The Elrod (FFG 55) is the 45th Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate and is named for the USMC Major Henry T. Elrod, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941. The keel was laid down on November 21, 1983, by the Bath Iron Works, in Bath, Maine. The ship was christened and launched on May 12, 1984, by Mrs. Norma MacDonald, the wife of Adm. Wesley L. MacDonald, Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and Commander, U.S. Atlantic Command; USS Elrod was commissioned on May 18, 1985, at Bath, Maine; Cmdr. Richard W. Moore is the first commanding officer.

November 22, 1999 USS Elrod returned to Norfolk after a six-month Mediterranean deployment.

From April 19-20, 2000, USS Elrod was underway for sea trials after a three-month Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) while pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

May 9, FFG 55 departed homeport to participate in Canadian Exercise CRO 2/00. Inport Halifax, Nova Scotia, from May 12-15; Returned to Norfolk on May 17; Underway again on May 31.

June 2, USS Elrod arrived in boston, Mass., for a three-day port visit to participate in Dorchester Day celebrations. Inport Naval Station Newport, R.I., for SWOS training from June 8-19; Returned home on June 20; Underway for Midshipmen training from June 27-29; Underway again on June 30.

July 3, The Elrod anchored in New York Harbor for International Fleet Review 2000/Operational Sail 2000. Moored at Homeport Pier in Staten Island from July 5-9; Returned home on July 10.

October 16, USS Elrod departed Mayport for Joint Tactical Fleet Exercise (JTFEX) with the DESRON 28 in the Puerto Rican Op. Area. Inport Naval Station Mayport for refuel from Oct. 24-26; Inport Roosevelt Roads, P.R., from Oct. 30-31; Port visit to St. Thomas from Nov. 3-8; Returned home on Nov. 13; Moored at Nauticus Pier in downtown Norfolk, Va., for a three-day visit.

December 14, Cmdr. Charles J. Neary relieved Cmdr. Robert W. Bougher as the 11th CO of Elrod.

May 3, 2001 USS Elrod pulled into Port Everglades, Fla., for a four-day port visit to participate in Broward County Navy Days Ft. Lauderdale.

From May 31 through July 2, the guided-missile frigate was underway for a COMPTUEX in the Puerto Rican OPAREA. Port visit to Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, from June 8-12; Underway for JTFEX from Aug. 1-19.

September 19, USS Elrod departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment as part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Battle Group (BG).

October 2, The Elrod conducted turnover with the USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) for Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (SNFM) duties. Inport Souda Bay, Greece, from Oct. 25-29; Supported Operation Active Endeavour from Nov. 6-20; Inport Souda Bay again from Nov. 25-30; Port visit to La Maddalena, Sardinia, from Dec. 17-25.

December 29, USS Elrod moored at Aksaz Naval Base in Turkey for a five-day port visit to Marmaris.

January 22, 2002 FFG 55 pulled into Augusta Bay, Sicily, for a five-day port call. Inport Souda Bay, Crete, from Feb. 9-13; Participated in exercise Dogfish from Feb. 23-27; Inport Naval Station Rota, Spain, from March 6-7.

March 19, USS Elrod returned to homeport after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet AoR.

May 22, The Elrod arrived in New York City, N.Y., for a week-long port visit to participate in annual Fleet Week celebration.

June 13, The guided-missile frigate arrived in Baltimore, Md., for a four-day port visit. Ammo offload at NWS Yorktown from June 26-28.

July 15, USS Elrod entered the NORSHIPCO shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., for a three-month Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA). In dry-dock from July 18- Sept. 3; Returned to Naval Station Norfolk on Oct. 7; Underway for sea trials from Oct. 16-17; Ammo onload at NWS Yorktown from Oct. 17-18; Underway in support of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) BG's JTFEX as part of opposition forces from Oct. 28- Nov. 5.

November 15, Cmdr. Stephen H. Kelly relieved Cmdr. Charles J. Neary as commanding officer of FFG 55.

March 7, 2003 USS Elrod arrived in Charleston, S.C., for a three-day port visit. Returned to Norfolk on March 14 after a 10-day underway for routine training; Underway again from March 31- April 4 and April 7-11; Underway Demonstration from April 21-23; Underway for Group Sail operations from May 6-8.

May 19, The Elrod anchored off Annapolis, Md., for a four-day visit to U.S. Naval Academy.

June 17, The guided-missile destroyer departed homeport for routine training. Port visit to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, from June 23-27; Returned to Norfolk on July 1; Underway for Group Sail at the AUTEC range from July 9-16; Underway for the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) assessment on July 23; Ammo onload at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown from Aug. 4-6; Anchored at Golf anchorage for ATFP from Aug. 14-15.

