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Namesake
	56k	Stephen Decatur was born on 5 January 1779 in Sinepuxent, Md. He was warranted a midshipman at the age of 19 and made his first cruise in the frigate United States. In command of the schooner Enterprise at the outbreak of the Tripolitan War, he captured the bomb ketch Mastico on 23 December 1803. He used this ship, renamed Intrepid, in his daring raid to burn the captured frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, 16 February 1804. He also distinguished himself during the attacks on Tripoli in command of a gunboat division. Promoted to captain he was assigned command of Constitution, and later, in November 1804, Congress. He negotiated with the Bey of Tunis at the close of the Tripolitan War, and returned to the United States in September 1805 with the Tunisian envoy. During the War of 1812 he commanded United States, capturing HMS Macedonian in one of the greatest single-ship actions of naval history. He took command of President at New York and attempting to slip through the blockade fell in with a British squadron of five heavy ships. After 2 hours of furi ous combat the frigate HMS Endymion was silenced but President had suffered such extensive damage that it was impossible to execute an escape. The twice-wounded Decatur reluctantly surrendered, but was paroled, landing at New London 22 February 1815. Returning to the Mediterranean in 1815, Decatur in Guerriere, negotiated a treaty with the Dey of Algiers which ended tribute and exacted full payment for injuries to Americans, then concluded similar agreements with the Bey of Tunis and the Bashaw of Tripoli. From November 1815 until killed by Commodore James Barron in a duel 22 March 1820, Decatur served on the Board of Navy Commissioners. Photo #: KN-2779. Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN (1779-1820) oil on wood, 35" x 27", by John Wesley Jarvis (1780-1840). Painting in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum Collection. Transferred from the U.S. Naval Lyceum, 1892. Official U.S. Navy Photograph.		Tony Cowart/Robert M. Cieri
USS Decatur (DD-936)
	40k	Undated, location unknown. Photo courtesy Dr. Ian S. Pearsall. Photo from "Jane's Fighting Ships" 1960-1961 edition.		Robert Hurst
	58k	December 15 1955, shipyard workers watch as the new destroyer Decatur slides down the ways at the Bethlehem Steel Co.'s Fore River Shipyard. The Decatur, the fourth ship in U.S. Navy History to bear the name of the Commodore Stephen Decatur, one of the foremost heroes in Naval history, was co-sponsored by Mrs. Douglas J. Armsden and Mrs. William A. Pierce, both of Kittery, Maine.		Bill Gonyo
	65k	Photo from Our Navy magazine, dated April 15 1957.		Stanley Svec
	120k	USS Decatur (DD-936) Underway at sea, during her first Mediterranean deployment, 2 May 1958. Photographed by Caswell. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Fred Weiss
	97k	Circa late '50s-early '60s, location unknown.		John N Adriani Sr. Adriani-Evans Collection
	192k	Circa 1959-1961, Decatur alongside the USS Grand Canyon (AD-28) as seen from the USS Wadleigh (DD-689).		John Romppainen
	66k	Four views of the recovery of a Mercury Capsule in 1961.		Gerd Matthes
	60k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	71k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	81k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	129k	Sikorski HSS-2 "Sea King" helicopter Hovers near USS Decatur (DD-936), during HSS-2 carrier suitability trials. USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) is in the background. Photograph is dated 17 May 1961. Official U.S. Navy Photograph.		Fred Weiss
	37k	View from the USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) in 1963.		Harry Wood
	132k	USS Decatur (DD-936) Underway on 13 April 1963. Photographed by PH2 Joel S. Cary. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Fred Weiss
	108k	USS Decatur (DD-936) receives serious topside damage in a collision with USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39), after suffering a steering casualty and running under the carrier's bow overhang, 6 May 1964. Taken from the carrier's bridge. Note S-2 aircraft parked forward, and Decatur's mainmast breaking away. Halftone photograph copied from Decatur's 1968 Cruise Book, page 1. The book is in the Collections of the Navy Department Library. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph (# NH 98178).		Naval Historical Center
	148k	Another view of the damage sustained in the collision.		Gerd Matthes
	118k	USS Decatur (DD-936) following her 6 May 1964 collision with USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39). Note how Decatur's superstructure has been crushed by being trapped under the carrier's overhang. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 105935.		Robert Hurst
A series of images of the Decatur following the collision as seen from the USS Shenandoah (AD-26). From the Bill Blackstock Collection, contributed by his daughter Anna Hall.				Robert Hall
	103k	USS Decatur (DD-936) undergoing an inclining experiment, to determine her stability characteristics during the early stages of her conversion to a guided- missile destroyer, 12 August 1965. Photographed at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, Massachusetts. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 105938.		Robert Hurst
	43k	Ship's patch		Mike Smolinski
USS Decatur (DDG-31)
	100k	Undated, location unknown.		Lee Noland
	287k	Undated, location unknown.		Charles Lamm
	94k	Undated, in Sydney, Australia.		Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
	154k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	140k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	84k	Circa 1965-1967, during her conversion to a DDG.		Gerd Matthes
	270k	Cover of the Commissioning Program of April 29 1967 at Boston.		Gerd Matthes
	35k	Circa 1967, location unknown.		Robert Hurst
	117k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) undergoing an inclining experiment, to determine her stability characteristics following conversion to a guided-missile destroyer, May 1967. Photographed at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, Massachusetts. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 105939.		Robert Hurst
	76k 252k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) underway in 1968, location unknown. United States Navy, Official.		Robert Hurst
	136k	UH-46D Sea Knight helicopter lowers mail to the fantail of USS Decatur (DDG-31), during operations in the South China Sea, December 1968. The helicopter is based aboard USS Camden (AOE-2). U.S. Navy photo by PH2 William M. Hopkins.		Robert Hurst
	160k	Decatur approaching the USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) for unrep in the Gulf of Tonkin in the 1969-70 era.		William P. Jones, Medical Officer, AFS-3
	110k	As above.		William P. Jones, Medical Officer, AFS-3
	30k	San Francisco July 1972.		Marc Piché
	161k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) Underway in the Pacific Ocean, 5 July 1972. Photographed by PH3 D.L. Pierce. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Fred Weiss
	135k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) Comes alongside an oiler during underway replenishment operations, circa the 1970s. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Fred Weiss
	135k	Decatur and USS Westchester County (LST-1167). You can see by all the MagTail reels and the like on her deck that Westchester Cty has been converted to a sweep support vessel, Summer 1973.		Michael Cosgrove
	36k	Sydney, Australia mid 1970's.		Marc Piché
	104k	Fremantle, Australia pre 1975		Graeme D. Fuller
	113k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) Underway in the Pacific Ocean, 24 June 1976. Official U.S. Navy Photograph.		Fred Weiss
	119k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) Underway off San Diego, California, 24 June 1976. Photographed by PH3 Burgess. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Fred Weiss
	70k	Underway in the Pacific, June 24 1976.		Gerd Matthes
	154k	USS Decatur (DDG-31) anchored off Coronado, California, during Operation "Varsity Knight", 7 August 1976. Note that one twin-cell section of her ASROC launcher is elevated and pointing toward the city. Photographed by PH3 C.M. Phelps. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. photo # NH 105937.		Robert Hurst
	93k	Photo #: NH 98181. USS Decatur (DDG-31) Electronics Warfare Technician 2nd Class William D. Ellis works on the countermeasures receiving set on board Decatur, during operations in the Western Pacific, 16 December 1976. Photographed by PHC Ken George. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Bill Gonyo
	62k	Sydney, Australia September 1981.		Marc Piché
	82k	Sydney, Australia September 1981.		Marc Piché
	161k	Western Pacific October 1 1981, the ASROC Mount.		Chris Howell
	160k	Western Pacific October 1 1981, the TARTAR Mount.		Chris Howell
	129k	Western Pacific October 3 1981.		Chris Howell
	183k	As above.		Chris Howell
	60k	Cover from the last Change of Command pamphlet.		Lee Noland
	87k	Photo #: NH 98182. USS Decatur (DDG-31) crewmembers and guests stand at attention during the ship's decommissioning ceremonies, at Naval Station San Diego, California, 30 June 1983. Photographed by PH1 Vickie Kehoe. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Tony Cowart
	78k	Photo #: NH 98184. USS Decatur (DDG-31) crew members disembark for the last time at the conclusion of the ship's decommissioning ceremonies, at Naval Station San Diego, California, 30 June 1983. Photographed by PH1 Vickie Kehoe. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center.		Tony Cowart
	62k	Cover from the Decommissioning pamphlet.		Lee Noland
	92k	Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington, January 25 1990, laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility are the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 32), the guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 31) and the destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD 951). In the background at left is the attack aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31).		Fred Weiss
	152k	Decatur in her remotely controlled test vessel days, circa 1993-1994.		-
	135k	As above.		-
	114k	October 1993 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard while the ship was being converted to a SDTS (Self Defense Test Ship).		Tom Armstrong
	81k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. The decommissioned destroyer Paul F. Foster (DD-964), in the distance, was then being prepared to become the new SDTS, replacing the ex-Decatur. Note the towing fitting installed on the ship's bow. Photographed by Frank V. Thompson. Courtesy of Frank V. Thompson, 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.		Fred Weiss
	81k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. Photographed by Frank V. Thompson. Courtesy of Frank V. Thompson, 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.		Fred Weiss
	53k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98618-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	54k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98620-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	52k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98622-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	70k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98623-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	89k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98624-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	58k	Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), formerly USS Decatur (DDG-31) At Port Hueneme, California, 16 June 2003. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 98625-KN.		Gerd Matthes
	85k	Ship's patch		Mike Smolinski
	135k	Engraving art image of the Decatur.		Lee Noland

