Los Angeles Class Submarine

The Los Angeles class, sometimes called the LA class or the 688 class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) that forms the backbone of the United States submarine fleet. With 45 submarines on active-duty (and 17 retired), this class has more boats than any other nuclear powered submarine class in the world. The class was preceded by the Sturgeon class and followed by the Seawolf and Virginia classes. Except for USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), submarines of this class are named after US cities, breaking a long-standing Navy tradition of naming attack submarines after sea creatures.

The final 23 boats in the series, referred to as "688i" boats, are quieter than their predecessors and incorporate a more advanced combat system. These 688i boats are also designed for under-ice operations: their diving planes are on the bow rather than on the sail, and they have reinforced sails.

Capabilities

According to the U.S. government, the top speed of Los Angeles-class submarines is over 25 knots (46 km/h, 29 mph) and the precise speed is classified. Some estimates put the top speed at 30–33 knots.  

Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, puts the top speed of a Los Angeles class submarine at 37 knots. Tom Clancy, in his book

Similarly, government sources give the maximum operating depth as 650 feet (200 m), while Patrick Tyler, in his book Running Critical, suggests a maximum operating depth of 950 feet (290 m). Although Tyler cites the 688-class design committee for this figure, the government has not commented on it. The maximum diving depth is 1,475 feet (450 m) according to Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004-2005 Edition, edited by Commodore Stephen Saunders of Royal Navy.

Weapons and fire control systems

Los Angeles class submarines carry about 25 torpedo-tube-launched weapons and all boats of the class are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles horizontally (from the torpedo tubes). The last 31 boats of this class also have 12 dedicated vertical launch (VLS) tubes for launching Tomahawks.

Engineering and auxiliary systems

There are two watertight compartments in the Los Angeles class of submarines. The forward compartment contains crew living spaces, weapons handling spaces and control spaces not critical to recovering propulsion. The aft compartment contains the bulk of the ship's engineering systems, power generation turbines and water making equipment. Some submarines in the class are capable of delivering SEALs through either the Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) system or the Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS). A variety of atmospheric control devices are used to remain submerged for long periods of time without ventilating, including an Electrolytic Oxygen Generator (EOG) nicknamed "the bomb".

While on the surface or at snorkel depth the submarine may use the ship's auxiliary or emergency diesel generator for power or ventilation (e.g., following a fire). The diesel engine in a 688 class can be quickly started by compressed air during emergencies or to evacuate noxious (non-volatile) gases from the boat, although 'ventilation' requires raising of a snorkel mast. During non-emergency situations, design constraints require operators to allow the engine to reach normal operating temperatures before it is capable of producing full power, a process that may take from 20 to 30 minutes. However, the diesel generator can be immediately loaded to 100% power output, despite design criteria cautions, at the discretion of the submarine commander via the recommendation of the ship's Engineer, if necessity dictates such actions to a) restore electrical power to the ship, b) prevent a reactor incident from occurring or escalating, or c) to protect the lives of the crew or others as determined necessary by the commanding officer.

Normally, steam power is generated by the ship's nuclear reactor delivering pressurized hot water to the steam generator, which generates steam to drive the steam driven turbines and generators. While the emergency diesel generator is starting up, power can be provided from the ship's battery through the Ship Service Motor Generators (SSMGs). Likewise, propulsion is normally delivered through the ship's steam driven main turbines that drive the ship's propeller through a reduction gear system. The ship has no main shaft conventional engines.

In the media

Los Angeles-class submarines have also been featured prominently in numerous Tom Clancy novels and film adaptations, most notably the USS Dallas (SSN-700) in The Hunt for Red October.  In the film Terminator Salvation, Resistance Headquarters is located aboard a Los Angeles-class submarine, according to the novelization and several behind-the-scenes books. The class has also been the subject of video games and simulations, such as Electronic Arts' 1997 release, 688(i) Hunter/Killer.

