The USS Decatur (DD-936) was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer constructed by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. Laid down on September 13, 1954, and launched on December 15, 1955, she was commissioned on December 7, 1956. As a modern warship of her time, the Decatur featured a sleek, streamlined hull typical of the Forrest Sherman class, designed for versatility and speed in naval operations. Initially, the Decatur’s service included shakedown cruises through the Caribbean, trials, and deployment to northern Europe. In 1958, she embarked on her first Sixth Fleet tour in the Mediterranean, participating regularly in Mediterranean and Atlantic operations during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her notable early activities included serving as a spacecraft recovery ship in September 1961 and participating in Cuban Quarantine operations in late 1962. In 1964, the Decatur sustained heavy structural damage following a collision with the aircraft carrier Lake Champlain (CVS-39). Subsequently, she was placed "in commission, in reserve" and underwent extensive modernization at the Boston Naval Shipyard. During this upgrade, she was reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer in September 1966, receiving the hull number DDG-31. Recommissioned in April 1967 under Commander Lee Baggett Jr., she transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Throughout her service in the Pacific, Decatur took part in multiple Vietnam War operations, with deployments to the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Her operational history includes numerous "WestPac" cruises from 1968 through the late 1970s, during which she engaged in combat support and regional stability missions. She continued active deployment into the early 1980s, including a mission in the Persian Gulf in 1983. After decommissioning in June 1983 and being stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1988, the vessel was repurposed as the Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) from 1994 to 2003, conducting missile countermeasure trials along the Pacific Coast. She was finally sunk as a target in 2004, concluding her extensive maritime service. The USS Decatur's career reflects her significance as a versatile and active vessel during Cold War naval operations and missile technology testing.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.