CDR John Joseph Skahill    1956 - 1958

CDR Seymour Dombroff    1958 - May 12 1961

CDR Royal Thomas Daniel Jr.    May 12 1961 - May 22 1963

CDR Alpine William McLane III    May 22 1963 - May 8 1964

CDR William Keith Mallinson    May 8 1964 - Nov 27 1964

LTJG Robert Gordon Bennett    Nov 27 1964 - Jun 16 1965

(Decommissioned Jun 16 1965 - Apr 29 1967)

CDR Lee Baggett Jr.    Apr 29 1967 - Sep 19 1968 (Later ADM)

CDR John Bishop Allen    Sep 19 1968 - Jul 14 1970

CDR Sayre Archie Swarztrauber    Jul 14 1970 - Aug 14 1971 (Later RADM)

CDR Thomas Jerome Burke Jr.    Aug 14 1971 - Apr 20 1973

CDR Robert Charles Hurd    Apr 20 1973 - Apr 18 1975

CDR James Doran Korthe    Apr 18 1975 - Mar 10 1977

CDR George Charles Chappell    Mar 10 1977 - Jun 19 1979

CDR Gerald Leo Dunn    Jun 19 1979 - Jul 10 1981

CDR Michael John Mills    Jul 10 1981 - May 28 1983

CDR Robert George Allee    May 28 1983 - Jun 30 1983