Ships of the class

Ship Name	Hull No	Service
Los Angeles	688	1976–2010
Baton Rouge	689	1977–1995
Philadelphia	690	1977–2010
Memphis	691	1977–
Omaha	692	1978–1995
Cincinnati	693	1978–1995
Groton	694	1978–1997
Birmingham	695	1978–1997
New York City	696	1979–1997
Indianapolis	697	1980–1998
Bremerton	698	1981–
Jacksonville	699	1981–
Dallas	700	1981–
La Jolla	701	1981–
Phoenix	702	1981–1998
Boston	703	1982–1999
Baltimore	704	1982–1998
City of Corpus Christi	705	1983–
Albuquerque	706	1983–
Portsmouth	707	1983–2005
Minneapolis-Saint Paul	708	1984–2007
Hyman G. Rickover	709	1984–2007
Augusta	710	1985–2008
San Francisco	711	1981–
Atlanta	712	1982–1999
Houston	713	1982–
Norfolk	714	1983–
Buffalo	715	1983–
Salt Lake City	716	1984–2006
Olympia	717	1984–
Honolulu	718	1985–2007
Providence	719	1985–
Pittsburgh	720	1985–
Chicago	721	1986–
Key West	722	1987–
Oklahoma City	723	1988–
Louisville	724	1986–
Helena	725	1987–
Newport News	750	1989–
San Juan	751	1988–
Pasadena	752	1989–
Albany	753	1990–
Topeka	754	1989–
Miami	755	1990–
Scranton	756	1991–
Alexandria	757	1991–
Asheville	758	1991–
Jefferson City	759	1992–
Annapolis	760	1992–
Springfield	761	1993–
Columbus	762	1993–
Santa Fe	763	1994–
Boise	764	1992–
Montpelier	765	1993–
Charlotte	766	1994–
Hampton	767	1993–
Hartford	768	1994–
Toledo	769	1995–
Tucson	770	1995–
Columbia	771	1995–
Greeneville	772	1996–
Cheyenne	773	1996–

USS Miami is seen here departing Faslane

Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers

The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) is the first destroyer of the United States Navy built around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The first ship was commissioned on 4 July 1991. After the decommissioning of the last Spruance-class destroyer, USS Cushing, on September 21, 2005, the Arleigh Burke class ships became the U.S. Navy's only active destroyers and the class has the longest production run for any US Navy surface combatant.
The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke, the most famous American destroyer officer of World War II. Admiral Burke was alive when the class leader was commissioned.

The Arleigh Burke class are among the most powerful destroyers ever built in the United States. Only the Spruance class destroyers were larger (563 feet). The Burke class destroyers are more heavily armed than previous guided-missile destroyers. However it is important to remember that the mission of the Burke class is significantly different than the Spruance class. The larger Ticonderoga class ships were constructed on Spruance class hullforms, but are designated as cruisers due to their radically different mission and weapons systems.

The Arleigh Burke's designers incorporated lessons learned from the Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruisers. The Ticonderoga class cruisers were supposedly becoming too expensive to continue building, and too difficult to upgrade. Visually, the angled rather than traditional vertical surfaces and the tripod mainmast of the Arleigh Burke design are part of "stealth" technologies, which improve the ship's ability to evade and/or destroy anti-ship cruise missiles.
 

With the Arleigh Burke class, the US Navy returned to traditional all-steel construction. Combining a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure had been an innovation to reduce topweight, but the lighter metal proved vulnerable to cracking. Aluminum is also less fire-resistant than steel. A 1975 fire aboard USS Belknap gutted her aluminum superstructure. Later battle damage to Royal Navy ships during the Falklands War supported the decision to employ a steel superstructure.

A Collective Protection System makes the Arleigh Burke class the first U.S. warships designed with an air-filtration system against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.

So vital has the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMD) role of the class become that all ships of the class are being updated with BMD capability. Production of Burkes is being restarted in place of the Zumwalt class destroyers.

Development

In 1980 the US Navy initiated design studies with seven contractors. By 1983 the number of competitors had been reduced to three; Bath Iron Works, Todd Shipyards and Ingalls Shipbuilding. On 3 April 1985 Bath Iron Works received a US$321.9 million contract to build the first of class, USS Arleigh Burke. Gibbs & Cox was awarded the contract to be the lead ship design agent. The total cost of the first ship was put at US$1.1 billion, the other US$778 million being for the ship's weapons systems.  She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988, and launched on 16 September 1989 by Mrs. Arleigh Burke. The Admiral himself was present at her commissioning ceremony on 4 July 1991, held on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.

