David Tumolo

USS **Robert A. Owens** (DD/DDE-827) was a Gearing-class destroyer commissioned by the United States Navy in 1949. Initially designed as a destroyer escort (DDE), she was named in honor of Sergeant Robert A. Owens, a Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II. Throughout her service, Robert A. Owens participated in numerous Cold War operations, including NATO exercises, Mediterranean deployments, and crisis responses such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. She was reclassified as a destroyer (DD) in 1962 and continued to serve until her decommissioning in 1982, after which she was transferred to the Turkish Navy.