Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate

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Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates underway in 1982.JPEG
The frigates Oliver Hazard Perry, Antrim, and Jack Williams in 1982
Class overview
NameOliver Hazard Perry class
Builders
Operators
Preceded by Knox class
Succeeded by Constellation class
Subclasses
CostUS$122 million
Built1975–2004
In commission1977–present
Planned71
Completed71
Active
  • 8 (Turkey)
  • 4 (Egypt)
  • 2 (Poland)
  • 1 (Pakistan)
  • 6 (Spain)
  • 10 (Taiwan)
  • 2 (Bahrain)
  • 2 (Chile)
Laid up6
Retired51 (USN) some were transferred to other countries where they are in active service
General characteristics
Type Guided-missile frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t) full load
Length
  • 408 ft (124 m) waterline,
  • 445 ft (136 m) overall,
  • 453 ft (138 m) for "long-hull" frigates
Beam45 ft (14 m)
Draft22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speed30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement176
Sensors &
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters (the SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I on the short-hulled ships or the SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III on the long-hulled ships)

The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of guided-missile frigates named after U.S. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a commander noted for his role in the Battle of Lake Erie. Also known as the Perry or FFG-7 (commonly "fig seven") 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 numbers to replace World War II-era destroyers and complement 1960s-era Knox-class frigates. [1]

Contents

In Admiral Elmo Zumwalt's "high low fleet plan", the FFG-7s were the low-capability ships, with the Spruance-class destroyers serving as the high-capability ships. Intended to protect amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups, and merchant convoys from aircraft and submarines, they were also later part of battleship-centered surface action groups and aircraft carrier battle groups/strike groups. [1] 55 ships were built in the United States: 51 for the United States Navy and four for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Eight were built in 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, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Turkey.

The first of the 51 U.S. Navy-built Oliver Hazard Perry frigates entered into service in 1977, and the last remaining in active service, USS Simpson, was decommissioned on 29 September 2015. [2] The retired vessels were mostly mothballed with some transferred to other navies for continued service and some used as weapons targets and sunk. Some of the U.S. Navy's frigates, such as USS Duncan (14.6 years in service), had fairly short careers, while a few lasted as long as 30+ years in active U.S. service, with some lasting even longer after being sold or donated to other navies. [3] [4] In 2020, the Navy announced the new Constellation class as their latest class of frigates.

Design and construction

Outboard profile of the "long-hull" design. Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate (long hull) outboard profile.jpg
Outboard profile of the "long-hull" design.

The ships were designed by the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine in partnership with naval architects Gibbs & Cox. The design process was notable as the initial design was accomplished with the help of computers in 18 hours by Raye Montague, a civilian U.S. Navy naval engineer, making it the first ship designed by computer. [5] [6]

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships were produced in 445-foot (136 m) long "short-hull" (Flight I) and 453-foot (138 m) 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 to provide clearance for the tail rotor of the longer Seahawk helicopters. [7]

The long-hull ships carry the RAST (Recovery Assist Securing and Traversing) system (also known as a Beartrap (hauldown device)) for the Seahawk. It is 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. [7]

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were the second class of surface ships (after the Spruance-class destroyers) in the U.S. Navy to be built with gas turbine propulsion. The gas turbine propulsion plant was more automated than other Navy propulsion plants at the time, and it could be centrally monitored and controlled from a remote engineering control center away from the engines. The gas turbine propulsion plants also allowed the ship's speed to be controlled directly from the bridge via a throttle control, a first for the U.S. Navy.

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 Taiwan produced several warships of the "long-hull" design for their navies.

Scheme of the combat systems of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. Combat systems of the FFG-7 class.png
Scheme of the combat systems of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate.

Although the per-ship costs rose greatly over the period of production, [8] all 51 ships planned for the U.S. Navy were built.

During the design phase of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, the head of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, R.J. Daniels, was invited by an old friend, U.S. Chief of the Bureau of Ships, Admiral Robert C. Gooding, to advise upon the use of variable-pitch propellers in the class. During 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 (12 m) fissure in USS Duncan, before the problems were remedied. [9]

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 tasks such as surveillance of illegal drug smugglers, maritime interception operations, and exercises with other nations. [10]

The addition of the Naval Tactical Data 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 operations in littoral regions and most war-at-sea scenarios.

