For the U.S. Navy geeks out there. In an effort to somewhat quickly get to a 355-ship fleet, Navy leaders -- including Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer -- have been looking at pulling some recently decommissioned ships out of the mothball fleet, including the last seven Perry class guided missile frigates, known to Navy Sailors as "Fig Sevens" for the original ship of the class, the Oliver Hazard Perry, hull number FFG-7.
A total of 51 Perry class frigates were built for the Navy (plus an additional 4 for the Royal Australian Navy) since the ship first entered the fleet in 1977. Over the years and as they aged and naval ship requirements changed, most were sold off or given away to U.S. allies, gradually bringing an end to "fast frigates" of the predecessor Knox class as well as the Perry class. Frigates and destroyers are small but deadly surface warfare platforms capable of a number of missions, including anti-submarine and anti-air operations and amphibious troop carrying ship ("gator freighter") and merchant ship escort duties.
The last Perry class frigate, the USS Simpson (FFG-56), was only mothballed in late 2015, and the ones in mothball status are considered well-maintained and capable of being put back into service -- with no upgrades to weapons systems or other high-dollar components -- in a speedy manner. And for a cost of about $35,000 per ship, which is only about a sixth of the price of filling up a typical Fig Seven's fuel bunkers.
As the linked article notes, without the latest in combat systems the ships would mainly only be suitable for duty in low-threat environments such as drug interdiction activities down in the Caribbean, where modern littoral combat ships (LCSs) and Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers have been keeping station.
Bringing back the Fig Sevens would free up those Navy ships and allow for the redeployment to various medium-to-high-threat environments, where their modern combat systems could more usefully be employed.
I admit that I always liked the rakish bow lines and long, low sleekness of these ships. They looked deadly competent and ready to skim over the surface of the sea as they filled their mission roles. They were also fast, with two gas turbine engines pushing them to more than 29 knots and a fully fueled range of 5,200 miles at 20 knots speed.
USS Kaufman (FFG-59) at its decommissioning in 2015
SECNAV Spencer: Oliver Hazard Perry Frigates Could be Low-Cost Drug Interdiction Platforms - USNI News
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
A total of 51 Perry class frigates were built for the Navy (plus an additional 4 for the Royal Australian Navy) since the ship first entered the fleet in 1977. Over the years and as they aged and naval ship requirements changed, most were sold off or given away to U.S. allies, gradually bringing an end to "fast frigates" of the predecessor Knox class as well as the Perry class. Frigates and destroyers are small but deadly surface warfare platforms capable of a number of missions, including anti-submarine and anti-air operations and amphibious troop carrying ship ("gator freighter") and merchant ship escort duties.
The last Perry class frigate, the USS Simpson (FFG-56), was only mothballed in late 2015, and the ones in mothball status are considered well-maintained and capable of being put back into service -- with no upgrades to weapons systems or other high-dollar components -- in a speedy manner. And for a cost of about $35,000 per ship, which is only about a sixth of the price of filling up a typical Fig Seven's fuel bunkers.
As the linked article notes, without the latest in combat systems the ships would mainly only be suitable for duty in low-threat environments such as drug interdiction activities down in the Caribbean, where modern littoral combat ships (LCSs) and Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers have been keeping station.
Bringing back the Fig Sevens would free up those Navy ships and allow for the redeployment to various medium-to-high-threat environments, where their modern combat systems could more usefully be employed.
I admit that I always liked the rakish bow lines and long, low sleekness of these ships. They looked deadly competent and ready to skim over the surface of the sea as they filled their mission roles. They were also fast, with two gas turbine engines pushing them to more than 29 knots and a fully fueled range of 5,200 miles at 20 knots speed.
USS Kaufman (FFG-59) at its decommissioning in 2015
SECNAV Spencer: Oliver Hazard Perry Frigates Could be Low-Cost Drug Interdiction Platforms - USNI News
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Last edited by:
big kahuna: Sep 21, 17 3:10