Please Report Any Broken Links Or Trouble You Might Come Across To The Webmaster
Please Take A Moment To Let Us Know So That We Can Correct Any Problems And Make Your Visit As Enjoyable And As Informative As Possible.

Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

Ship's patches courtesy of Mike Smolinski

USS Garcia (DE 1040)


Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign:
N - I - G - D
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "Invader Jack"
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Navy Unit Commendation w/ 1 star - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon
Second Row: Navy Expeditionary Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Specifications:
Class: Garcia
Type: SCB No. 199A / 1961 - 1963
Number in Class: 10
Displacement: 2,620 tons (std), 3,400 tons (full)
Length: 390' 0" (wl), 414' 6" (oa)
Beam: 44' 0" (extreme)
Draft: 24' 0" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 2 Foster Wheeler 1200-psi boilers; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine; 35,000 shp; 1 shaft
Speed: 27 kts
Range: 4,000 nm @ 20 knots
Complement: 13 / 234
Guns: 2 - 5"/38 Mk30 Gun (2x1) (350 rounds)
ASW Weapons: 1 - Mk16 ASROC launcher (1x8) (16 missiles), 6 - 12.75" (324mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes (2x3) / Mk 46 torpedos (18)
Radars: AN/SPS-10 (surface), AN/SPS-40 (air)
Sonars: AN/SQS-26AXR in DE 1040 - 1045, AN/SQS-26BX in DE 1047 - 1051
Fire Control Systems: Mk56 Mod 43 Gun FCS, Mk114 Mod 8/11 ASW FCS
Helicopter: 1 - SH-2 LAMPS Helicopter
Garcia (DE 1040) Building and Operational Data:
  • 22 June 1961: Building contract awarded to the Bethlehem Steel Co.
  • 16 October 1962: Keel laid at the Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco, Cal.
  • 31 October 1963: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Daisy Garcia de Alvarez, sister
  • 21 December 1964: Commissioned, Cmdr Donald A. Smith in command
  • 30 June 1975: Reclassified Frigate (FF 1040)
  • 10 November 1988: Decommissioned after 24.1 years of service
  • 31 January 1989: Leased to Pakistan, renamed PNS Saif (F-264)
  • 13 January 1994: Stricken from the NVR
  • 29 March 1994: Returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration for disposal at Singapore, and sold for scrapping to Trusha Investments Pte. Ltd. c/o Jacques Pierot, Jr. & Sons Inc., New York City, N.Y. for $597,600
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Garcia 48k Fernando Luis Garcia was born 14 October 1929 at Utuado, P.R., and was inducted into the Marine Corps 19 September 1951. A member of the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, Private Garcia served valiantly in Korea, particularly on 5 September 1952 when he threw himself on an enemy grenade to save the life of a comrade. Private Garcia was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism, the first native Puerto Rican to be so honored.

    USS Garcia (DE 1040) (1964-1988) was the first ship named in his honor.

    (U.S. Marine Corps photo from the U.S. Marine Corps History Division)    		 Bill Gonyo
    Garcia 37k 22 October 1964: USS Garcia (DE 1040) underway on sea trials. (Photo and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships) Robert Hurst
    Garcia 62k undated, aerial port bow view of USS Garcia (DE1040)
    Garcia 100k 1969: Cuba in the background Steve Singlar
    ETCS, USNR (ret.)


    Photos © Steve Singlar
    Garcia 87k Garcia, Edward MacDonald and Wasp in Copenhagen, June or July 1970
    Garcia 71k Lead ship of the class and the prototype for 62 large ocean escort vessels. Two items of interest are the ASROC reloading crane stowed on the front of her bridge face and the torpedo launching cutout in her stern. -
    Garcia 33k Garcia in rough seas From the Destroyers Online
    Web Site
    Garcia 105k Garcia leaving San Juan, in 1969 or '70 Steve Singlar
    ETCS, USNR (ret.)
    Garcia 66k Night fire of her 5" gun in 1969 or '70 (Photo © Bill Voss) STG3 Bill Voss, 1967 - 1970
    Garcia 76k An undated postcard view of Garcia as a DE.     (Postcard © Arnold Art Store, Newport, R.I.; shown at 125% of original size)

    Caption reads: A unit of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet home ported at Newport, R.I. on Narragansett Bay. Official U.S. Navy photograph.     		Mike Smolinski
    Garcia 92k An undated postcard view of Garcia as an FF.     (Postcard #P6587 © Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk, Va.; shown at 125% of original size)

    Caption reads: U.S.S. Garcia (FF-1040) - The first of the "Garcia" class frigates of the United States Navy. Built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., and commissioned on 21 December 1964.
    Garcia 52k An undated postcard view of Garcia as an FF.     (Postcard #P20882 © Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk, Va.; shown at 150% of original size)

    Caption reads: U.S.S. Garcia (FF-1040) - The first of the "Garcia" class frigates of the United States Navy. Built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., and commissioned on 21 December 1964.
    Garcia 96k undated image (early 80's) Thomas J. Comerford Jr.
    Garcia 54k undated image Robert Hurst
    Garcia 23k undated image
    Garcia 71k 21 October 1985: Mediterranean Sea - An elevated port bow view of the carrier Saratoga (CV 60), the fast combat support ship Seattle (AOE 3) and Garcia participating in an underway replenishment. Fred Weiss
    Garcia 96k 4 April 1987: the Atlantic Ocean - 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 Compte de Grasse (DD 974), the frigate Garcia, and the destroyers USS John Hancock (DD 981) and USS Nicholson (DD 982). (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-87-05128 from the DVIC) Robert M. Cieri
    View the USS Garcia (DE 1040) DANFS history entry
    located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
    Garcia's Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves
    21 December 1964 -10 June 1966      Cmdr. Donald Asa Smith
    10 June 1966 - 28 September 1968   Cmdr. Felix S. (Hap) Vecchione
    28 September 1968 - 29 August 1970   Cmdr. Christopher J. Limerick Jr.
    29 August 1970 - 03 April 1972   Cmdr. John McClellan Langford
    03 April 1972 - 25 August 1973   Cmdr. Robert Theodore Reimann (ret. as Radm.)
    25 August 1973 - 23 August 1975   Cmdr. John Edward Sherman
    23 August 1975 - 07 October 1977   Cmdr. Craig Neil Andersen
    07 October 1977 - 22 October 1979   Cmdr. Vincent Paul McDonough
    22 October 1979 - 31 July 1981   Cmdr. Francis W. Harness (ret. as Radm.)
    31 July 1981 - 15 April 1982   Cmdr. Richard F. Monsah
    15 April 1982 - 05 August 1983   Cmdr. Thomas Smith Weaver
    05 August 1983 - 23 August 1985   Cmdr. Frederick G. Prickett Jr.
    23 August 1985 - 29 July 1988   Cmdr. David E. H. Secrest III
    29 July 1988 - 10 November 1988   Cmdr. William Jeffrey Steelman
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    None
    Note About Contacts

    Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has been
    made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list only
    a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists or rosters available. Please see the Frequently Asked
    Questions section on Navsource's Main Page for that information.

    Additional Resources
    Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
    The Destroyer History Foundation
    Tin Can Sailors Shipmate Registry - USS Garcia
    USS Garcia Page on Destroyers Online
    USS Garcia Page on Military.Com
    To The DE Photo Index Page Back To The Main Photo Index

    Comments, Suggestions, or Image Submissions, Please E-mail: DE Info
    Problems or Site Related Matters, Please E-mail: Webmaster

    This Page Created And Maintained by Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated 18 November 2009