Notable combat actions

USS Stark listing to port following an air attack during the Iran-Iraq War USS Stark.jpg
USS Stark listing to port following an air attack during the Iran-Iraq War

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates made worldwide news during the 1980s. Despite being small, these frigates were shown to be very durable. During the Iran–Iraq War, on 17 May 1987, USS Stark was attacked by an Iraqi warplane and struck by two Exocet anti-ship missiles. Thirty-seven U.S. Navy 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, USS Samuel B. Roberts was nearly sunk by an Iranian mine. There were no deaths, but ten sailors were evacuated from the warship for medical treatment. The crew of Samuel B. Roberts battled fire and flooding for two days, ultimately managing to save the ship. 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 Samuel B. Roberts. Stark and Roberts were each repaired in American shipyards and returned to full service. Stark was decommissioned in 1999 and scrapped in 2006. Roberts was decommissioned at Mayport on 22 May 2015. [11]

On 18 April 1988, USS Simpson was accompanying the cruiser USS Wainwright and frigate USS Bagley when they came under attack from the Iranian gunboat Joshan, which fired a U.S.-made Harpoon anti-ship missile at the ships. With Simpson having the only clear shot, the frigate fired an SM-1 standard missile, which struck Joshan. Simpson fired three more SM-1s, and with later naval fire from Wainwright, sank the Iranian vessel. [12]

Modifications

United States

The United States Navy and Royal Australian Navy modified their remaining Perrys to reduce their operating costs, replacing Detroit Diesel 16V149TI electrical generators with Caterpillar 3512B diesel engines.

Upgrades to the Perry class were problematic due to "little reserved space for growth (39 tons in the original design), and the inflexible, proprietary electronics of the time", such that the "US Navy gave up on the idea of upgrades to face new communications realities and advanced missile threats". The U.S. Navy decommissioned 25 "FFG-7 Short" ships via "bargain basement sales to allies or outright retirement, after an average of only 18 years of service". [7]

From 2004 to 2005, the U.S. Navy removed the frigates' Mk 13 single-arm missile launchers because the primary missile, the Standard SM-1MR, had become outmoded. It would supposedly have been too costly to refit the Standard SM-1MR missiles, which had little ability to bring down sea-skimming missiles. Another reason was to allow more SM-1MRs to go to American allies that operated Perrys, such as Poland, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and Taiwan. [13] As a result, the "zone-defense" anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) capability of the U.S. Navy's Perrys had vanished, and all that remained was a "point-defense" type of anti-air warfare armament, so they relied upon cover from AEGIS destroyers and cruisers. [7]

USS Rodney M. Davis after the removal of her foredeck Mk 13 missile launcher. 080713-N-7949W-084 - USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60).jpg
USS Rodney M. Davis after the removal of her foredeck Mk 13 missile launcher.

The removal of the Mk 13 launchers also stripped the frigates of their Harpoon anti-ship missiles. However, their Seahawk helicopters could still carry the much shorter-range Penguin and Hellfire anti-ship missiles. The last nine ships of the class had new remotely operated 25 mm Mk 38 Mod 2 Machine Gun Systems (MGSs) installed on platforms over the old Mk 13 launcher magazine.

USS Ford with Mk 38 Mod 2 MGS. US Navy 100707-N-0641S-215 SS Ford (FFG 54) departs Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to support Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010 exercises.jpg
USS Ford with Mk 38 Mod 2 MGS.
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate 76 mm 62-caliber Mk 75 anti-aircraft gun. View of the 76mm 62-caliber Mk 75 anti-aircraft gun aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate DEWERT (FFG-45). Behind the barrel is the Separate Target Illuminatio - DPLA - 936cbf1336b76f7fc0b4727a4bb05e99.jpg
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate 76 mm 62-caliber Mk 75 anti-aircraft gun.

