The fifth destroyer of the Forrest Sherman Class to be commissioned, is named in honor of Commodore John Manley of the Continental Navy. She is the third U. S. Navy ship to bear His name. Her keel was laid February 10, 1955 at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, and She was launched there on April 12, 1956. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. Arleigh A. Burke, wife of the then Chief of Naval Operations. She was commissioned on February 1, 1957 at Boston Naval Shipyard with Admiral Burke as principal speaker at the ceremony.

Upon completion of a shakedown cruise to Northern Europe, Manley arrived in Her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia to become the flagship of Destroyer Squadron Four. In July 1959, the homeport of the squadron was changed to Charleston, South Carolina. The end of 1959 and first part of 1960 were spent with the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, as was most of 1961. Shortly after her return to Charleston in the fall of 1961, She became involved in the Dominican Republic crisis, getting underway on short notice to patrol the waters south of Hisaniola. In October 1962, Manley was in Cuban waters at the onset of the Cuban Missle Crisis, and spent the next 2 months patrolling the area off Southern Cuba.

From 1963 to 1964, Manley completed two more tours of duty in the Mediterranean, assisted in the recovery of Gemini V, and in January 1964, evacuated 91 American citizens from revolution-torn Zanzibar.

In October of 1966, Manley departed Charleston and joined Destroyer Squadron Twenty for a tour of duty with the U.S. Seventh Fleet off Vietnam. After an eventful 6 months in the Pacific during which She provided extensive gunfire support to allied troops ashore, She continued on around the world, arriving home in May, 1967. After a very short stay in Charleston, She departed for the Western Pacific again in September. This second Vietnam tour was to last eight and a half months before She returned to Charleston in June, 1968.

Manley was decommissioned on January 31, 1970 in order to undergo extensive antisubmarine warfare modernization at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Extensive improvements to sensors, weaponry, communications facilities, and crew habitability were undertaken during this time.

On April 19, 1971, Manley was commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and joind Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla Four in Norfolk, Virginia. Following her shakedown cruise to Northern Europe in the fall of 1971, and training in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in the spring of 1972, Manley joined Destroyer Squadron Thirty Two in March 1972.

On August 18, 1972, Manley became a unit of Destroyer Squadron Twelve and departed Norfolk, Virginia for the Mediterranean Sea. Manley entered her new homeport of Athens, Greece on September 1, when she dropped anchor in Pharleron Bay.

During the following thirty months, Manley was frequently called upon to participate in special contingency operations. Among these were the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war and Cyprus crisis of 1974. In addition to the unscheduled, short notice "S P E C O P S", Manley also participated in numerous U.S. Navy fleet exercises. The diplomatic aspects of forward deployment were as important as the strategic aspects. In this capacity, Manley was often called to pay good will visits to foreign ports throughout the Mediterranean. In December 1974 Manley visited Izmir, Turkey and was honored by being the first U.S. warship to visit Turkey following the Cyprus crisis. In May, Manley joined the people of Theole, France in their Memorial Day services. Manley departed Elefsis on July 22, 1975, enroute to Her new homeport of Philadelphia, where She underwent regular overhaul in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

Upon completion of overhaul on December 6, 1976, Manley changed homeport to Her new operating base at Mayport, Florida. After completion of refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in March of 1977, Manley commenced operation as a unit of the Second Fleet and preparations for deployment.

Manley is 418 feet long, with a maximum beam of 45 feet. Fully loaded, She displaces nearley 3,990 tons, and has a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four high pressure boilers drive two steam turbine engines, capable of propelling the ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots. Her armament consists of two 5"/54 caliber guns, an A.S.R.O.C. System and two ASW torpedo mounts. She is manned by a crew of 18 Officers and 295 enlisted men.