 Sea King or 2 × SH-2 Seasprite

Originally named Andushirvan, the ship was originally ordered by the Shah of Iran, but was undelivered when the 1979 Iranian Revolution occurred. Subsequent to this, the U.S. Navy elected to commission her for service in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea, as she was equipped with heavy-duty air conditioning and was also well suited to filtering sand and the results from NBC warfare.^[1] She was commissioned in 1982.

Chandler was decommissioned in 1999. She was transferred to the Republic of China, renamed Wu Teh (DDG-1805) in 2004, and finally recommissioned as ROCS Ma Kong (DDG-1805) in 2006.

Accident

In June 1985, Chandler was involved in an accident on the Columbia River. The ship itself was sued under Admiralty law in the United States by a barge owner who claimed that Chandler's negligent action on the Columbia River caused a dangerous swell called a soliton.

The District Court of Oregon heard the case and held that the officers on Chandler breached their duty to exercise reasonable care in avoiding creation of the dangerous swell and the plaintiff was able to recover for the damages.^[2][3]

Awards

• Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation – (Nov 1987 - March 1988)
• Battle "E" – (1985–86, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1994, 1997) ^[4]
• Humanitarian Service Medal – (12 December 1987) Rescue of oil tanker crew from Iran attack^[5]
• Southwest Asia Service Medal - (1991–92)