USS Theodore E. Chandler (DD-717) - Post-Vietnam and Decommissioning

Post-Vietnam and Decommissioning

During the remainder of her career, Theodore E. Chandler made two more deployments to the western Pacific. Though she spent a great deal of time off the coast of Vietnam during both, only the first can be considered a wartime deployment in any real sense. That tour of duty came in the winter of 1970 and 1971 and consisted of duty as plane guard, as SAR picket, and as naval gunfire support ship. The last deployment began in January 1973, after more than 20 months of normal 1st Fleet operations which included a four-month overhaul at the beginning of 1972. However, soon after she arrived in the Far East, the Vietnam ceasefire ended American involvement in the conflict. During the American withdrawal, she cruised the Gulf of Tonkin as plane guard for the aircraft carriers of TF 77 and then returned to the west coast in July. Upon returning to the United States, she resumed normal operations until the fall. On 1 October 1973, the destroyer was transferred to Naval Reserve training duty at Seattle, Washington. Theodore E. Chandler continued that duty until 1 April 1975. On that day, she was decommissioned at Seattle; and her name was struck from the Navy list. On 30 December 1975, she was sold to General Metals, Tacoma, Washington, for scrapping.

Theodore E. Chandler earned nine battle stars during the Korean War and eight battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for Vietnam service.

As of 2006, no other ship in the United States Navy has been named Theodore E. Chandler as the USS Chandler, Kidd class guided missile destroyer, was sold to Taiwan in 2004. See USS Chandler for other ships named for Theodore E. Chandler.