USS Gray

Last updated

330-CFD-DN-SC-05-06662 (22773194654).jpg
USS Gray (FF-1054)
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameGray
Namesake Ross F. Gray
Ordered22 July 1964
Builder Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Laid down19 November 1966
Launched3 November 1967
Acquired27 March 1970
Commissioned4 April 1970
Decommissioned29 June 1991
ReclassifiedReclassified as a Frigate 30 June 1975
Stricken11 January 1995
IdentificationFF-1054
MottoSeek Engage Destroy
FateScrapped 21 July 2001
General characteristics
Class and type Knox-class frigate
Displacement3,202 tons (4,165 full load)
Length438 ft (134 m)
Beam46.9 ft (14.3 m)
Draft24.9 ft (7.6 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
  • 1 Westinghouse geared turbine
  • 1 shaft, 35,000 shp (26 MW)
Speedover 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h)
Range4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) @ 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Complement18 officers, 267 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
  • AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
  • AN/SQS-26 Sonar
  • AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonar system
  • Mk68 Gun Fire Control System
Electronic warfare
& decoys		 AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System
Armament
Aircraft carriedone SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter

USS Gray (FF-1054) was a United States Navy Knox-class frigate. She was named for Marine Corps Sergeant Ross F. Gray, who was a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Contents

Design and description

The Knox class design was derived from the Brooke-class frigate modified to extend range and without a long-range missile system. The ships had an overall length of 438 feet (133.5 m), a beam of 47 feet (14.3 m) and a draft of 25 feet (7.6 m). They displaced 4,066 long tons (4,131 t) at full load. Their crew consisted of 13 officers and 211 enlisted men. [1]

The ships were equipped with one Westinghouse geared steam turbine that drove the single propeller shaft. The turbine was designed to produce 35,000 shaft horsepower (26,000 kW), using steam provided by 2 C-E boilers, to reach the designed speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). The Knox class had a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). [2]

The Knox-class ships were armed with a 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward and a single 3-inch/50-caliber gun aft. They mounted an eight-round ASROC launcher between the 5-inch (127 mm) gun and the bridge. Close-range anti-submarine defense was provided by two twin 12.75-inch (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes. The ships were equipped with a torpedo-carrying DASH drone helicopter; its telescoping hangar and landing pad were positioned amidships aft of the mack. Beginning in the 1970s, the DASH was replaced by a SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I helicopter and the hangar and landing deck were accordingly enlarged. Most ships also had the 3-inch (76 mm) gun replaced by an eight-cell BPDMS missile launcher in the early 1970s. [3]

Gray carried the AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite. For anti-submarine work, she carried AN/SQS-26 Sonar and the AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonars. The ship also carried the AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar and the AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar.

Construction and career

Gray was constructed by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington, laid down 19 November 1966, launched 3 November 1967 and delivered 27 March 1970. Gray was commissioned 4 April 1970, reclassified from a destroyer escort as a Frigate 30 June 1975. Gray was the third of the 46 Knox-class frigates built.

Gray served in the Surface Force of the United States Pacific Fleet. She made numerous deployments to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, including in support of United States Naval operations during the Vietnam War. In the early 1980s her home port was San Diego, California. In 1982 she was reassigned to the reserve fleet in Long Beach, California. In later years her home port was Naval Station Treasure Island, in San Francisco. She was decommissioned 29 June 1991, struck 11 January 1995 and scrapped 21 July 2001.

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ Friedman, pp. 357–60, 425
  2. ↑ Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598
  3. ↑ Friedman, pp. 360–61; Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Miller</i> (FF-1091) US Navy Knox class frigate

USS Miller (FF-1091), originally (DE-1091) was a Knox-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy. She was named for Cook Third Class Doris "Dorie" Miller, who was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions at the attack on Pearl Harbor.

