1980s
During her first years, Nicholas was part of Destroyer Squadron Six in Charleston, South Carolina. her sister ships in DESRON SIX included USS Taylor and O'Bannon, which harkened back to the World War II Fletcher-class destroyers Nicholas, Taylor, and O'Bannon. These ships had such distinguished records in World War II, especially in the Solomon Islands campaign, that Admiral Halsey ordered all three ships be present with USS Missouri at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.
In July 1987, Nicholas, together with DESRON SIX sister ship Deyo, deployed with the Iowa Battleship Battlegroup to the Mediterranean. She was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq War, where she participated in Operation Earnest Will, which was a mission to escort reflagged tanker ships. She earned her first Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Read more about this topic: USS Nicholas (FFG-47)