USS Lawrence, a 3370-ton Charles F. Adams guided-missile destroyer built at Camden, New Jersey, was commissioned in January 1962. She made a shakedown cruise on the Great Lakes and, in the Fall of 1962, took part in Cuban Missile Crisis operations in the Caribbean. In February 1963 Lawrence began the first of more than a dozen overseas cruises, steaming across the Atlantic to join the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Further Mediterranean tours took place in 1964, 1965, 1966-67, 1968, 1969-70, 1971, 1977-78 and 1979. During the latter cruise, in June 1979, she briefly visited the Black Sea. Lawrence also passed through the 6th Fleet area en route to deployments in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas that took place in 1974-75, 1980 and 1983.
The much-travelled destroyer made one Vietnam War tour to the Western Pacific in 1972-73, providing naval gunfire suport, dodging enemy return fire and serving as plane guard during aircraft carrier operations. Lawrence also saw frequent service closer to home, in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, and occasionally visited the waters of Northern Europe. In 1986 she steamed around South America as part of Operation Unitas XVII, exercising with Latin American navies and visiting ports in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil. USS Lawrence was decommissioned in late March 1990 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register a few months later. She was sold in April 1994, but was repossessed in October 1996 after the failure of the ship breaking firm. Following several more years in Navy custody, and an abortive attempt to have her scrapped in 1999-2000, Lawrence's hulk was broken up by a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania contractor beginning in November 2003.
USS Lawrence was named in honor of Captain James Lawrence (1781-1813), who lost his life while commanding the frigate Chesapeake in battle with HMS Shannon on 1 June 1813.
This page features all our views of USS Lawrence (DDG-4) and her insignia, plus selected views related to her construction.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS Lawrence (DDG-4). The following list features some of these images:
The images listed below are NOT in
the Naval History and Heritage Command's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our
page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".
USS Lawrence (DDG-4) off Camden, New Jersey, 6 October 1961, at the time of her builder's trials. Surface view, taken from directly off the ship's stern. as USN 1058039, but starboard quarter view. The near side of the ship is in the shadow. as USN 1058039, but starboard bow view. The near side of the ship is in the sunlight.
USS Lawrence (DDG-4) underway in the Mediterranean Sea, 10 May 1964. Photographed PHC J.W. McCombs, of USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42). Starboard bow high aerial view. Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval History and Heritage Command. The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval History and Heritage Command's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions". |
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 28 March 2003
Introductory text and credit lines updated 14 January 2010