The fictional ship in question here is USS Ellyson (FFG-19). In the real world of the US Navy, USS Ellyson (DD-454), a destroyer of the Gleaves class, served 1941-54. The ship also served 1954-70 in the Japanese Maritime Self-defense Force. After the return of the ship, the US then sold her to the Republic of China, which cannibalized her for spare parts. USS Ellyson was named for Theodore Gordon Ellyson, a submarine officer who became also the first US Naval aviator. The real FFG-19 is USS John Moore, a guided-missile frigate of the Oliver Hazard Perry class.
Susan Haskell (Lt. Cmdr. Jordan 'Jordi' Parker) and Kirk Geiger (Seaman Rivera) both worked together on the soap opera One Life to Live in 1993.