The "Flight IIA Arleigh Burke" ships have several new features, beginning with the Oscar Austin (DDG-79). Among the changes are the addition of two hangars for ASW helicopters, and a new, longer Mark 45 Mod 4 5-inch/62-caliber naval gun (fitted on Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) and later ships). Later Flight IIA ships starting with USS Mustin have a modified funnel design that buries the funnels within the superstructure as a signature-reduction measure. TACTAS towed array sonar was omitted from flight IIA ships and they also lack Harpoon missile launchers. Ships from DDG-68 to DDG-84 have AN/SLQ-32 antennas that resemble V3 configuration similar to those deployed on Ticonderoga class cruisers, while the remainder have V2 variants externally resembling ones deployed on some Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates. V3 has an active electronic countermeasures component while V2 is passive only. A number of Flight IIA ships were constructed without a Phalanx CIWS because of the planned Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, but later the Navy decided to retrofit all IIA ships to carry at least one Phalanx CIWS by 2013.
USS Pinckney , USS Momsen, USS Chung-Hoon, USS Nitze, USS James E. Williams and USS Bainbridge  hve superstructure differences to accommodate the Remote Mine-hunting System (RMS). Mk 32 torpedo tubes were moved to the missile deck from amidships as well.

Modernisation

The US Navy has begun a modernization program for the Arleigh Burke class aimed at improving the gun systems on the ships in an effort to address congressional concerns over the retirement of the Iowa-class battleships. This modernization was to include an extension of the range of the 5-inch (127 mm) guns on the Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (USS Arleigh Burke to USS Ross) with extended range guided munitions (ERGMs) that would enable the ships to fire projectiles about 40 nautical miles (74 km) inland.  However the ERGM was cancelled.

The modernization program is designed to provide a comprehensive mid-life upgrade to ensure that the class remains effective. Reduced manning, increased mission effectiveness, and a reduced total cost of ownership are the goals of the modernization program. Modernization technologies will be integrated during new construction of DDG-111 and 112, then retrofitted into DDG Flight I and II ships during in-service overhaul periods. The first phase will update the hull, mechanical and electrical systems while the second phase will introduce an open architecture computing environment. The result will be improved capability in both ballistic missile defense (BMD) and littoral combat.

The class was scheduled to be replaced by the Zumwalt class destroyer beginning in 2020, but increasing threat of both long and short range missiles caused the Navy to restart production of the Arleigh Burke-class and consider placing littoral combat mission modules on the new ships.

In April 2009, the Navy announced a plan that limited the Zumwalt class to three units while ordering another three Arleigh Burke class ships from both Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding.  On 2 December 2009, Northrop Grumman received a $170.7 million letter contract for DDG-113 long lead time materials. Formal awarding of the main construction contract is expected in 2010.

Flight III ships will be built starting in FY2016 in place of the canceled CG(X) program. The Flight III destroyers will have 14 foot diameter radars (up from 12 feet currently) and various other design improvements, such as larger size and much larger missile tubes. These Air and Missile Defense Radars (AMDR) will use digital beamforming.

In July 2010, BAE Systems announced that they had been awarded a contract to modernise 11 ships.

Operational History

One Arleigh Burke class ship, the USS Cole, was damaged while docked by an attack in which an improvised explosive device was delivered by suicide bombers on a boat on October 12, 2000 in Aden, Yemen. The ship was repaired and returned to duty in 2001.

