Farragut-class destroyer (1958)

The Farragut-class destroyer was a group of 10 guided missile destroyers built for the United States Navy (USN) during the 1950s. They were the second destroyer class to be named for Admiral David Farragut. The class is sometimes referred to as the Coontz class, since Coontz was first to be designed and built as a guided missile ship (under project SCB 142), whereas the previous three ships were designed as all-gun units (under SCB 129) and converted later.[5][6] The class was originally envisioned as a Destroyer Leader class (DL/DLG, verbally referred to as "Frigates"), but was reclassified as Guided Missile Destroyers following the 1975 ship reclassification.

Farragut-class destroyer
USS Farragut (DDG-37)
Class overview
Name: Farragut class
Builders:
Operators:  United States Navy
Preceded by: Forrest Sherman class
Succeeded by: Charles F. Adams class (as Destroyer) Leahy class (as Destroyer Leader)
Built: 1957–1961
In commission: 1959–1993
Completed: 10
Scrapped: 10
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement:
  • 4,167 long tons (4,234 t) (light)
  • 5,648 long tons (5,739 t) (deep load)
Length: 512 ft 6 in (156.2 m)
Beam: 52 ft 4 in (16.0 m)
Draft: 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) (design)
Range: 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement: 23 officers, 337 enlisted men
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • AN/SLQ-32(v)3 Electronic Warfare System
  • Mark 36 SRBOC Decoy Launching System
Armament:

Design and description

The Farragut class was the first class of missile-armed carrier escorts to be built as such for the USN.[7] The ships had an overall length of 512 feet 6 inches (156.2 m), a beam of 52 feet 4 inches (16.0 m) and a deep draft of 17 feet 9 inches (5.4 m). They displaced 5,648 long tons (5,739 t) at full load. Their crew consisted of 23 officers and 337 enlisted men.[8]

The ships were equipped with two geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by 4 water-tube boilers. The turbines were intended to produce 85,000 shaft horsepower (63,000 kW) to reach the designed speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph). The Farragut class had a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[7]

The Farragut-class ships were armed with a 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward and two twin mounts for 3"/50 caliber guns, one on each broadside amidships. They were fitted with an eight-round ASROC launcher between the 5-inch (127 mm) gun and the bridge. The Farragut (DDG-37) was the only ship of her class that had an ASROC magazine mounted behind the launcher. The class was already top-heavy and the addition of the magazine reportedly made it worse, so the decision was made not to equip the other nine ships with magazines. Close-range anti-submarine defense was provided by two triple 12.75-inch (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes. The primary armament of the Farraguts was the Terrier anti-aircraft missile designed to defend the carrier battle group. They were fired via the dual-arm Mark 10 launcher and the ships stowed a total of 40 missiles for the launcher.[7]

Ships in class
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
Farragut DDG-37/DLG-6 Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard 3 June 1957 18 July 1958 10 December 1960 31 October 1989 Struck 20 November 1992, sold for scrap
Luce DDG-38/DLG-7 1 October 1957 11 December 1958 20 May 1961 1 April 1991
Macdonough DDG-39/DLG-8 15 April 1958 9 July 1959 4 November 1961 23 October 1992 Struck 30 November 1992, sold for scrap
Coontz DDG-40/DLG-9 Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 1 March 1957 6 December 1958 15 July 1960 2 October 1989 Struck 7 January 1990, sold for scrap
King DDG-41/DLG-10 1 March 1957 6 December 1958 17 November 1960 28 March 1991 Struck 20 November 1992, sold for scrap
Mahan DDG-42/DLG-11 San Francisco Naval Shipyard 31 July 1957 7 October 1959 25 December 1960 15 June 1993 Struck 15 June 1993, sold for scrap
Dahlgren DDG-43/DLG-12 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1 March 1958 16 March 1960 8 April 1961 31 July 1992 Struck 20 November 1992, sold for scrap
William V. Pratt DDG-44/DLG-13 1 March 1958 6 March 1960 4 November 1961 30 September 1991
Dewey DDG-45/DLG-14 Bath Iron Works 10 August 1957 30 November 1958 7 December 1959 31 August 1990
Preble DDG-46/DLG-15 16 December 1957 23 May 1959 9 May 1960 15 November 1991

Service

Originally commissioned as guided missile frigates (DLG), they were redesignated as guided missile destroyers (DDG) under the fleet realignment in 1975. They were also the only redesignated ships to be renumbered as well under the realignment, with the first unit changing from DLG-6 to DDG-37 and all subsequent vessels being renumbered upwards in order. During various refits all ships had their two 3" gun mounts removed and replaced by two quad Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers and their fire control and search radars upgraded to handle SM-2 ER missiles. All ships of the class were decommissioned between 1989 and 1994 and subsequently scrapped.

See also

Notes
  1. Blackman, Raymond V. B. Jane's Fighting Ships (1970/71) p.432
  2. Polmar, Norman "The U.S. Navy: Shipboard Radars" United States Naval Institute Proceedings December 1978 p.145
  3. Polmar, Norman "The U.S. Navy: Shipboard Radars" United States Naval Institute Proceedings December 1978 p.144
  4. Polmar, Norman "The U.S. Navy: Sonars, Part 1" United States Naval Institute Proceedings July 1981 p.119
  5. Friedman, pp. 295-297
  6. DLG 6 / DDG-37 Farragut / DLG 9 Coontz
  7. Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 580
  8. Friedman, p. 423

References
  • Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-733-X.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
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