Up to 2002, the U.S. Navy updated the remaining active Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships' Phalanx CIWS to the "Block 1B" capability, which allowed the Mk 15 20 mm Phalanx gun to shoot at fast-moving surface craft and helicopters. They were also to have been fitted with the Mk 53 Decoy Launching System "Nulka" in place of the SRBOC (Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Chaff) and flares, which would have better protected the ship against anti-ship missiles. It was planned to outfit the remaining ships with a 21-cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher at the location of the former Mk 13, but this did not occur. [14]

On 11 May 2009, the first International Frigate Working Group met at Mayport Naval Station to discuss maintenance, obsolescence, and logistics issues regarding Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships of the U.S. and foreign navies. [15]

On 16 June 2009, Vice Admiral Barry McCullough turned down the suggestion of then-U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) to keep the Perrys in service, citing their worn-out and maxed-out condition. [16] However, U.S. Representative Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and former U.S. Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS) took up the cause to retain the vessels. [17]

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were to have been eventually replaced by Littoral Combat Ships by 2019. However, the worn-out frigates were being retired faster than the LCSs were being built, which may lead to a gap in United States Southern Command mission coverage. [18] According to Navy deactivation plans, all Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates would be retired by October 2015. Simpson was the last to be retired (on 29 September 2015), leaving the Navy devoid of frigates for the first time since 1943. The ships will either be made available for sale to foreign navies or dismantled. [19]

Perry-class frigate retirement was accelerated by budget pressures, leading to the remaining 11 ships being replaced by only eight LCS hulls. With the timeline LCS mission packages will come online unknown, there is uncertainty if they will be able to perform the frigates' counter-narcotics and anti-submarine roles when they are gone. The Navy is looking into Military Sealift Command to see if the Joint High Speed Vessel, Mobile Landing Platform, and other auxiliary ships could handle low-end missions that the frigates performed. [20]

The U.S. Coast Guard harvested weapons systems components from decommissioned Navy Perry-class frigates to save money. Harvesting components from four decommissioned frigates resulted in more than $24 million in cost savings, which increases with parts from more decommissioned frigates. Equipment including Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber gun mounts, gun control panels, barrels, launchers, junction boxes, and other components was returned to service aboard Famous-class cutters to extend their service lives into the 2030s. [21]

In June 2017, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson revealed the Navy was "taking a hard look" at reactivating 7-8 out of 12 mothballed Perry-class frigates to increase fleet numbers. While the move was under consideration, there would be difficulties in returning them to service given the age of the ships and their equipment, likely requiring a significant modernization effort. Although bringing the frigates out of retirement would have provided a short-term solution to fleet size, their limited combat capability would restrict them to acting as a theater security cooperation, maritime security asset. [22] [23] Their likely role would have been serving as basic surface platforms that stay close to U.S. shores, performing missions such as assisting drug interdiction efforts or patrolling the Arctic so an extensive upgrade to the ships' combat systems would not need to be undertaken. [24] An October 2017 memo recommended against reactivating the frigates, claiming it would cost too much money, taking funding away from other Navy priorities for ships with little effectiveness. [25]

Australia

HMAS Melbourne at sea in 2019. The eight-cell Mark 41 installation can be seen on the ship's foredeck, just ahead of the single arm Mark-13 launcher. HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) underway in the Philipine Sea on 18 April 2019 (190418-N-UI104-0759).JPG
HMAS Melbourne at sea in 2019. The eight-cell Mark 41 installation can be seen on the ship's foredeck, just ahead of the single arm Mark-13 launcher.

Australia spent A$1.46bn to upgrade the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Adelaide-class guided-missile frigates, including equipping them to fire the SM-2 version of the Standard missile, adding an eight-cell Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) for Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs), and installing better air-search radars and long-range sonar. The RAN had opted to retain their Adelaide frigates rather than purchase the U.S. Navy's Kidd-class destroyers; the Kidds were more capable but more expensive and manpower intensive. However, the upgrade project ran over budget and fell behind schedule. [7]

The first of the upgraded frigates, HMAS Sydney, returned to the RAN fleet in 2005. Four frigates were eventually upgraded at the Garden Island shipyard in Sydney, Australia, with the modernizations lasting between 18 months and two years. The cost of the upgrades was 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. HMAS Sydney was decommissioned at the Garden Island naval base in 2016. HMAS Darwin was also decommissioned at Garden Island in 2018.

The Adelaide-class frigates were replaced by three spanish designed Hobart-class air warfare destroyers equipped with the AEGIS combat system.[ citation needed ] HMAS Melbourne and Newcastle were transferred in May 2020 to the Chilean Navy and serve as Capitan Prat and Almirante Latorre. [26]

Turkey

TCG Goksu (F-497) in the Mediterranean Sea on August 21, 2023. The G-class frigates are equipped with the GENESIS combat management system, SMART-S Mk2 3D radar and Mk. 41 VLS, which has been installed in front of the Mk. 13 GMLS. TCG Goksu (F-497) in the Mediterranean Sea 21 August 2023.jpg
TCG Göksu (F-497) in the Mediterranean Sea on August 21, 2023. The G-class frigates are equipped with the GENESIS combat management system, SMART-S Mk2 3D radar and Mk. 41 VLS, which has been installed in front of the Mk. 13 GMLS.