USS <i>Capodanno</i> US Navy Knox-class frigate

USS Capodanno (FF-1093) was the 42nd Knox-class frigate in the United States Navy. It was named after Fr. Vincent Capodanno, recipient of the Medal of Honor.

USS <i>Fanning</i> (FF-1076)

USS Fanning (FF-1076), a Knox-class frigate, is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Nathaniel Fanning.

USS <i>Elmer Montgomery</i> Knox-class frigate

USS Elmer Montgomery (FF-1082) was a Knox-class frigate built for the United States Navy by Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana.

USS <i>Downes</i> (FF-1070)

USS Downes (DE-1070/FF-1070) was the 19th in the series of the Knox-class frigates. She was the third ship to be named for Commodore John Downes

USS <i>Hepburn</i>

USS Hepburn (FF-1055) was a United States Navy Knox-class frigate named for Arthur Japy Hepburn.

USS <i>Connole</i>

USS Connole (FF-1056) was a Knox-class frigate, named for Commander David R. Connole, Captain of USS Trigger when the submarine was lost in battle in March 1945.

USS <i>Rathburne</i> (FF-1057)

USS Rathburne (FF-1057) was a Knox-class frigate of the US Navy. Despite the different spelling, she was named for Continental Navy officer John Rathbun (1746-1782).

USS <i>Lang</i> (FF-1060)

USS Lang (FF-1060) was a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy, in service from 1970 to 1991. She was sold for scrapping in 2001. The ship was named for John Lang, the first man on USS Wasp to board HMS Frolic in the closing stage of action 18 October 1812, and his ardor and impetuosity carried the remainder of the boarding party with him.

USS <i>Reasoner</i> United States Navy frigate

USS Reasoner (FF-1063) was a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy, named in honor of 1st Lt. Frank S. Reasoner, awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in the Vietnam War.

USS <i>Lockwood</i> US Navy frigate

USS Lockwood (FF-1064) was the 13th Knox-class destroyer escort, redesignated a frigate in 1975. She was named for Charles A. Lockwood.

USS <i>Marvin Shields</i>

USS Marvin Shields (FF-1066) was a Knox-class frigate of the US Navy. The ship was named after the only Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. CM3 Marvin Glenn Shields was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

USS <i>Francis Hammond</i> US Navy frigate

USS Francis Hammond (DE/FF-1067) is the sixteenth Knox-class frigate, named in honor of Hospitalman Francis Colton Hammond, a Medal of Honor recipient.

USS <i>Joseph Hewes</i> (FF-1078)

ROCS Lan Yang (FFG-935) is a Chi Yang-class frigate of the Republic of China Navy. She was formerly in service as the USS Joseph Hewes (FF-1078), a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Paul</i>

USS Paul (FF-1080) was a Knox-class frigate built for the United States Navy by Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana.

USS <i>Cook</i> (FF-1083)

USS Cook (FF-1083) was a Knox-class frigate built for the United States Navy by Avondale Shipyard, Bridge City, Louisiana.

USS <i>McCandless</i> USN Knox-class frigate

USS McCandless (FF-1084) was a Knox-class frigate of the US Navy. Commissioned in 1972, she served for 22 years before being decommissioned as a training frigate, and sold to the Turkish Navy as TCG Trakya (F-254). She also participated in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

USS <i>Donald B. Beary</i>

USS Donald B. Beary (FF-1085) was a Knox-class frigate built for the United States Navy.

USS <i>Brewton</i>

USS Brewton (FF-1086) is a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy and the first ship of her name. She is currently in service with the Republic of China Navy as the ROCS Fong Yang (FFG-933).

USS <i>Moinester</i> Knox-class frigate (1973)

USS Moinester (FF-1097) was a Knox-class frigate. The ship was named for LTJG Robert W. Moinester who was killed in action during the Battle of Huế on 31 January 1968 and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Moinester was christened by Mrs. Gertrude Mahoney Moinester, the mother of the ship's namesake and ship sponsor.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.