USS Fife (DD-991), a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Admiral James Fife, Jr. (1897–1975), a distinguished Submarine Force commander during World War II. Fife was laid down on 6 March 1978 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched on 1 May 1979; and commissioned on 31 May 1980. USS Fife was the 29th of the 30 Spruance-class destroyers. Between 27 June and 11 July 2002, Fife was the U.S. Task Group flagship for the Pacific Phase of the annual UNITAS exercise conducted with naval forces from five nations off the coast of Chile. The ship's five-month deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean for Counter-Drug Operations and the UNITAS exercise was the final deployment for the destroyer. Last homeported in Everett, Wash., under the command of CDR Frank Ponds, Fife was decommissioned 28 February 2003, and stricken from the Navy List 6 April 2004. Fife was sunk as a target during a live-fire exercise on 23 August 2005 by . Etymology USS Fife was named in honor of Admiral James Fife, Jr., a distinguished naval officer. He served in both World War I and World War II in submarines and surface combatants. He served in the battleship and the destroyers and from 1923 until May 1935. When the U.S. entered World War II, Fife was Chief of Staff of Submarine Squadron 20 in the Philippines (part of the Asiatic Fleet under Admiral T. C. Hart). After the squadron was dissolved into Submarines, Asiatic Fleet, he served as Chief of Staff to Admiral Hart until May 1942. About this time he and Captain J. E. Wilkes were instrumental in identifying several deficiencies of the submarine force, especially the problems with the Mark 14 torpedo. In late 1942 he served with General MacArthur as the representative of Admiral A. S. Carpender during the Buna campaign. Following this he commanded the submarines of Task Force 42 (later Task Force 72) in Brisbane, Australia, where he meticulously planned and directed his submarines' missions. In 1944 Admiral Fife transferred to Admiral King's staff in Washington, D.C. as a war planner. Admiral Fife was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for meritorious service as the Chief of Staff to Commander Submarines, Asiatic Fleet, the Air Medal (by the Army), and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal for action in the Pacific area. At the close of 1944