The G-class frigates of the Turkish Navy have undergone a major modernisation program, which included the retrofitting of a Turkish digital combat management system named GENESIS (Gemi Entegre Savaş İdare Sistemi). [27] The system was designed & implemented jointly by the Turkish Navy & HAVELSAN, a Turkish electronic hardware systems & software company. [28] The GENESIS upgraded ships were delivered between 2007 & 2011. [29] [30]

The GENESIS advanced combat management system has the capacity of tracking more than 1,000 tactical targets, thanks to its digital sensor data fusion, automatic threat evaluation, weapon engagement opportunities, and Link-16/22 system integration. [31]

The modernisation program also included the addition of an 8-cell Mk.41 VLS for RIM-162 ESSM, together with the upgrade of the Mk-92 fire control system by Lockheed Martin; [32] the retrofitting of the SMART-S Mk2 3D air search radar, which replaced the AN/SPS-49; [33] and the addition of a new, long range sonar. [34] [35]

The Mk.41 vertical launching system (VLS) has been fitted in front of the Mk.13 launcher. TCG Gediz was the first ship in the class to receive the Mk.41 VLS installation. [1]

The G-class frigates of the Turkish Navy were also modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, so that they can accommodate the S-70B Seahawk helicopter.

Operators

Potential operators

Former operators

List of vessels

Ship nameHull no.Hull lengthBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFateLink
U.S.-built
Oliver Hazard Perry FFG-7Short Bath Iron Works 12 June 197525 September 197617 December 197720 February 1997Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 21 April 2006
McInerney FFG-8LongBath Iron Works16 January 19784 November 197815 December 197931 August 2010Transferred to Pakistan Navy as PNS Alamgir (F260), 31 August 2010 [50]
Wadsworth FFG-9Short Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, (Todd, San Pedro)13 July 197729 July 19782 April 198028 June 2002Transferred to Polish Navy as ORP Gen. T. Kościuszko (273), 28 June 2002 [51]
Duncan FFG-10Short Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle Division29 April 19771 March 197815 May 198017 December 1994Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as a parts hulk, 5 April 1999. Scuttled October 2017 [52] [53] Archived nvr.navy.mil website
Clark FFG-11ShortBath Iron Works17 July 197824 March 19799 May 198015 March 2000Transferred to Polish Navy as ORP Gen. K. Pułaski (272), 15 March 2000
George Philip FFG-12ShortTodd, San Pedro14 December 197716 December 197810 October 198015 March 2003Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 23 January 2017 [54] [55]
Samuel Eliot Morison FFG-13ShortBath Iron Works4 December 197814 July 197911 October 198010 April 2002Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gokova (F 496), 11 April 2002 [56]
Sides FFG-14ShortTodd, San Pedro7 August 197819 May 197930 May 198128 February 2003Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 25 January 2016 [55]
Estocin FFG-15ShortBath Iron Works2 April 19793 November 197910 January 19813 April 2003Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Goksu (F497), 3 April 2003 [57]
Clifton Sprague FFG-16ShortBath Iron Works30 July 197916 February 198021 March 19812 June 1995Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gaziantep (F490), 27 August 1997
built for Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Adelaide FFG-17ShortTodd, Seattle29 July 197721 June 197815 November 198019 January 2008Disposed, sunk as diving & fishing reef, 13 April 2011 [58]
built for Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Canberra FFG-18ShortTodd, Seattle1 March 19781 December 197821 March 198112 November 2005Disposed, sunk as diving & fishing reef, 4 October 2009 [59]
John A. Moore FFG-19ShortTodd, San Pedro19 December 197820 October 197914 November 19811 September 2000Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gediz (F495), 1 September 2000
Antrim FFG-20ShortTodd, Seattle21 June 197827 March 197926 September 19818 May 1996Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Giresun (F491), 27 August 1997
Flatley FFG-21ShortBath Iron Works13 November 197915 May 198020 June 198111 May 1996Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gemlik (F492), 27 August 1998
