A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied.
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 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.
USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16) was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, the tenth ship of that class. She was named for Vice Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague (1896–1955), hero of the Battle off Samar action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where he received the Navy Cross. Clifton Sprague (FFG-16) was the first ship of that name in the US Navy. She was transferred to the Turkish Naval Forces in 1997 as TCG Gaziantep and remains in active service.
USS Copeland (FFG-25) was the seventeenth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral Robert W. Copeland (1910–1973).
USS Simpson (FFG-56) is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Rodger W. Simpson.
USS Rentz (FFG-46) was a United States Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate. She was named for George S. Rentz, a World War II Navy Chaplain, posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for actions following the loss of USS Houston in the Battle of Sunda Strait. He was the only Navy chaplain to be so honored during World War II.
ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski is one of two Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates of the Polish Navy. Formerly serving in the United States Navy as the USS Clark (FFG-11), after her transfer to Poland she was named for Kazimierz Pułaski, who fought in both the War of the Bar Confederation in Poland and later the American Revolutionary War. As the USS Clark, she was the US Navy's fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, and was named for Admiral Joseph James "Jocko" Clark (1893–1971). The ship is propelled by two General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines and two 350 horsepower (261 kW) electric drive auxiliary propulsion units. The Gen K. Pułaski is currently homeported at Gdynia (Oksywie).
The FREMM, which stands for "European multi-purpose frigate", is a Franco-Italian family of multi-purpose frigates designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. In France, this surface combatant is known as the "Aquitaine class", while in Italy it is known as the "Bergamini class". The lead ship of the class, Aquitaine, was commissioned in November 2012 by the French Navy. Italy has ordered six general purpose and four anti-submarine variants. France, on the other hand, has ordered six anti-submarine variants and two air-defense ones.
ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko, formerly USS Wadsworth (FFG-9), is one of two Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates in the Polish Navy. She is the 2nd "short-hull" ship to be built and 3rd overall. She is named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, an American Revolutionary War hero as well as a hero of Poland's struggle for independence; in US Navy service she was named after Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth. Originally commissioned in 1980, she served in the US Navy until 2002, when she was decommissioned and immediately turned over to the Polish Navy. Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko has participated in numerous NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is an American shipbuilding firm in Marinette, Wisconsin. Marinette Marine was a subsidiary of Manitowoc Marine Group of Wisconsin from 2000 to 2009, when it was sold to Fincantieri Marine Group.
United States ship naming conventions for the U.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of the U.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,
The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule: Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with 11 in service, one undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 299 deployable combat vessels and about 4,012 operational aircraft as of July 18, 2023.
The Constellation-class multi-mission guided-missile frigates of the United States Navy are based on the European multipurpose frigates (FREMM), already in service with the French and Italian navies. Constellation follows the modular but problematic littoral combat ships of the Freedom and Independence classes. The U.S. Navy announced the FFG(X) frigate project in the United States Department of Defense's Request For Information (RFI) in July 2017.
USS Constellation (FFG-62) will be the lead ship of the Constellation class of guided-missile frigates and the fifth ship in the United States Navy bearing this name. She is named in honor of the first USS Constellation, one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, which was named for the constellation of stars on the flag of the United States. The ship will be sponsored by Melissa Braithwaite, the wife of Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite.
USS Congress (FFG-63) will be the second ship of the Constellation class of guided-missile frigates and the seventh ship in the United States Navy bearing this name. She is named in honor of the first USS Congress, one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, and her name was among ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy Pickering in March 1795 for the frigates that were to be constructed.
USS Chesapeake (FFG-64) will be the third Constellation-class guided-missile frigate. The sixth ship in the United States Navy bearing this name, she will be built by Marinette Marine, a subsidiary of Fincantieri, with an expected completion date of August 2028. She is named in honor of the first USS Chesapeake, one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy. The ship will be sponsored by Barbara Strasser, the wife of Rear Admiral Joseph C. Strasser.
USS Hamilton (FFG-66) will be the fifth Constellation-class guided-missile frigate of the United States Navy. She will be the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, the first US Secretary of the Treasury, who was instrumental in the formation of both the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy.
USS Galvez (FFG-67) will be the sixth Constellation-class guided-missile frigate of the United States Navy. She is the only ship of the Navy to be named for American Revolutionary war figure Bernardo de Gálvez. Gálvez was governor of Spanish Louisiana and a key supporter of the revolution, as he led Spanish forces against the British Army during the war and enabled American independence. The name was announced in Madrid alongside the American ambassador and members of the Spanish Navy.
United States
