View source for USS Richard S. Edwards

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{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=[[Image:USS Richard S Edwards DD-950 decommissioning.jpg|300px|USS Richard S Edwards DD-950 decommissioning]]
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
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|Ship country=US
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1982}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=[[Richard S. Edwards|Richard Stanislaus Edwards]]
|Ship ordered=January 27, 1956
|Ship builder=[[Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company]]
|Ship laid down=20 December 1956
|Ship launched=27 September 1957
|Ship acquired=January 30, 1959
|Ship commissioned=5 February 1959
|Ship decommissioned=18 December 1982
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=7 February 1990
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Sunk as a target off [[Kauai]] in [[Hawaii]] on 12 May 1997
|Ship status=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Forrest Sherman class destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=2,800&nbsp;tons standard.<br />4,050&nbsp;tons full load.
|Ship length={{convert|407|ft|m|abbr=on}} waterline, {{convert|418|ft|m|abbr=on}} overall.
|Ship beam={{convert|45|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|22|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 x {{convert|1200|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} [[Babcock & Wilcox]] boilers, [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] steam turbines; 70,000&nbsp;shp (52&nbsp;MW); 2 x shafts.
|Ship speed={{convert|32.5|kn|km/h}}
|Ship range={{convert|4500|nmi|km|abbr=off|lk=off}} at {{convert|20|kn|km/h}}
|Ship complement=15 officers, 218 enlisted.
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=3 x [[5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun|5&nbsp;in (127&nbsp;mm)/54 calibre dual purpose Mk 42 guns]]; 4 x [[3"/50 caliber gun|3&nbsp;in (76&nbsp;mm)/50 calibre Mark 33 anti-aircraft guns]]; 2 x mark 10/11 [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehogs]]; 6 x 12.75&nbsp;in (324&nbsp;mm) [[Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes|Mark 32 torpedo tubes]].
|Ship armour=
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|}

'''USS ''Richard S. Edwards'' (DD-950)''', named for [[Admiral]] [[Richard S. Edwards|Richard Stanislaus Edwards]] USN ([[1885]]-[[1956]]), was a [[Forrest Sherman class destroyer]] built by the [[Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company]] at [[Seattle]] in [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]] and launched on 24 September 1957 by Mrs. W. B. Franke; and commissioned 5 February 1959, Comdr. Richard R. Law in command.

''Richard S. Edwards'' served as plane guard for carriers on [[Yankee Station]] in the [[Tonkin Gulf]], participated in [[Operation Sea Dragon (Vietnam War)|Sea Dragon]] operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out [[Naval Gunfire Support]] missions during the [[Vietnam War]] and underwent an ASW modernization at the [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] Naval Shipyard between 27 February 1970 and 15 January 1971.

==History==
Richard S. Edwards’ shakedown took her to [[Valparaiso]], [[Chile]], then back to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] 13 May 1959. She then deployed to the western Pacific area where she operated with the fast carrier units of the 7th Fleet, and as a member of the U.S. Taiwan Patrol Force. She returned to the west coast 13 May 1960 and operated there until deploying to the western Pacific again in February 1961 to operate with the fast carrier group in the South China Sea. She returned to San Diego 14 September 1961.

Richard S. Edwards commenced her third WestPac cruise 13 November 1962 for fast carrier operations throughout the western Pacific, returning home in June 1963. She resumed local operations until commencing her fourth WestPac cruise from August 1964 to January 1965. During this deployment [Richard S.] Edwards and [[USS Morton (DD-948)]] engaged [[North Vietnam]]ese torpedo boats in the [[Tonkin Gulf]] on 18 September, probably sinking several.

Upon returning from the Far East, [Richard S.] Edwards operated off the west coast until deploying to WestPac again 1 March 1966 to 26 August 1966. There she rendered naval gunfire support to forces ashore in Vietnam and plane-guarded for U.S. Navy carriers in the Tonkin Gulf. During 1967, she operated off the west coast of the United States until returning to WestPac in August. She arrived Da Nang, South Vietnam, 3 November 1967. She returned to San Diego 12 March 1968 and spent the balance of that year operating off the west coast.

In late January 1969 Richard S Edwards deployed to WestPac again to operate off Vietnam She returned to San Diego 13 August 1969, until being decommissioned at Long Beach, Calif. 27 February 1970. She immediately entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard and underwent ASW modernization. By December, she was participating in sea trials in anticipation of her recommissioning, which occurred 15 January 1971. She embarked 4 March for [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], her new home port, and continued operations in that vicinity until April 1972.

Receiving only 72 hours notice, Richard S Edwards sailed from Pearl Harbor 10 April 1972 for the western Pacific and deployment off the Vietnamese coast. She remained in the area, either on the gunline or cruising with the carriers as escort and plane-guard, until November. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 10 November 1972, operating out of that port until decommissioned on 15 December 1982. 

Richard S. Edwards received six battle stars for service off Vietnam.

==Fate==
She was decommissioned 15 December 1982, stricken 7 February 1990, and sunk as a target ship off the coast of [[Kauai]] on 12 May 1997.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}<!--DANFS states, "sunk as a target on 10 April 1997." NVR says 4/10/1997.-->

==See also==
*[[List of United States Navy destroyers]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r6/richard_s_edwards.htm}}
*{{NVR|http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/DD950.htm}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.dd950.com/ USS Richard S. Edwards Web Site]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/DD950.htm Naval Vessel Registry entry]

{{Forrest_Sherman_class_destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard S. Edwards (DD-950)}}
[[Category:Forrest Sherman class destroyers]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Washington (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:1957 ships]]