Fahrion FFG-22ShortTodd, Seattle1 December 197824 August 197916 January 198231 March 1998Transferred to Egyptian Navy as Sharm El-Sheik (F901), 15 March 1998
Lewis B. Puller FFG-23ShortTodd, San Pedro23 May 197915 March 198017 April 198218 September 1998Transferred to Egyptian Navy as Toushka (F906), 18 September 1998
Jack Williams FFG-24ShortBath Iron Works25 February 198030 August 198019 September 198113 September 1996Transferred to Royal Bahrain Naval Force as RBNS Sabha (FFG-90), 13 September 1996
Copeland FFG-25ShortTodd, San Pedro24 October 197926 July 19807 August 198218 September 1996Transferred to Egyptian Navy as Mubarak (F911), 18 September 1996, renamed Alexandria in 2011
Gallery FFG-26ShortBath Iron Works17 May 198020 December 19805 December 198114 June 1996Transferred to Egyptian Navy as Taba (F916), 25 September 1996
Mahlon S. Tisdale FFG-27ShortTodd, San Pedro19 March 19807 February 198127 November 198227 September 1996Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gokceada (F494), 5 April 1999
Boone FFG-28LongTodd, Seattle27 March 197916 January 198015 May 198223 February 2012Disposed, sunk as target, 7 September 2022 [60]
Stephen W. Groves FFG-29LongBath Iron Works16 September 19804 April 198117 April 198224 February 2012Scrapped 2021 [61]
Reid FFG-30ShortTodd, San Pedro8 October 198027 June 198119 February 198325 September 1998Transferred to Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Gelibolu (F 493), 5 January 1999
Stark FFG-31ShortTodd, Seattle24 August 197930 May 198023 October 19827 May 1999Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 21 June 2006
John L. Hall FFG-32LongBath Iron Works5 January 198124 July 198126 June 19829 March 2012Arrived to be scrapped, 19 December 2022 [62]
Jarrett FFG-33LongTodd, San Pedro11 February 198117 October 19812 July 198326 May 2011Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 1 August 2016 [55]
Aubrey Fitch FFG-34ShortBath Iron Works10 April 198117 October 19819 October 198212 December 1997Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 19 May 2005
built for Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Sydney FFG-35LongTodd, Seattle16 January 198026 September 198029 January 19837 November 2015Scrapped 2017 [63] [64] [65]
Underwood FFG-36LongBath Iron Works30 July 19816 February 198229 January 19838 March 2013Towed to be scrapped, dismantled, 27 February 2023 [66]
Crommelin FFG-37LongTodd, Seattle30 May 19802 July 198118 June 198331 October 2012Disposed of as target during RIMPAC 2016 SINKEX, 19 July 2016 [67]
Curts FFG-38LongTodd, San Pedro1 July 19816 March 19828 October 198325 January 2013Disposed of as target during Valiant Shield 2020 SINKEX, 19 September 2020 [68]
Doyle FFG-39LongBath Iron Works23 October 198122 May 198221 May 198329 July 2011Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 12 June 2019 [69] [70]
Halyburton FFG-40LongTodd, Seattle26 September 198013 October 19817 January 19848 September 2014Decommissioned, on hold for donation [71]
McClusky FFG-41LongTodd, San Pedro21 October 198118 September 198210 December 198314 January 2015Disposed of as target during RIMPAC 2018 SINKEX, 19 July 2018 [72]
Klakring FFG-42LongBath Iron Works19 February 198218 September 198220 August 198322 March 2013Decommissioned, on hold for foreign military sale, 22 March 2013 [69] [73]
Thach FFG-43LongTodd, San Pedro6 March 198118 December 198217 March 19841 November 2013Disposed of as target during RIMPAC 2016 SINKEX, 14 July 2016 [74]
built for Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Darwin FFG-44LongTodd, Seattle3 July 198126 March 198221 July 19849 December 2017Decommissioned 9 December 2017
De Wert FFG-45LongBath Iron Works14 June 198218 December 198219 November 19834 April 2014Decommissioned, on hold for foreign military sale, 4 April 2014 [69] [75]
Rentz FFG-46LongTodd, San Pedro18 September 198216 July 198330 June 198423 May 2014Disposed of as target during Valiant Shield 2016 SINKEX, 13 September 2016 [76]
Nicholas FFG-47LongBath Iron Works27 September 198223 April 198310 March 198417 March 2014Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 28 February 2023
Vandegrift FFG-48LongTodd, Seattle13 October 198115 October 198224 November 198419 February 2015Disposed of as target during Valiant Shield 2022 SINKEX, 17 June 2022 [77]
