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{{short description|Spruance-class destroyer}}
{{Other ships|USS Nicholson}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[File:USS Nicholson;0598203.jpg|300px|USS Nicholson (DD-982)]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Nicholson'' on 20 January 2001
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|2001}}
|Ship name=''Nicholson''
|Ship namesake=[[James Nicholson (naval officer)|James Nicholson]]
|Ship ordered=15 January 1974
|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
|Ship laid down=20 February 1976
|Ship launched=11 November 1977
|Ship acquired=23 April 1979
|Ship commissioned=12 May 1979
|Ship decommissioned= 20 December 2002
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 6 April 2004
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NICK
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Kilo}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-982
|Ship motto=*{{langx|la|[[Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat]]}}
*([[Fortune Favors the Brave]])
|Ship badge=[[File:DD-982 crest.png|left|150px|Ship's crest]]
|Ship fate=[[Ship breaking|Sunk as target]], 30 July 2004
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Spruance class destroyer infobox ship characteristics
|armament extra=
*1 × 21 cell [[RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile]] launcher
}}
|}

'''USS ''Nicholson'' (DD-982)''', a [[Spruance class destroyer|''Spruance''-class]] [[destroyer]], was the fourth ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for a family which was prominent in early American naval history, including [[James Nicholson (naval officer)|James Nicholson]], the senior [[Continental Navy]] [[Captain]], and [[Samuel Nicholson]], the first captain of [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']].

== History ==
''Nicholson'' was laid down on 20 February 1976 by the [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]], in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi|Pascagoula, Miss.]]; [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 11 November 1977<!--; sponsored by Mrs. SPONSOR-->; and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 12 May 1979<!-- at [[COMMLOC]], RANK CAPTAIN in command-->. She first deployed on 18 November 1980.
Nicholson deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1983 and returned to Charleston SC via the Suez Canal with a refueling stop in Djibouti. The crew enjoyed a port visit to Barcelona, Spain on the way back to home port. The ship encountered heavy seas on the voyage west across the Atlantic and experienced a casualty to the sonar dome. The dome was subsequently repaired in conjunction with a scheduled maintenance period at the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard between May 1984 and Feb 1985. Following the maintenance period the ship returned to Charleston, SC and began work ups for the next deployment including, Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials, an Anti-Submarine warfare exercise in the Caribbean and Refresher Training in Guantanamo Bay Cuba.
''Nicholson'' was deployed for six months, in February 1990, with [[USS Dahlgren (DDG-43)|USS ''Dahlgren'']], as part of the Mid-East Force in the [[Persian Gulf]]. The deployment was fairly routine except for two incidents. The first was a pair of armed Iranian F-4s that overflew the ship in the Straits of Hormuz, and the second was that ''Nicholson'' and ''Dahlgren'' left the Persian Gulf for home just a week before Iraq invaded Kuwait.

''Nicholson'' was deployed for six months, in January 1992, as part of NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic. ''Nicholson'' joined the NATO task force in the Puerto Rican Op-areas and detached in Den Helder, Netherlands. Port Visits included Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; St. Maarten, DVI; Boston, MA; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Tromso, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Den Helder, Neth; Antwerp, Belgium; Oporto, Portugal; Rosyth, Scotland; Frederikshavn, Denmark; Aarhus, Denmark; and St Johns, [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]. ''Nicholson'' served as flagship for the second half of the deployment under a US Admiral, RADM Dwyer, USN. During the first half the force was under the command of a Dutch Commodore. Other ships in the task force were Norway – Frigate – [[HNoMS Oslo (F300)|HNoMS ''Oslo'']] (first half); Canada – Frigate – [[HMCS Skeena (DDH 207)|HMCS ''Skeena'']] (entire cruise); Portugal – Frigate – [[NRP Vasco da Gama (F330)|NRP ''Vasco da Gama'']] (first half); Britain – Frigate – {{HMS|Brave|F94|6}} (first half) and Destroyer {{HMS|Exeter|D89|6}} (second half); Netherlands – Frigate – [[HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck (F812)|HNLMS ''Jacob Van Heemskerck'']] (first half) and [[HNLMS Bloys van Treslong (F824)|HNLMS ''Bloys van Treslong'']] (second half); Denmark – Frigate – [[HDMS Olfert Fischer (F355)|HDMS ''Olfert Fischer'']] (second half); Germany – Frigates – [[German frigate Niedersachsen (F208)|''Niedersachsen'']] (first half) and [[German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz (F209)|''Rheinland-Pfalz'']] (second half).

''Nicholson'' was deployed, in early 1994, with [[USS Saratoga (CV-60)|USS ''Saratoga'']], as part of Task Force 60 in the [[Persian Gulf]], [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Adriatic Sea]] in support of operations "Deny Flight," "Provide Promise" and "Sharp Guard".

As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]]'s surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons and a new Western Hemisphere Group, ''Nicholson'' was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 18. The reorganization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect on 31 August, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998.

''Nicholson'' departed the Charleston Naval Shipyard for sea trials, on 29 September 1995, following completion of an overhaul. ''Nicholson'' carried with it the distinction of being the last ship overhauled in the 94-year history of the shipyard as the [[Charleston Naval Shipyard]] was closing as a result of the base realignment and closure process of 1993. The ship did not return to the shipyard at the end of sea trials but proceeded to a new home port of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. The shipyard's official closing took place on 1 April 1996. ''Nicholson'' arrived at her new home port of Norfolk on 6 October 1995.

On 10 December 1996, ''Nicholson'' departed Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a scheduled six-month deployment to the Middle East Force. She, along with the [[USS Halyburton (FFG-40)|USS ''Halyburton'']], relieved Norfolk-based [[USS Stump (DD-978)|USS ''Stump'']] and [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]]-based [[USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)|USS ''Stephen W. Groves'']], then deployed in the Persian Gulf.

