7 February 1986

1. As required by reference (a), the following report is submitted.

2. Significant events during the period January - December 1985 are as follows:

a. The year began with USS ELLIOT inport. After completing a holiday leave and upkeep period the ship put to sea from 10-23 January for a series of anti-submarine warfare operations in the Northern Pacific. Embarked on ELLIOT during this underway period were Commander, Destroyer Squadron TWENTY THREE and HSL-35 Detachment FIVE.

b. ELLIOT's agenda during the month of February was heavily influenced by the ship's Combat Systems Readiness Test (CSRT). Preparations for and actual participation in this inspection required all but the final week of the month. CSRT consisted primarily of inport time with one underway day on 25 February. Successful completion demonstrated the viability of a wide variety of systems including missiles, guns and sensors, in addition to various supporting engineering systems.

c. ELLIOT's first major Third Fleet exercise of the year, Exercise KERNEL USHER 85-2, was conducted during 5-13 March. The primary objective of the exercise was to practice a large-scale amphibious assualt. However, the event involved a much wider scope of activity for ELLIOT. The exercise tested the entire gamut of ELLIOT's operational capabilities including anti-submarine, anti-air, anti-surface and naval gunfire support operations. Upon completion of KERNEL USHER, ELLIOT returned to San Diego where she became flagship for Commander, Destroyer Group ONE for a two-week period.

d. After spending the first week and a half on the month of April inport, ELLIOT put to sea for another exercise, this time as part of the KITTY HAWK Battle Group. This exercise, COMPTUEX 85-4, lasting from 10-25 April, involved extensive operations against nuclear submarines and included test firings of an ASROC rocket and of an exercise torpedo.

e. With the advent of the month of May, ELLIOT's preparations for her upcoming deployment to the Western Pacific accelerated. The first half of the month was primarily spent in preparation for an NTPI inspection which tested the capabilities of ELLIOT's crew to safely handle nuclear weapons. With the successful completion of NTPI, ELLIOT's crew reached a significant milestone on the road toward the peak mission readiness required of a forward-deployed naval unit.

f. June was ELLIOT's final month prior to departing to the Western Pacific, and as such brought with it a pair of challenging sea trials. The ship was underway from 3 to 4 June for Sea Trials which demonstrated the readiness of the engineering plant for sustained underway operations and got underway again from 25 to 26 June for pre-deployment Sea Trials.

g. After a pre-deployment inport period, ELLIOT put to sea for her Western Pacific deployment on 10 July 1985. The first segment consisted of a transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as a memer of the NEW JERSEY Battleship Battle Group. After arriving in Pearl Harbor on 19 July, the Battle Group put to sea again on 22 July for a five-day exercise entitled COMPTUEX 85-5. During this exercise ELLIOT successfully engaged a target drone with her NATO SEA SPARROW Missile System. After completing the exercise, units of the NEW JERSEY Battle Group returned to Pearl Harbor.

h. ELLIOT put to sea again on 2 August with the NEW JERSEY Battle Group for an ENCOUNTEREX exercise with the KITTY HAWK and other units of Battle Group BRAVO. After several days of intensive operations with Battle Group BRAVO, ELLIOT detached in company with SIDES (FFG-14) and proceeded to a port visit in Sasebo, Japan which lasted from 17 to 21 August. During her stay in Sasebo, Commander Destroyer Squadron THIRTY FIVE, acting as Commander, Task Group 75.1 and his staff, embarked aboard ELLIOT. ELLIOT was underway again on 22 August and proceeded to Maizuru, Japan for a one-day visit which featured a pre-sail conference with the elements of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF). The first international exercise of the deployment began when ELLIOT put to sea on 24 August with units of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force for ASWEX 85-2JA in the Sea of Japan. The ship returned to Sasebo on 27 August. Her stay in Sasebo was extended to afford the ship protection during the near-passage of two typhoons.

i. ELLIOT got underway on 2 September for a two-day transit to Yokosuka, Japan where she remained inport for an upkeep period which lasted from 4 to 13 September. Departing Yokosuka on 14 Spetember, ELLIOT transited to Chinhae, Korea to conduct planning for an exercise with Korean naval units. ELLIOT was at sea from 18-20 September with Republic of Korea naval units for an ASW exercise entitled TAE KWON DO XLVII/ASWEX 85-4K. During this exercise, ELLIOT rendered on-scene assistance to the American submarine DARTER which was dissabled during a collision with the merchant ship KANSAS GETTY. Having concluded TAE KWON DO XLVII/ASWEX 85-4K, ELLIOT proceeded to Pusan, Korea for a port visit which lasted from 21 to 24 Spetember. Departing Pusan on 25 September, ELLIOT got underway for a five-day transit first to the vicinity of Okinawa, and then back to Yokosuka, Japan. During operations in the vicinity of Okinawa ELLIOT conducted RECONEX 85-4 with elements of a U.S. Marine Corps Reconnaisance Battallion and supported training landings on the beach.

j. ELLIOT and SIDES arrived in Yokosuka, Japan on 1 October for preparation for ANNUALEX 60G, a major JMSDF exercise conducted in waters off the east coast of Japan. This multi-faceted exercise lasted from 5-13 October and tested operational compatability of the forces involved to perform in a wide variety of mission areas ranging from ASW to AAW and ASUW. Elements of the MIDWAY Battle Group joined the exercise for the last phase of operations. After a brief stop in Yokosuka on 14 October, ELLIOT commenced a five-day transit to Subic Bay, Philippines for an upkeep period which lasted from 21 October through 2 November. The transit to Subic Bay included a typhoon storm evasion which had ELLIOT sail through the San Bernardino Straits.

k. The next major event of ELLIOT's agenda was an exercise with naval units of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The four missile patrol boats joined with ELLIOT in BURONGEX 86, an exercise which tested the capabilities of the ships of both nations to operate jointly. The exercise was climaxed with a short visit to the Sultanate of Brunei. Having completed this assignment, ELLIOT returned to Subic Bay for a four-day visit prior to putting to sea for an exercise with two units of the Royal Thai Navy. SEA OF SIAM 86-1 again tasked ELLIOT and SIDES together this time with HMTS TAPI and HMTS PINKLAO. The exercise also included personnel exchanges and mutual social events. Upon completion of the exercise the two Thai ships accompanied ELLIOT back to Subic Bay for a visit lasting from 18-19 November. ELLIOT put to sea again from 20-21 November, this time bound for a port call in Hong Kong. Moored at HMS TAMAR, ELLIOT remained in Hong Kong from 22-26 November, getting underway again on 27 November to arrive at Subic Bay on 29 November.

l. The end of ELLIOT's 1985 Western Pacific deployment was marked when the ship departed from Subic Bay on 1 December in company with the KITTY HAWK Battle Group for a transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The trans-Pacific transit involved extensive operations including an ENCOUNTEREX, which involved a joint effort between ELLIOT and FIFE. The two ships detached from the Battle Group on 8 December and proceeded ahead of KITTY HAWK to intercept the destroyer JOSEPH STRAUSS. The transit to Pearl Harbor reached its conclusion on 12 December. The Battle Group spent two days inport, during which time Commander, Destroyer Squadron THIRTY FIVE disembarked from ELLIOT. ELLIOT put to sea again on 14 December for the transit to San Diego, California. This transit was highlighted by the embarkation of 48 male friends and relatives of ELLIOT crewmembers who enjoyed a taste of Navy life during ELLIOT's 1985 "Tiger Cruise". ELLIOT returned to her San Diego homeport on 21 December. The year ended with the ship moored at Naval Station, San Diego.

E. E. CRAGG, JR.