Robert G. Bradley FFG-49LongBath Iron Works28 December 198213 August 198330 June 198428 March 2014Decommissioned on 28 March 2014, [69] [78] [79] to be transferred to Royal Bahrain Naval Force in late 2019.
Taylor FFG-50LongBath Iron Works5 May 19835 November 19831 December 19848 May 2015Transferred to Taiwan as ROCS Ming-chuan (PFG-1112), 9 March 2016 [80]
Gary FFG-51LongTodd, San Pedro18 December 198219 November 198317 November 19845 August 2015Transferred to Taiwan as ROCS Feng Jia (PFG-1115), 9 March 2016 [81] [82]
Carr FFG-52LongTodd, Seattle26 March 198226 February 198327 July 198513 March 2013Decommissioned, on hold for foreign military sale, 13 March 2013 [69] [83] [84]
Hawes FFG-53LongBath Iron Works26 August 198318 February 19849 February 198510 December 2010Recycled by 2021 [85] [86]
Ford FFG-54LongTodd, San Pedro11 July 198323 June 198429 June 198531 October 2013Disposed of as target during Pacific Griffin 2019 SINKEX, 1 October 2019 [87]
Elrod FFG-55LongBath Iron Works21 November 198312 May 198421 September 198530 January 2015Decommissioned, on hold for foreign military sale, 30 January 2015 [69] [88]
Simpson FFG-56LongBath Iron Works27 February 198431 August 198421 September 198529 September 2015Disposed as a target during UNITAS 2025 SINKEX, September 28, 2025 [89] [90] [91]
Reuben James FFG-57LongTodd, San Pedro19 November 19838 February 198522 March 198618 July 2013Disposed of as target during live fire missile test, 19 January 2016 [92]
Samuel B. Roberts FFG-58LongBath Iron Works21 May 19848 December 198412 April 198622 May 2015Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling by 2022 [93]
Kauffman FFG-59LongBath Iron Works8 April 198529 March 198628 February 198718 September 2015Decommissioned, on hold for foreign military sale, 18 September 2015 [69] [94] [95]
Rodney M. Davis FFG-60LongTodd, San Pedro8 February 198511 January 19869 May 198723 January 2015Disposed of as target during RIMPAC 2022 SINKEX, 12 July 2022 [96]
Ingraham FFG-61LongTodd, San Pedro30 March 198725 June 19885 August 198930 January 2015Disposed of as target during LSE 21 SINKEX, 15 August 2021 [97]
Ship nameHull No.BuilderCommission–
Decommission		FateLink
Australian-built
HMAS Melbourne FFG 05 Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated (AMECON), Williamstown, Victoria 1992–2019Decommissioned. Sold to Chile in 2020
HMAS Newcastle FFG 061993–2019Decommissioned. Sold to Chile in 2020
Spanish-built
Santa María F81 Bazan, Ferrol 1986–In active service
Victoria F821987–In active service
Numancia F831989–In active service
Reina Sofía F841990–In active service
Navarra F851994–In active service
Canarias F861994–In active service
Taiwanese-built (i.e. the Republic of China)
ROCS Cheng Kung PFG-1101 China Shipbuilding, Kaohsiung, Taiwan1993–In active service
ROCS Cheng Ho PFG-11031994–In active service
ROCS Chi Kuang PFG-11051995–In active service
ROCS Yueh Fei PFG-11061996–In active service
ROCS Tzu I PFG-11071997–In active service
ROCS Pan Chao PFG-11081997–In active service
ROCS Chang Chien PFG-11091998–In active service
ROCS Tian Dan PFG-11102004–In active service

The Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2013 [98] authorized the transfer of Curts and McClusky to Mexico, and the sale of Taylor, Gary, Carr, and Elrod to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (which is the Taiwan agency designated under the Taiwan Relations Act) for about $10 million each. [99]

Considered for reactivation

On 13 June 2017, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John M. Richardson said the Navy was looking into the possibility of recommissioning several Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates from its inactive fleet to support President Donald Trump's proposed 355-ship navy plan. [100] On 11 December 2017, the Navy decided against reactivating the class, saying it would cost too much. [101]

As of 14 October 2025, the decommissioned but extant Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, kept at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were:

See also

References

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  12. ↑ Lendon, Brad (29 September 2015). "Hours before decommissioning, USS Simpson crew recall historic naval battle". Cnn.com. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
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