''Nicholson'' took part, with the [[USS Enterprise (CVN-65)|USS ''Enterprise'']] [[carrier battle group]] in a Sink Exercise (SINKEX) near [[Puerto Rico]] on 9 August 1998, resulting in the sinking of the former [[USS Richmond K. Turner (CG-20)|USS ''Richmond K. Turner'']]. The SINKEX developed the battle group's coordination of combined air and surface assaults, verified the performance of several weapons systems and enhanced the integration of joint units into naval battle scenarios. During the exercise, the [[USS Philippine Sea (CG-58)|USS ''Philippine Sea'']], [[USS Thorn (DD-988)|USS ''Thorn'']], ''Nicholson'' and Carrier Air Wing Three also sent a parade of high-altitude, anti-radiation missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and an assortment of laser-guided munitions to the decommissioned cruiser. The [[United States Air Force]] participated with a trio of {{convert|2,000|lb|0|adj=on}} bombs.

''Nicholson'' deployed with the ''Enterprise'' carrier battle group, with Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW 3) embarked, for a scheduled six-month deployment on 6 November 1998, and to relieve the [[USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)|USS ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'']] carrier battle group in [[Operation Southern Watch]]. With the ''Enterprise'' CVBG, ''Nicholson'' took part in [[Operation Desert Fox]], an operation designed to degrade [[Saddam Hussein]]'s ability to deliver chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and wage war against his neighbors, from 16 to 18 December 1998. During the 70-hour assault, ''Nicholson'' launched [[BGM-109 Tomahawk|Tomahawk cruise missiles]] on [[Iraq]]i targets. Following this, and after departing the Persian Gulf on 2 January 1998, and transiting through the [[Suez Canal]], ''Nicholson'' joined [[U.S. 6th Fleet]] and took part in [[Operation Allied Force]], launching Tomahawks at numerous sites in [[Yugoslavia]]. She returned home on 6 May 1998.

''Nicholson'' and the fast combat support ship [[USS Detroit (AOE-4)|USS ''Detroit'']] were involved in a minor collision on 27 August 2000 about {{convert|100|nmi|0|lk=in}} east of [[Cape Henry]] (east of Norfolk). The collision occurred at approximately 8:45&nbsp;pm local time while the ships were conducting a night underway replenishment. Initial reports indicated minor damage to both ships. Two ''Nicholson'' sailors also suffered minor injuries. Both ships were still seaworthy after the incident.

''Nicholson'' deployed with the ''Enterprise'' carrier battle group and [[USS Kearsarge (LHD-3)|USS ''Kearsarge'']] [[Amphibious Ready Group]] (ARG) for a scheduled six-month deployment. This was the 17th overseas deployment for ''Enterprise'' since her maiden voyage on 12 January 1962. The ''Enterprise'' CVBG and ''Kearsarge'' ARG relieved the USS ''Harry Truman'' CVBG and [[USS Nassau (LHA-4)|USS ''Nassau'']] ARG, which deployed in November 2000. Though the ''Enterprise'' battle group departed on 25 April 2001, ''Nicholson'' and ''Thorn'', scheduled as late-deployers, and [[USS McFaul (DDG-74)|USS ''McFaul'']] joined the battle group after departing in June. Over the following six months, all these units conducted multi-national and joint operations with navies of various European countries, and visited ports in Mediterranean and Persian Gulf nations. Nicholson participated in strike missions against Afghanistan during 'Operation Enduring Freedom', firing Tomahawk missiles against targets, after 9/11. Nicholson earning "First to Strike" as she launched the first missile of the operation. She and the battle group returned to the U.S. November 2001.

''Nicholson''  was decommissioned 20 December 2002; stricken 6 April 2004; and sunk as a target 30 July 2004.

== Ship's crest ==
The official crest of ''Nicholson'' symbolizes the service of five prominent American naval officers from the Nicholson family who served in the [[United States Navy]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]], the [[War of 1812]] and the [[American Civil War]]. The dominant colors of the crest are blue and gold, traditional to the Navy.

The five spears and the five shields each represent the five members of the Nicholson family. The shields are red, signifying that each namesake distinguished himself in combat during his service to his country. The chevron, a symbol of strength and support, alludes to the prow of the ship. The three bomb bursts signify the threefold mission of a [[Spruance class destroyer]]. The lower bomb burst symbolizes a subsurface [[depth charge]] or torpedo, while the two upper represent surface and aerial firepower. The sea lion is an ancient symbol of the sea and naval powers. The traditional Latin ship's motto, "FORTES FORTUNA ADIUVAT," translates to "Fortune Favors the Brave," or "Fortune favors the bold."

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="nolines">
330-CFD-DN-SN-82-05075 (21927810838).jpg|USS ''Nicholson'' on 1 April 1982
Kaman Seasprite 3 USAF Maxwell AFB.jpg|[[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite|SH-2F Seasprite]] landing on USS ''Nicholson'', 1 August 1983
Defense.gov News Photo 960323-N-6240R-004.jpg|USS ''Nicholson'' on 23 March 1996
Forward mast of USS Nicholson (DD-982).jpg|USS ''Nicholson'' on 13 May 2000
</gallery>

==References==
*http://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/10/nyregion/the-destroyer-arrives-for-refitting-at-navy-yard.html

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=DD982|title=Naval Vessel Register entry for ''Nicholson''}}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/982.htm         navsource.org: USS ''Nicholson'']
*[http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd982.htm       united-states-navy.com: USS ''Nicholson'']

{{Spruance class destroyer}}
{{2004 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson (DD-982)}}
[[Category:Spruance-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:1977 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]

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