Courtney was named for
Marine Major
Henry A. Courtney, Jr. (1916–1945), who was awarded the
Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism in the
Battle of Okinawa. She was
launched 2 November 1955 by
Defoe Shipbuilding Company,
Bay City, Mich., sponsored by Mrs. H.A. Courtney;
commissioned 24 September 1956 and reported to the
U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
1957 Joining Escort Squadron 10 (CortRon 10) at
Naval Station Newport,
Rhode Island, 26 April 1957, Courtney operated from that port exercising in
antisubmarine warfare and
convoy escort techniques in the
British West Indies until 3 September. She arrived at
Milford Haven,
Wales, on 14 September for maneuvers with ships of other
NATO navies in the
Irish Sea, visiting
Plymouth, England, and
Brest, France, before returning to Newport 21 October 1957 to resume local operations. She took part in hunter-killer exercises off
North Carolina and in convoy exercises extending into the waters off
Florida.
1958 to 1960 Courtney sailed from Newport 1 April 1958 and called at
Reykjavík,
Iceland, on the way to
Bodø,
Norway, to conduct exercises with ships of the
Royal Norwegian Navy. She put into
Antwerp,
Belgium, and
NS Argentia,
Newfoundland, and returned to Newport 14 May. From 7 August to 30 September, she was involved in
Operation Argus, conducting
nuclear tests in the high atmosphere as part of Navy Task Force 88. After completion of the tests, she cruised to
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, from 15 to 19 September. Again cruising to South American waters from February through March 1959, she called at ports in
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Peru, and
Chile, and exercised with ships of the
Colombian and
Peruvian navies.
NATO exercises in August and September 1959 found her calling in Newfoundland,
Northern Ireland, England, and
Portugal. Through the first half of 1960, she cruised along the US East Coast on a variety of exercises, including an amphibious operation with Marines on the coast of North Carolina. From August through December 1960,
Courtney participated in Operation Unitas, the combined antisubmarine training cruise of the American nations. : [
1960–1973]
Courtney was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register 14 December 1973. She was sold for scrapping 17 June 1974. ==References==