1990 for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The frigate operated as part of the Red Sea Maritime Interception Force, an international force of ships that enforced U.N. sanctions against Iraq. The frigate's sailors boarded more than 100 merchant ships in efforts to prevent cargo shipments to or from Iraq. On 28 March 1991, she returned to Newport. "Sammy B", as the ship is sometimes called, was later homeported in Mayport, Florida. On 30 August 1991, Joseph A. Sestak took command of Samuel B. Roberts, which was named the Atlantic Fleet's best surface combatant in the 1993 Battenberg Cup competition. Samuel B. Roberts was decommissioned at Mayport on 22 May 2015, then towed to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia. In late 2022, the ship was towed from Philadelphia to EMR International Shipbreaking Limited in Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. Gallery References Annati, Massimo Al diavolo le mine RID magazine, Coop. Riviera Ligure, Italy, n. 6/2005 Further reading External links USS Samuel B. Roberts official site Samuel B. Roberts narrative and timeline Photos of Samuel B. Roberts during February 1986 sea trials Photos of Samuel B. Roberts being commissioned in April 1986 Photos of Samuel B. Roberts being hauled from the Persian Gulf to Newport, R.I. aboard Mighty Servant 2 in 1988 MaritimeQuest USS Samuel B. Roberts FFG-58 pages 1984 ships Maritime incidents in 1988 Gulf War ships of the United States United States Navy in the 20th century Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy Ships built in Bath, Maine Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States