After more than 30 years of naval service, the frigate Halyburton was decommissioned in Mayport, Florida, on Sept. 6 in a ceremony attended by crew members, plankowners, family and friends.
Among the guests was retired Cmdr. Porter Halyburton, a nephew of the ship's namesake and a Silver Star recipient who spent seven and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
The "HalyB" has served around the world, from drug interdictions off the coast of South America to operations in the Middle East, and has earned numerous Battle 'E' awards for combat readiness.
In April 2009, it joined the destroyer Bainbridge off the coast of Somalia to resolve the hostage situation involving Capt. Richard Phillips of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, which was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, with food aid. The incident later became the subject of the 2013 movie, "Captain Phillips."
The ship was named for Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class William David Halyburton Jr., who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Despite withering machinegun, mortar and sniper fire, the medical corpsman with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, moved steadily forward to reach a fallen Marine. As he aided the warrior, Halyburton shielded him with his body until he himself sustained mortal wounds.
He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The ship's motto, "Not for self but for Country," reflects the values of its namesake.
The keel of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate was laid Sept. 26, 1980, at the Todd Pacific Shipyards Co. in Seattle, Washington. She was launched Oct. 13, 1981, and commissioned on Jan. 7, 1984.
Since 2008, the ship and its complement of 20 officers and 215 enlisted sailors has been homeported at Naval Station Mayport, where it was part of Destroyer Squadron 14. The crew completed its final deployment June 4.
"It has been a tremendous privilege to be part of this incredible legacy and to honor her namesake," said Cmdr. David Fowler, Halyburton's commanding officer, in a Navy news release.