Ships of the class

Name	Hull No	Status
Arleigh Burke	DDG-51	Active
Barry	DDG-52	Active
John Paul Jones	DDG-53	Active
Curtis Wilbur	DDG-54	Active
Stout	DDG-55	Active
John S. McCain	DDG-56	Active
Mitscher	DDG-57	Active
Laboon	DDG-58	Active
Russell	DDG-59	Active
Paul Hamilton	DDG-60	Active
Ramage	DDG-61	Active
Fitzgerald	DDG-62	Active
Stethem	DDG-63	Active
Carney	DDG-64	Active
Benfold	DDG-65	Active
Gonzalez	DDG-66	Active
Cole	DDG-67	Active
The Sullivans	DDG-68	Active
Milius	DDG-69	Active
Hopper	DDG-70	Active
Ross	DDG-71	Active
Mahan	DDG-72	Active
Decatur	DDG-73	Active
McFaul	DDG-74	Active
Donald Cook	DDG-75	Active
Higgins	DDG-76	Active
O'Kane	DDG-77	Active
Porter	DDG-78	Active
Oscar Austin	DDG-79	Active
Roosevelt	DDG-80	Active
Winston S. Churchill	DDG-81	Active
Lassen	DDG-82	Active
Howard	DDG-83	Active
Bulkeley	DDG-84	Active
McCampbell	DDG-85	Active
Shoup	DDG-86	Active
Mason	DDG-87	Active
Preble	DDG-88	Active
Mustin	DDG-89	Active
Chafee	DDG-90	Active
Pinckney	DDG-91	Active
Momsen	DDG-92	Active
Chung-Hoon	DDG-93	Active
Nitze	DDG-94	Active
James E. Williams	DDG-95	Active
Bainbridge	DDG-96	Active
Halsey	DDG-97	Active
Forrest Sherman	DDG-98	Active
Farragut	DDG-99	Active
Kidd	DDG-100	Active
Gridley	DDG-101	Active
Sampson	DDG-102	Active
Truxtun	DDG-103	Active
Sterett	DDG-104	Active
Dewey	DDG-105	Active
Stockdale	DDG-106	Active
Gravely	DDG-107	Launched
Wayne E. Meyer	DDG-108	Active
Jason Dunham	DDG-109	Launched
William P. Lawrence	DDG-110	Launched
Spruance	DDG-111	Launched
Michael Murphy	DDG-112	Keel Laid
Callaghan	DDG-113	Contracted
Scott	DDG-114	Contracted
Chandler	DDG-115	Contracted

USS The Sullivans is seen here departing Faslane

USS Roosevelt seen here departing Faslane the same day

Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate

The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie. Also known as the Perry or FFG-7 class, the warships were designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities to replace World War II-era destroyers. They operated in an anti-submarine role to protect amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups, and merchant convoys. Fifty-five ships were built in the United States: 51 for the United States Navy and four for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In addition, eight were built in the Republic of China (Taiwan), six in Spain, and two in Australia for their navies. Former U.S. Navy warships of this class have been sold or donated to the navies of Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, and Turkey.

Design and Construction

The ships were designed by the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine in partnership with the New York-based naval architects Gibbs & Cox.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships were produced in 445-foot (136 meter) long "short-hull" (Flight I) and 453-foot (138 meter) long "long-hull" (Flight III) variants. The long-hull ships (FFG 8, 28, 29, 32, 33, and 36-61) carry the larger SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters, while the short-hulled warships carry the smaller and less-capable SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I. Aside from the lengths of their hulls, the principal difference between the versions is the location of the aft capstan: on long-hull ships, it sits a step below the level of the flight deck in order to provide clearance for the tail rotor of the longer Seahawk helicopters. The long-hull ships also carry the RAST (Recovery Assist Securing and Traversing) system for the Seahawk, a hook, cable, and winch system that can reel in a Seahawk from a hovering flight, expanding the ship's pitch-and-roll range in which flight operations are permitted. The FFG 8, 29, 32, and 33 were built as "short-hull" warships but were later modified into "long-hull" warships.

American shipyards constructed Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships for the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Early American-built Australian ships were originally built as the "short-hull" version, but they were modified during the 1980s to the "long-hull" design. Shipyards in Australia, Spain, and the Republic of China have produced several warships of the "long-hull" design for their navies.

Although the per-ship costs rose greatly over the period of production, all 51 ships planned for the U.S. Navy were built. Some Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships are planned to remain in American service for years, but some of the older ships have been decommissioned and some scrapped. Others of these decommissioned ships have been transferred to the navies of other countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, and Turkey. Several of these have replaced old Second World War-built American destroyers that had been given to those countries.

