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| 37k | François Joseph Paul, Marquis de Grasse Tilly, Comte de Grasse (born 1722; died January 14, 1788 in Paris) was a French admiral. He was born at Bar-sur-Loup, in the present département of the Alpes-Maritimes. At the age of eleven, he entered the Order of Malta as a page of the Grand Master. In 1734, de Grasse became an ensign on the galleys of the Knights Hospitaller and, in 1740, he entered the French Navy. In 1776, the American War of Independence against Great Britain began and the French Navy was assigned to assist the American cause. As a commander of a division, de Grasse served under Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers at the First Battle of Ushant from July 23 to 27, 1778. In 1779, he joined the fleet of Count d'Estaing in the Caribbean and distinguished himself in the battles of Dominica and Saint Lucia during 1780 and of Tobago during 1781. He contributed to the capture of Grenada and took part in the three actions fought by Guichen against Admiral Rodney in the Battle of Martinique. He came to the aid of Washington and Rochambeau, setting sail with 3,000 men from Saint-Dominique. de Grasse landed the 3,000 French reinforcements in Virginia, and immediately afterwards decisively defeated the British fleet in the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781. He drew away the English forces and blockaded the coast until Lord Cornwallis surrendered, ensuring the independence of the United States of America. He was less fortunate at Battle of St. Kitts, where he was defeated by Admiral Hood. Shortly afterwards, in April 1782, he was defeated and taken prisoner by Admiral Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes. Some months later, he returned to France, published a Mémoire justificatif and, in 1784, was acquitted by a court-martial. | Bill Gonyo |
| 33k | Undated, location unknown. | - |
| 128k | Undated, stern view of the Spruance class ship showing helicopter landing area and hanger facilities, as designed. | - |
| 66k | Undated postcard Copyright © Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk, VA. | Mike Smolinski |
| 73k | Undated, location unknown. Photo from " An Illustrated History of Destroyers of The World" by Bernard Ireland. | Robert Hurst |
| 243k | Undated postcard. | Tommy Trampp |
| 199k | Undated postcard. | Tommy Trampp |
| 119k | Undated painting. | Tommy Trampp |
| 193k | September 1979 photo by PH3 C. E. Fritz, KN 29128. | Ed Zajkowski |
| 28k | Portsmouth, England October 28 1979. | Marc Piché |
| 48k | Portsmouth, England circa 1980's. | Marc Piché |
| 49k | Antwerp, Belgium April 15 1982. | Marc Piché |
| 31k | Antwerp, Belgium April 15 1982. | Marc Piché |
| 84k | Antwerp, Belgium May 16 1982. | Marc Piché |
| 93k | USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974) at Portsmouth, England, on 17 September 1982. In the centre ground surrounded by an enormous flotilla of small craft HMS Invincible with her ships company manning the rails makes a triumphant entry on her return from the South Atlantic. She is flying the Royal Standard at her foremast, occasioned by the presence onboard of Prince Andrew, who flew as a helicopter pilot with No.820 Squadron, FAA (Mike Lennon). Photo from Royal Navy Aircraft cariiers 1945-1990, by Leo Marriott. | Robert Hurst |
| 59k | Lisbon, Portugal April 1983. | Marc Piché |
| 109k | DN-SC-87-04495. A starboard quarter view of the destroyer USS COMTE DE GRASSE (DD-974) underway in the Virginia Capes operating area. The ship is equipped with Tomahawk missile armored box launchers on the bow. Photo by PH1 Hilton on 1 Aug 1985. | Bill Gonyo |
| 125k | DN-ST-88-09171. February 1 1986, the guided-missile cruiser USS Harry E. Yarnell (CG 17) and the destroyer USS Comte De Grasse (DD 974) moored at the destroyer and submarine piers, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia. U.S. Navy Photo by PH2 Chris Holmes. | Robert M. Cieri |
| 55k | May 1, 1986, Portsmouth Virginia, a port bow view of the guided missile destroyer USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23) and the destroyer USS Comte DE Grasse (DD-974) undergoing overhaul. | Fred Weiss |
| 152k | USS Shenandoah (AD-44) moored pierside at Marseille France, circa 1987-88, with USS Comte De Grasse (DD-974) and USS Aylwin (DE-1081). | Philippe Gonzales |
| 85k | January 14 1987 - Atlantic Ocean: the destroyer USS Deyo (DD-989), bottom, the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61), center, and the destroyer USS Comte De Grasse (DD-974) underway. | Fred Weiss |
| 284k | DN-SC-87-05128. Atlantic Ocean, April 4 1987, an aerial view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), underway. Ike's escorts are, clockwise from upper left, the destroyer USS Comte De Grasse (DD 974), the frigate USS Garcia (FF 1040), and the destroyers USS John Hancock (DD 981) and USS Nicholson (DD 982). | Robert M. Cieri |
| 185k |
Turnover in the Mediterranean, June 17 1987. Clockwise from top center:USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, en route to Philadelphia;
guided missile frigate USS Hawes (FFG-53); USS Saratoga (CV-60) with CVW-17, newly arrived in the Med from Mayport; guided
missile frigate USS Doyle (FFG-39);frigate USS W.S. Sims (FF-1059);destroyer USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974);guided missile cruiser USS Josephus
Daniels (CG-27); destroyer USS Conolly (DD-979); frigate USS Truett (FF-1095); and guided missile destroyer USS William V. Pratt (DDG-44). Replenishment oiler USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) is steaming in the center of the formation.
U.S. Navy photo by PH2 Thomas Hensley. | Fred Moisson, Museum of Military History, Kissimmee, FL |
| 57k | At Boston circa 1990. | Ron Reeves |
| 68k | DN-SC-95-01278. A starboard view of the destroyer USS COMTE DE GRASSE (DD-974) and the guided missile destroyer USS SCOTT (DDG-995) tied up at the waterfront. The stern of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS SAN JUAN (SSN-751) is in the foreground. Photo by OS2 John Bouvia at Port Everglades, FL on October 8 1994. | Bill Gonyo |
| 238k | USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974) off of Recife, Brazil in 1997. | Archer Macy |
| 96k | USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974) & USS Scott (DDG-995) laid up at Philadelphia, Aug. 1999. | Marc Piché |
| 70k | USS Comte de Grasse (DDG-974) in mothballs at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in November 1999. Photo from Warship Boneyards, by Kit and Carolyn Bonner. | Robert Hurst |
| 148k | USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974), USS John Rodgers (DD-983), USS Moosbrugger (DD-980) and USS John Hancock (DD-981) in Philadelphia Navy Yard, April 2003. | Ed Zajkowski |
| 17k | USS Comte de Grasse (DD-974) as a target during SINKEX 2006. | Joe Gardella |
| 25k | As above. | Joe Gardella |
| 20k | As above. | Joe Gardella |
| 90k | Ship's patch | Mike Smolinski |
| 33k | Ship's Zippo circa 1978. | John A. Altfeltis |
