After nearly three decades of service protecting U.S. and allied interests around the world, the former USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60) completed its final mission in dramatic fashion — not in combat, but as part of a major naval training exercise designed to prepare the next generation of sailors.
The once-active guided-missile frigate was deliberately sunk during a controlled SINKEX (sinking exercise) conducted as part of the multinational RIMPAC in 2022 near Hawaii.
Originally commissioned in 1987, the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate served the United States Navy throughout the final years of the Cold War and well into the modern era. Named after Medal of Honor recipient Rodney Maxwell Davis, the ship participated in numerous patrols, security missions, and joint exercises across the globe.
But before its final voyage beneath the Pacific, the vessel was carefully prepared. Naval engineers removed hazardous materials, fuel residues, and sensitive equipment to meet strict environmental and security standards.
Then came the final test.
During the exercise, the retired warship was struck by advanced weapons, including an AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, one of the U.S. Navy’s primary sea-skimming strike weapons. The impact was part of a carefully planned live-fire scenario designed to provide analysts with real-world data on missile effectiveness and ship survivability.
For naval strategists and weapons engineers, the sinking offered valuable insight into how modern weapons perform against large naval targets. The data collected helps improve future warship design, missile technology, and combat preparedness.
For many former crew members, however, the moment carried a more personal weight.
The USS Rodney M. Davis had once been their home at sea — a ship that carried thousands of sailors through long deployments, training missions, and operations across distant oceans. Watching the vessel disappear beneath the waves marked the end of a proud chapter in naval history.
Although the frigate’s story concluded beneath the Pacific, its final mission served a new purpose: strengthening the readiness of the fleets that continue to patrol the world’s oceans today.