During the design phase of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, head of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, R.J. Daniels, was invited by an old friend, US Chief of the Bureau of Ships, Adm Robert C Gooding, to advise upon the use of variable-pitch propellers in the class. During the course of this conversation, Daniels warned Gooding against the use of aluminium in the superstructure of the FFG-7 class as he believed it would lead to structural weaknesses. A number of ships subsequently developed structural cracks, including a 40 ft fissure in USS Duncan, before the problems were remedied.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were designed primarily as anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare guided-missile warships intended to provide open-ocean escort of amphibious warfare ships and merchant ship convoys in moderate threat environments in a potential war with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries. They could also provide air defense against 1970s- and 1980s-era aircraft and anti-ship missiles. These warships are equipped to escort and protect aircraft carrier battle groups, amphibious landing groups, underway replenishment groups, and merchant ship convoys. They can conduct independent operations to perform such tasks as surveillance of illegal drug smugglers, maritime interception operations, and exercises with other nations.

The addition of the Naval Tactical Display System, LAMPS helicopters, and the Tactical Towed Array System (TACTAS) gave these warships a combat capability far beyond the original expectations. They are well-suited for the littoral regions and most war-at-sea scenarios.

Notable combat actions

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates made worldwide news twice during the 1980s. Despite being small, these frigates were shown to be extremely durable. During the Iran–Iraq War, on 17 May 1987, the USS Stark was nearly sunk by an Iranian mine. No lives were lost, but 10 sailors were evacuated from the warship for medical treatment. The U.S. Navy retaliated four days later with Operation Praying Mantis, a one-day attack on Iranian oil platforms being used as bases for raids on merchant shipping. Those had included bases for the minelaying operations that damaged the USS Samuel B. Roberts. Both frigates were repaired in American shipyards and returned to full service. The USS Stark was decommissioned in 1999, and scrapped in 2006. was attacked by an Iraqi warplane. Struck by two Exocet anti-ship missiles, thirty-seven American sailors died in the deadly prelude to the American Operation Earnest Will, the reflagging and escorting of oil tankers through the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz. Less than a year later, on 14 April 1988, the USS

Modifications

United States

The U.S. Navy is modifying its remaining Perrys to reduce their operating costs, replacing Detroit Diesel Company electrical generators with Caterpillar, Inc.-made diesel engines. 

In mid-2000, the Navy removed the frigates' Mk 13 single-arm missile launchers and magazines because the primary missile, the Standard SM-1MR, became outmoded.

The "zone-defense" anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) capability has vanished, and all that remains is a "point-defense" type of AAW armament. It would supposedly have been too costly to refit the Standard Missile SM-1MR missiles, which had little ability to bring down sea-skimming missiles. Another reason is to allow more SM-1MRs to go to American allies that operate Perrys, such as Poland, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The loss of the launchers also strips the frigates of their Harpoon anti-ship missiles. However, their Seahawk helicopters can carry the much shorter-range Penguin anti-ship missile.

The U.S. Navy plans to update the Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships' Phalanx CIWS to the "Block 1B" capability, which will allow the Mk 15 20 mm Phalanx gun to shoot at fast-moving surface craft and helicopters. The remaining Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships are also to be fitted with the Mk 53 DLS "Nulka" missile decoy system, which will be better than the presently-equipped chaff (SRBOC, Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Chaff) and flares at guarding against anti-ship missiles.

On June 16, 2009, Vice Adm. Barry McCullough turned down the suggestion of Rep. Mel Martinez to keep the Perrys in service, citing their worn-out and maxed-out condition.  However, Reps. Ander Crenshaw and Gene Taylor have taken up the cause.

Australia

Australia is spending one billion Australian dollars to upgrade Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Adelaide-classguided-missile frigates, including equipping them to fire the SM-2 version of the Standard missile, adding an eight-cell Mk-41 vertical launch system for Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, and installing better air-search radars and long-range sonar.

The first of the upgraded frigates, HMAS Sydney, returned to the RAN fleet in 2005. Each of the four frigates to be upgraded have the work at the Garden Island shipyard in Sydney, Australia, with the modernizations lasting between 18 months and two years. These frigates are planned to be replaced starting in 2013 by three new Hobart-class air warfare destroyers equipped with the AEGIS combat system. However, the third of those destroyers will not be commissioned until 2017, at the earliest.

The cost will be partly offset, in the short run, by the decommissioning and disposal of the two older frigates. HMAS Canberra was decommissioned on 12 November 2005 at naval base HMAS Stirling in Western Australia and HMAS Adelaide was decommissioned at that same naval base on 20 January 2008.

