 The frigates Oliver Hazard Perry, Antrim, and Jack Williams in 1982
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Oliver Hazard Perry class |
| Builders |
|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Brooke class |
| Succeeded by | Constellation class |
| Subclasses |
|
| Cost | US$122 million |
| Built | 1975–2004 |
| In commission | 1977–present |
| Planned | 71 |
| Completed | 71 |
| Active |
|
| Laid up | 8 |
| Retired | 45 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Guided-missile frigate |
| Displacement | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t) full load |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Draft | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 176 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × 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]
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.
- ^ a b Wiggins, James F (August 2000). Defense Acquisitions: Comprehensive Strategy Needed to Improve Ship Cruise Missile Defence. United States General Accounting Office. ISBN 978-0-7567-0302-8. Retrieved 16 February 2010. pp.42
- ^ "US Navy decommissions last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Simpson". Baval-technology.com. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ Vergakis, Brock (7 January 2015). "Last deployment: All Navy frigates soon to be decommissioned". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Rogoway, Tyler (10 January 2014). "End Of The 'Ghetto Navy' Is In Sight As Last USN Frigate Cruise Begins". Fox Trot Alpha. Retrieved 10 January 2014.