USS Downes (FF-1070)

USS Downes (FF-1070)
History
United States
Name	Downes
Ordered	22 July 1964
Builder	Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Laid down	5 September 1968
Launched	12 December 1969
Acquired	29 June 1971
Commissioned	28 August 1971
Decommissioned	10 June 1992
Stricken	11 January 1995
Motto	Ready Now
Nickname(s)	Finest, Fastest, Fairest Frigate in the Fleet. Frigate From Hell.
Fate	Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise 15 August 2003
Notes	Sunk at 031° 10' 01.0" North, 119° 48' 03.0" West
General characteristics
Class and type	Knox-class frigate
Displacement	3,187 tons (4,168 full load)
Length	438 ft (133.5 m)
Beam	46 ft 9 in (14.2 m)
Draft	24 ft 9 in (7.5 m)
Propulsion	2 × CE 1,200 psi (8,300 kPa) boilers 1 Westinghouse geared turbine 1 shaft, 35,000 shp (26,000 kW)
Speed	over 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h)
Range	4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) at 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Complement	18 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	one Mk-16 8 cell missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun Mark 46 torpedoes from four single tube launchers) one NSSMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles, later replaced by one Phalanx CIWS, which was replaced by an NSSM Sea Sparrow
Aircraft carried	one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter

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