USS Charles F Adams during her sea trial on 31 August 1960 | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Charles F Adams |
Namesake | Charles Francis Adams III |
Ordered | 28 March 1957 |
Builder | Bath Iron Works |
Laid down | 16 June 1958 |
Launched | 8 September 1959 |
Commissioned | 10 September 1960 |
Decommissioned | 1 August 1990 |
Reclassified | DDG-2, 23 April 1957 |
Stricken | 1 August 1990 |
Identification |
|
Motto | First in class, second to none |
Fate | Scrapped, 2021 |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Charles F. Adams-class destroyer |
Displacement |
|
Length | 437 ft (133 m) |
Beam | 47 ft (14 m) |
Draft | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
Range | 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h) |
Complement | 354 (24 officers, 330 enlisted) |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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USS Charles F. Adams (DD-952/DDG-2), named for Charles Francis Adams III (Secretary of the Navy from 1929 to 1933), was the lead ship of her class of guided missile destroyers of the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1960, during her 30-year operational history she participated in the recovery operation for the Mercury 8 space mission, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as operations in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Decommissioned in 1990, attempts to save her as a museum ship failed and she was scrapped in 2021.
The ship was laid down by the Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine, on 16 June 1958, launched on 8 September 1959 by Mrs. R. Homans, sister of Mr. Adams, commissioned on 10 September 1960, and stationed in its homeport of Charleston, South Carolina.
Intended as a follow-on to the Forrest Sherman-class destroyers, the ship was originally designated as DD-952. Outwardly similar to the Forrest Sherman class, Charles F. Adams was the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up to launch anti-aircraft missiles. To reflect the increased capabilities of the ship and to distinguish her from previous destroyer designs, Charles F. Adams was re-designated DDG-2 prior to the ship's launching.
Following commissioning, Charles F. Adams took part in recovery operations for Walter M. Schirra's Mercury 8 mission. While engaged in this operation the Cuban Missile Crisis developed and Charles F. Adams moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of the quarantine forces around the island of Cuba. In July 1969, Charles F. Adams left her homeport of Charleston and relocated to Mayport, Florida.
On 19 November 1980 Charles F. Adams under the command of Commander Joseph F. McCarton, sailed with USS Independence and her battle group to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, during which the ship made a port call to the town of Bunbury, Western Australia from 3–7 February 1981. Charles F. Adams returned home to Mayport on 9 June 1981.
Charles F. Adams was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1990. Attempts were made to acquire the ship as a museum while it was being stored on Donation Hold status at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania.
The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum attempted to acquire the ship as a museum and memorial to be located in Bay City, Michigan; however, the cost of preparing the ship for movement through the Saint Lawrence Seaway proved too expensive and the project was abandoned.
In 2008 she was considered for preservation by the Adams Class Veteran's Association and the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) in Jacksonville, Florida. An application was delivered to the U.S. Navy for same on 31 March 2008.[ citation needed ]
In October 2010, the Jacksonville City Council supported efforts to bring the ship to Jacksonville as a museum ship, given the vessel's historical past association with nearby Naval Station Mayport. The preservation effort was estimated to require approximately $300,000 to tow the ship to Jacksonville from the Navy's Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia, $3 million for repairs and restoration of the vessel, and $5 million to construct a pier to moor it. By late 2013, the preservation groups had raised about $1.4 million. [1]
On 27 August 2014, the Jacksonville City Council approved a lease of city-owned riverfront property to the JHNSA and authorized the Downtown Investment Authority to manage the project. The groups expected to have the ship moored downtown on the St. Johns River by the end of 2015. [2] Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan's proposal to develop the riverfront included a location for the ship. [3]
In December 2018, plans to bring Charles F. Adams to Jacksonville were abandoned in light of the continued reluctance of the Navy, for reasons that were never clearly articulated, to release the ship to the JHNSA; the JHNSA believes that the Navy preferred demolition of the ship versus transfer of the Charles F. Adams to the JHNSA and its conversion to a museum ship. [4]
In September 2020, the Charles F. Adams left Philadelphia Navy Yard under tow, bound for Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. Scrapping was completed by July 2, 2021 [5]
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named after Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This ship is the 31st destroyer of her class and the 18th ship of the class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Construction began on 7 May 1998, and the vessel launched and christened on 17 April 1999. On 10 March 2001, she was commissioned during a ceremony at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia.