Turkey

The Turkish Navy has commenced the modernization of its G class frigates with the GENESIS (Gemi Entegre Savaş İdare Sistemi) combat management system.  The first GENESIS upgraded ship was delivered in 2007, and the last delivery is scheduled for 2011.  The "short-hull" Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates that are currently part of the Turkish Navy were modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Gölcük S-70B Seahawk helicopters. Turkey is planning to add one eight-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS) for the Evolved Sea Sparrow missile, to be installed forward of the present Mk 13 missile launchers, similar to the case in the modernization program of the Australian Adelaide class frigates.  There are also plans for new components to be installed that are being developed for the Milgem class warships ( Naval Shipyard, so that they can accommodate the Ada class corvettes and F-100 class frigates) of the Turkish Navy. These include modern Three-dimensional and X-band radars developed by Aselsan and Turkish-made hull-mounted sonars. One of the G class frigates will also be used as a test-bed for Turkey's 4,500-ton TF-2000 class anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) frigates that are currently being designed by the Turkish Naval Institute.

Ships of the class

Shhip Name	Hull No
US Built
Oliver Hazard Perry	FFG-7
McInerney	FFG-8
Wadsworth	FFG-9
Duncan	FFG-10
Clark	FFG-11
George Philip	FFG-12
Samuel Eliot Morison	FFG-13
Sides	FFG-14
Estocin	FFG-15
Clifton Sprague	FFG-16
Built for Australia as HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)	FFG-17
Built for Australia as HMAS Canberra (FFG 02)	FFG-18
John A. Moore	FFG-19
Antrim	FFG-20
Flatley	FFG-21
Fahrion	FFG-22
Lewis B. Puller	FFG-23
Jack Williams	FFG-24
Copeland	FFG-25
Gallery	FFG-26
Mahlon S. Tisdale	FFG-27
Boone	FFG-28
Stephen W. Groves	FFG-29
Reid	FFG-30
Stark	FFG-31
John L. Hall	FFG-32
Jarrett	FFG-33
Aubrey Fitch	FFG-34
Built for Australia as HMAS Sydney (FFG 03)	FFG-35
Underwood	FFG-36
Crommelin	FFG-37
Curts	FFG-38
Doyle	FFG-39
Halyburton	FFG-40
McClusky	FFG-41
Klakring	FFG-42
Thach	FFG-43
Built for Australia as HMAS Darwin (FFG 04)	FFG-44
De Wert	FFG-45
Rentz	FFG-46
Nicholas	FFG-47
Vandegrift	FFG-48
Robert G. Bradley	FFG-49
Taylor	FFG-50
Gary	FFG-51
Carr	FFG-52
Hawes	FFG-53
Ford	FFG-54
Elrod	FFG-55
Simpson	FFG-56
Reuben James	FFG-57
Samuel B. Roberts	FFG-58
Kauffman	FFG-59
Rodney M. Davis	FFG-60
Ingraham	FFG-61
Australian Built
HMAS Sydney	FFG 03
HMAS Darwin	FFG 04
HMAS Melbourne	FFG 05
HMAS Newcastle	FFG 06
Spanish Built
SPS Santa María	F81
SPS Victoria	F82
SPS Numancia	F83
SPS Reina Sofía	F84
SPS Navarra	F85
SPS Canarias	F86
Republic of China Built (Taiwanese)
ROCS Cheng Kung	FFG-1101
ROCS Cheng Ho	FFG-1103
ROCS Chi Kuang	FFG-1105
ROCS Yueh Fei	FFG-1106
ROCS Tzu I	FFG-1107
ROCS Pan Chao	FFG-1108
ROCS Chang Chien	FFG-1109
ROCS Tian Dan	FFG-1110

USS Underwood (FFG 36) is seen here departing Faslane

USS Doyle (FFG 36) arriving Leith 11th September - Note the large Stars and Stripes flag

USS Klakring (FFG 42) alongside HMS Edinburgh in Leith

USS Taylor (FFG 50) on the outside of USS Doyle (FFG 36) at Faslane

Seen here departing Faslane

ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski

ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski (Pendant 272) is one of two Oliver Hazard Perry class guided-missile frigates in the Polish Navy. Formerly serving in the United States Navy as USS Clark (FFG-11), after her transfer to Poland she was named for Kazimierz Pulaski, an American Revolutionary War hero in the United States and an independence hero in Poland.