September 16, USS Elrod emergency sortied from Naval Station Norfolk to avoid the Hurricane Isabel. Returned on Sept. 20; Underway for navigation certification (NAVCERT) on Sept. 25.

October 2, The Mk-13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) was removed from the Elrod in accordance with the Mk-13 Divestment plan. Underway for Group Sail with the Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28 from Oct. 16-27; Underway in support of the USS George Washington (CVN 73) CSG's Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) as part of opposition forces on Nov. 13.

December 1, The Elrod arrived in Miami, Fla., for a three-day port visit. Returned home on Dec. 19.

From January 19-24, 2004, FFG 55 was underway for Group Sail operations as part of the George Washington CSG. Underway for MK-53 Nulka Decoy System testing from Feb. 26-29; Underway for COMDESRON 28 Group Sail from March 8-9; Ammo offload at NWS Yorktown from March 15-16; Underway for ammo onload from March 22-23.

April 30, USS Elrod departed Norfolk for a Mediterranean deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism, as part of the Surface Strike Group 04-1. The SSG can operate independently or in conjunction with other maritime forces. It is designed to be a flexible group that will provide presence with a purpose, and strike power to support joint and allied forces afloat and ashore.

May 9, The Elrod entered the Mediterranean Sea after transiting Strait of Gibraltar, along with USS Ramage (DDG 61) and USS Ross (DDG 71). Inport La Spezia, Italy, from May 14-17; Port visit to Trieste, Italy, from May 21-25; Inport La Spezia again from June 2-7 and joined Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (SNFM) duties.

June 10, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Augusta Bay, Italy, for a four-day port call. Inport Souda Bay, Greece, from June 23-26; Inport Aksaz, Turkey, from July 4-7; Port call to Taranto, Italy, from July 13-16; Inport Souda Bay again from July 24-27 and Aug. 3-6; Inport Taranto again from Aug. 12-15; Port call to Souda Bay from Aug. 27-29.

August 31, FFG 55 pulled again into Augusta Bay for a four-day port call.

September 1, Cmdr. David D. Schweizer relieved Cmdr. Stephen H. Kelly as CO of the Elrod during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship at Augusta Bay, Sicily.

September 8, The Elrod arrived in Naval Station Rota, Spain, for a brief stop to refuel.

September 17, USS Elrod returned to homeport after four-and-a-half month Mediterranean deployment. The ship carried out Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) in support of Operation Active Endeavour, in the Agean Sea and also participated in Operation Distinguished Games, which provided maritime protection for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

From October 18-22, the Elrod was underway for Group Sail operations. Underway for local operations and ammo offload at NWS Yorktown, Va., from Oct. 22-29; Underway again from Nov. 19-23.

February 10, 2006 FFG 55 departed Norfolk to participate in a coalition course in the North Atlantic with ships from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark. Neptune Warrior is designed to improve interoperability between allied navies as well as to prepare the participants for a role in a Coalition Joint Task Force during upcoming deployments.

February 23, The Elrod, commanded by Cmdr. Teresa S. Sanford, arrived at HMNB Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, to participate in a coalition course exercise.

August 1, USS Elrod transited Bosporus Straits southbound. The ship recently departed for a scheduled deployment as part of the Standing NATO Response Force (NRF) Maritime Group (SNMG) 2, in support of Operation Active Endeavour.

August 4, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, for a brief port call.

September 7, USS Elrod arrived in Novorossiysk, Russia, for a scheduled port visit. She is the first United States Navy vessel to pull into this Black Sea port since 2001.

November 13, USS Elrod returned to Norfolk after supporting Commander, 6th Fleet operations, Joint Task Force Lebanon and Maritime Security Operations.

August 10, 2007 Cmdr. Todd A. Beltz relieved Cmdr. Teresa S. Sanford as the 15th CO of Elrod.

September 4, FFG 55 departed homeport to participate in exercise Neptune Warrior 07-2, off the coast of Scotland, from Sept. 17-29.

June 2, 2008 USS Elrod departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment in Europe and Africa, within the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

July 6, The Elrod departed Amsterdam, Netherlands, after a scheduled port visit. Inport Den Helder from July 11-13.

July 27, The guided-missile frigate recently pulled into Severomorsk to participate in Russian Navy Day celebration after completing the underway phase of Northern Eagle 2008, a 12-day trilateral exercise involving the U.S., Russia and Norway in the Norwegian and Barents seas.

September 8, The Elrod arrived in Mindelo, Cape Verde, for a goodwill port visit in support of Africa Partnership Station (APS).

November 21, FFG 55 pulled into Funchal, Portugal, for a brief stop to refuel.

December 3, USS Elrod returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment.

May 14, 2010 USS Elrod departed Norfolk for a scheduled Middle East deployment.

