Richard Lucian Page, born in Clarke County, Va., on 2 December 1807, entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1824; was promoted to lieutenant in 1834; and to commander in 1855. Sea duty, included assignments as executive officer and commanding officer of Independence during the Mexican War, commanding officer of the brig Perry on the African Station 1852-54, and commanding officer of the sloop-of-war Germantown on the East Indies Station 1857-60. He also served three tours of duty ashore as an ordnance officer and one tour as executive officer at the Norfolk Navy Yard. With the secession of Virginia, Page, then assigned to the Norfolk Navy Yard, resigned from the U.S. Navy and, after joining the staff of Governor Letcher of Virginia, began organizing a State navy and constructing fortifications along rivers of the Tidewater area. Commissioned Commander in the Confederate Navy in 1861, he served as ordnance officer at the Norfolk Navy Yard and at Charlotte, N.C. In 1864 he was commissioned Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army and placed in charge of the outer defenses of Mobile Bay. There, he defended Fort Morgan until that fort fell to Union forces under Farragut and Granger on 23 August 1864. Page, a prisoner for the remainder of the Civil War, returned to Norfolk after his release and, from 1875 to 1883, served as superintendent of public schools. Brigadier General Page died at Blueridge Summit, Pa., on 9 August 1901.

(DEG-5: dp. 3,426 (f.); l. 414'6"; b. 44'2"; dr. 24'; s. 27 + k.; cpl. 248; a. 1 5", ASROC, Tar., 4 21" tt., cl. Brooke)

The guided missile escort Richard L. Page (DEG-5) was laid down on 4 January 1965 by the Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 4 April 1966; sponsored by Miss Edmonia Lee Whittle and Mrs. Nannie Page Trinker, granddaughters of Brigadier General Page; and commissioned at Boston on 5 August 1967, Comdr. Milton J. Schultz, Jr., in command.

In mid-October 1967, Richard L. Page moved from Boston to her homeport, Newport, R.I., then sailed south for shake-down exercises in the Caribbean. On 21 December she returned to Newport and, after post-shakedown availability began operations with CortRon 6. Into 1968 she operated in the western Atlantic, and, in the fall, she deployed to the Mediterranean for duty with the 6th Fleet. On that duty until 10 February 1969, she returned to Newport on the 18th and in March, resumed operations with the 2d Fleet. On 1 July 1969, she relieved Brumby (DE-1044) as flagship of DesDiv 122, then conducted exercises in the Caribbean.

Richard L. Page spent all of 1971 and the first eight months of 1972 in port at Newport and in operations along the east-coast of the United States and in the Caribbean. In mid-August 1972, she steamed out of Newport, R.I., bound for an extended deployment with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. As of January 1974, she continues operations in the Mediterranean.