The Clark was decommissioned and stricken on 15 March 2000. That same day, she was transferred to Poland. She is propelled by two General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines and two 350 horsepower (261 kW) electric drive auxiliary propulsion units.

She was renamed on 25 June 2000 in a ceremony attended by Madeleine Albright. Commander Marian Ambroziak was the first Polish Commanding Officer. Generał Kazimierz Pułaski is homeported in Gdynia (Oksywie), and has participated in numerous NATO exercises in the Baltic. 

She is seen here sailing from Faslane

G Class frigate

The G class (Turkish: Gabya sınıfı fırkateyn(ler)) is one of the frigate classes of the Turkish Navy. They are extensively modernized versions of ex-Oliver Hazard Perry class guided-missile frigates, mainly designed for air defense with a weapons configuration that is optimized for general warfare.

Upgrades

The G class frigates have undergone a major modernization program which included the retrofitting of a Turkish digital combat management system named GENESIS (Gemi Entegre Savaş İdare Sistemi). The first GENESIS upgraded ship was delivered in 2007, and the last delivery is scheduled for 2011. The GENESIS advanced combat management system includes the following characteristics and abilities:

A modern and reliable system

High performance

Open architecture

Capacity of tracking more than 1,000 tactical targets

Modern digital sensor data fusion

Automatic threat evaluation

Weapon engagement opportunities

Link-16/22 system integration

The Mk-41 VLS will be fitted in front of the Mk.13 launchers, similar to their installation on the Adelaide-class frigates of the Royal Australian Navy, which are Australian-built derivatives of the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates.

The "short hull" ex-Perry class frigates that are currently being operated by the Turkish Navy were modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, so that they can accommodate the S-70B Seahawk helicopter.

Ships of the class

  

TCG Gaziantep (F 490) (ex-USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16)) 

TCG Giresun (F 491) (ex-USS Antrim (FFG-20)) 

TCG Gemlik (F 492) (ex-USS Flatley (FFG-21)) 

TCG Gelibolu (F 493) (ex-USS Reid (FFG-30)) 

TCG Gökçeada (F 494) (ex-USS Mahlon S. Tisdale (FFG-27)) 

TCG Gediz (F 495) (ex-USS John A. Moore (FFG-19)) 

TCG Gökova (F 496) (ex-USS Samuel Eliot Morison (FFG-13)) 

TCG Göksu (F 497) (ex-USS Estocin (FFG-15))

Gediz  is seen here leaving Faslane

Baleares Class Frigate

The Baleares class were a group of five frigates built for the Spanish navy in the 1970s. The ships are a modified version of the American Knox class frigates. The key differences are the replacement of the Sea Sparrow PDMS and ASW helicopter facilities by Standard SAM and associated radars. They received a SPS-52B 3D search radar and one SPG-51 illuminator for the Standard SM-1 medium range SAM, fired from a Mk22 16 round single arm launcher. The SQS-26 long range LF sonar was replaced by a SQS-23G MF sonar, while two Mk25 tubes for Mk37 torpedoes we mounted in the tramson. The SQS-35 variable depth sonar was maintained.

The five ships were upgraded several times during their service lives. They received a Spanish TRITAN combat data system and the EW suite was upgraded with Spanish equipment. Mk36 SROC decoy launchers were also added, as well as two quadruple Harpoon launchers amidships. Two Meroka CIWS gun system were also fitted. The old SQS-23G sonar was replaced by a modern DE-1160LF set built in Spain (a larger, lower frequecy version of the SQS-56 sonar) and the Mk25 tubes were dismounted to allow for female crewmember berthing.

The Ships have recently been retired, in order to assume the F-100 frigates costs .

 

Ships of the class

F71 Baleares 1970 - 2004

F72 Andalucia 1971 - 2005

F73 Cataluna 1971 - 2004

F74 Asturias  1972 - 2009

F75 Extremadura 1972 - 2006

Andalucia is seen here alongside in Leith