A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a primary gun armament or a small number of anti-aircraft missiles sufficient only for point-defense are designated DD. Nations vary in their use of destroyer D designation in their hull pennant numbering, either prefixing or dropping it altogether.
USS John King (DD-953/DDG-3) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer in the United States Navy named for Medal of Honor recipient John King.
USS Lawrence (DD-954/DDG-4) was a Charles F. Adams class guided-missile destroyer in the United States Navy. It was the fifth ship named after Captain James Lawrence USN (1781–1813). The USS Lawrence served on blockade duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and, in 1972, was part of Operation Linebacker in the west Pacific.
USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23), was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, named after noted polar explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd.
USS Ticonderoga (DDG/CG-47), nicknamed "Tico", was a guided missile cruiser built for the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the Ticonderoga class and the first U.S. Navy combatant to incorporate the Aegis combat system. Originally ordered as a guided-missile destroyer, she was redesignated as a cruiser after capabilities from the cancelled Strike cruiser program were implemented into the ship's design. The new AEGIS system allowed Ticonderoga to track and engage many aerial targets more effectively than any previous U.S. Navy warship.
USS Orleck (DD-886), is a Gearing-class destroyer that was in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1982. In October 1982 she was sold to Turkey and renamed Yücetepe. After her final decommissioning the Turkish government transferred Yücetepe to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation at Orange, Texas, where she was berthed as a museum ship. The Orleck Foundation then decided to move the ship to the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles, Louisiana. On 26 March 2022, she arrived in Jacksonville, FL, where she served as a Naval Museum on the downtown riverfront until 3 April 2023, when she docked to its permanent home at the Shipyards West.
USS Sampson (DDG-10), named for Admiral William T. Sampson USN (1840–1902), was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy.
USS Robison (DDG-12), named for Rear Admiral Samuel Shelburne Robison, was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer in the service of the United States Navy.
USS Cochrane (DDG-21) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer built for the United States Navy in the 1960s.
USS Tattnall (DDG-19) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile-armed destroyer of the United States Navy. She was named for Commodore Josiah Tattnall III USN (1794–1871) – also commandant of the CSS Virginia, and an admiral in the Confederate States Navy – who made the adage "blood is thicker than water" a part of American history.
USS Semmes (DDG-18), was the second Navy ship named for Commander (USN), Rear Admiral (CSN), Brigadier General (CSA) Raphael Semmes (1809–1877). Semmes was a Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer of the United States Navy. Entering service in 1962, Semmes spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters. Decommissioned in 1991, Semmes was transferred to the Hellenic Navy and renamed Kimon. The destroyer was decommissioned for the final time in 2004 and sold for scrap in 2006.
USS Hoel (DDG-13), named for Lieutenant Commander William R. Hoel USN (1824–1879), was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer.
USS Mitscher (DL-2/DDG-35), named for Admiral Marc "Pete" Mitscher USN (1887–1947), was the lead ship of her class of destroyer leaders of the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1953, she was later converted to a guided missile destroyer, and served until 1978. She was sold for scrap in 1980.
The Charles F. Adams class is a ship class of 29 guided-missile destroyers (DDG) built between 1958 and 1967. Twenty-three were built for the United States Navy, three for the Royal Australian Navy, and three for the West German Bundesmarine. The design of these ships was based on that of Forrest Sherman-class destroyers, but the Charles F. Adams class were the first class designed to serve as guided-missile destroyers. 19 feet (5.8 m) of length was added to the center of the design of the Forrest Sherman class to carry the ASROC launcher. The Charles F. Adams-class were the last steam turbine-powered destroyers built for the U.S. Navy. Starting with the succeeding Spruance-class, all U.S. Navy destroyers have been powered by gas turbines. Some of the U.S. Charles F. Adams class served during the blockade of Cuba in 1962 and during the Vietnam War; those of the Royal Australian Navy served during the Vietnam War and Gulf War.
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