July 5, The Elrod rescued 16 Pakistani mariners stranded in a life raft near the wreckage of their fishing vessel, 144 miles west of Socotra Island.

November 15, USS Elrod returned to homeport after a six-month underway period in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet Areas of Responsibility, in support of anti-piracy and maritime security operations. The ship also visited Italy, Djibouti, Oman, Jordan, Seychelles, Greece and Croatia.

December 3, Cmdr. John R. Callaway relieved Cmdr. Christopher M. Engdahl as CO of the FFG 55 during a change-of-command ceremony aboard the ship at Norfolk.

August 25, 2011 The Elrod emergency sortied from Naval Station Norfolk to avoid the approaching Hurricane Irene.

December 16, The guided-missile frigate recently completed a three-week Certification Exercise (CERTEX) off the coast of Florida.

January 18, 2012 USS Elrod departed Norfolk for a scheduled Caribbean deployment in support of counter-illicit trafficking.

January 29, FFG 55 recently pulled into Colon, Panama, for a brief port call to take on fuel and supplies.

February 13, The Elrod recently departed Cartagena, Colombia, after a scheduled port visit.

February 19, USS Elrod pulled into Colon, Panama, for a brief port call to take on fuel and supplies.

March 5, The guided-missile frigate recently departed Cartegena after another visit to Colombia.

March 27, USS Elrod, with embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 60 Det. 3, pulled into Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a three-day port call. The ship intercepted a fast moving speedboat carrying 1,000 pounds of cocaine on March 22 in the Caribbean Sea.

April 12, The Elrod pulled into Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles, for a four-day port visit to Curacao.

April 16, Cmdr. Jack L. Killman relieved Cmdr. John R. Callaway as CO of FFG 55 during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship in Willemstad.

April 20, USS Elrod recovered 89 bales of cocaine, weighing 4,840 pounds, with an estimated value of more than $362 million, while supporting Operation Martillo in the western Caribbean Sea.

May 25, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Willemstad for another visit to Curacao Island. USS Elrod, with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team, recovered 57 bales of cocaine, weighing 3,790 pounds, in the western Caribbean Sea on May 17, with an estimated street value of more than $283 million.

June 10, The Elrod interdicted a suspected smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea, recovering more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine.

July 7, FFG 55 arrived in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, for a brief port call. The ship recovered approximately 5,000 pounds of marijuana in the Caribbean Sea, on July 3.

July 12, The guided-missile frigate recently anchored off the coast of Roatan, Honduras, for a goodwill port visit.

July 20, USS Elrod returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility.

October 11, The Elrod recently returned to homeport after ammo offload at NWS Yorktown, Va.

In March 2013, USS Elrod completed a five-month Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA) at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in Norfolk, Va.

September 30, The Elrod arrived in Naval Station Mayport, Fla., in preparation for a Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Underway for INSURV rehearsal on Oct. 21 and 22nd; Underway for INSURV assessment on Nov. 4.

November 8, Cmdr. Bradley L. Stallings relieved Cmdr. Jack L. Killman as CO of the Elrod during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship at Naval Station Mayport.

January 14, 2014 USS Elrod, with embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 60 Det. 2, departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled Mediterranean deployment in support of AFRICOM Counter Terrorism, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions.

January 29, The Elrod anchored off the coast of Nouakchott, Mauritania, for a brief port call to refuel.

February 2, The guided-missile frigate moored at main pier in Port of Tanger ville for a four-day visit to Tangier, Morocco; Conducted a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) with the RMNS Allal Ben Abdellah (FMMM 615) on Feb. 6; Anchored off Tunis, Tunisia, from Feb. 8-10.

February 11, USS Elrod pulled into Naples, Italy, for a two-day port call for inchop brief. Inport Souda Bay, Greece, from Feb. 16-17.

February 25, FFG 55 recently pulled into Augusta Bay, Italy, for a brief port call to conduct turnover with the USS Simpson (FFG 56).

March 19, USS Elrod took over the escort duties from USS Stout (DDG 55), for the hijacked oil tanker Morning Glory, two days after a team of U.S. Navy SEALS seized control of the commercial tanker from three armed Libyan hijackers; U.S. Sailors handed over control of tanker to Libyan forces while in international waters, west of the capital Tripoli, on March 22.

March 26, The Elrod departed Souda Bay, Crete, after a brief port call.

June 30, USS Elrod recently pulled into Catania, Italy, for a scheduled port visit. Inport Augusta Bay for turnover with the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) in early July.?

July 19, USS Elrod returned to Norfolk after a six-month deployment.

January 30, 2015 USS Elrod is decommissioned, after a nearly 30 years of servise, during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. The ship will be towed to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Office Philadelphia and offered for foreign military sale.