Friends and families were joined by plankowners as sailors strode off the frigate Rodney M. Davis for the last time Friday at a ceremony in Everett, Washington.

Sailors lowered the frigate's commissioning pennant at the decommissioning ceremony to mark the end of the Rodney M. Davis' 28 years of service, under 17 commanding officers. The list of attendees including the plankowner skipper, retired Cmdr. Craig Heckert.

"I think I can speak for the 16 commanding officers that followed in Cmdr. Heckert's footsteps and tell you we've strived to continue the tradition of excellence that you and your fellow plankowners started on Rodney M. Davis almost 28 years ago," said Cmdr. Todd Whalen, the frigate's final CO, according to a Navy newsstand story.

The crew returned from the ship's final deployment in December, a six-month Western Pacific deployment. The frigate is now to be prepared for sale to a foreign military. The Rodney M. Davis is one of the 10 frigates to be retired this year, when the last of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class will be stricken from the fleet.

The frigate had been named for the Marine sergeant, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade in Vietnam in 1967.

"It was an emotional and honorable experience," said Samantha Steen, Rodney M. Davis' daughter, according to the Navy newsstand article. "I know my father would've been proud of the accomplishments that this ship did in his name."

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