USS Duncan (FFG-10)

The USS Duncan (FFG-10) was the fourth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided-missile frigates, and was named for Vice Admiral Donald B. Duncan (1896–1975). Ordered from Todd Pacific, Seattle, Washington on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY75 program, Duncan was laid down on 29 April 1977, launched on 1 March 1978, and commissioned on 15 May 1980, CDR Ross D. Barker in command.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Duncan.

USS Duncan (FFG-10) comes about near San Diego, 1986.
History
United States
Name: Duncan
Namesake: Vice Admiral Donald B. Duncan
Ordered: 27 February 1976
Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Laid down: 29 April 1977
Launched: 1 March 1978
Sponsored by: Mrs. Aniela Mateja Duncan
Commissioned: 15 May 1980
Decommissioned: 17 December 1994
Stricken: 5 January 1998
Homeport: Long Beach, California (former)
Identification:
Motto:
  • "Vigilant and Swift"
  • "Virtus Velox"
Fate: Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP)
Badge:
Turkey
Acquired: 4 May 1999
Fate: Cannibalization of spare parts, scuttled 2017
General characteristics
Class and type: Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement: 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length: 445 feet (136 m), overall
Beam: 45 feet (14 m)
Draught: 22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement: 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 AN/SLQ-32
Armament:
Aircraft carried:

1 × SH-2F Seasprite helicopter

[1]

History

Duncan, former PF-111,[1] was sponsored by Mrs. Aniela Mateja Duncan, widow of the ship's namesake.[2]

In December 1982, Duncan developed a 40 feet (12 m) fissure in her superstructure during a storm.[3] It was a class design deficiency that occurred on other frigates.[4]

In January 1984, Duncan was transferred to the United States Navy Reserve Fleet and Selected Reserve (SELRES) members provided for a portion of the ship's manning.[5]

Duncan and her crew were awarded the Battle Effectiveness Award five times for 18 month time periods ranging from July 1981 to June 1983 and July 1986 to December 1990.[6]

Duncan participated in Port of Hueneme Harbor Days in October 1992.[7]

In March 1993, sailors aboard Duncan rescued four fisherman from Ecuador who were stranded on their disabled fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean. Duncan towed their boat to safety in Manta, Ecuador.[8] Duncan and her crew were nominated for the Humanitarian Service Medal in March 1993, but no unit award was given.[6]

1992 Sitka port visit

Duncan participated in Sitka, Alaska's 125th anniversary Alaska Day celebration, 18 October 1992. The port visit became notorious following allegations of sexual misconduct with minors by crew members and the event's relative proximity to the Tailhook scandal and subsequent investigation.[9] After Duncan was decommissioned, the story re-appeared in national media in 1996, following investigative reporting by the Dayton Daily News' Russell Carollo, due to complaints that the Navy didn't adequately punish the sailors involved.[10] A grand jury in Sitka indicted two Duncan sailors on sexual assault charges,[11] but the cases were dismissed in January 1997 due to prosecutorial delay and the Judge's determination that the two had already been tried by the Navy. A 22-year-old Ensign had faced court martial, but pleaded down to a letter of reprimand. Later, he also received an other than honorable discharge. The second sailor, a 23-year-old enlisted man, also faced court martial, but his charges were dropped by the court's presiding officer.[12]

Decommissioning

Duncan was decommissioned on 17 December 1994 and stricken on 5 January 1998, Duncan was sold to Turkey on 5 April 1999 for use as a parts hulk. She was the first Perry frigate to be decommissioned, in commission for just 14.6 years. At the time, the Soviet Union had recently collapsed and Duncan was one of the oldest, unmodified, short hulled frigates in the fleet. She lacked some of the options others in her class had been modified with. For example, as a short hull ship, she did not have SH-60 Seahawk capability and a RAST to haul down the helicopter and transport it into the hangar. She also lacked a towed array sonar (TACTAS) and the MK-92 COherent Receiver Transmitter (CORT) modification. On 4 October 2017, the Ex-Duncan was scuttled by TCG Sakarya (S-353) on the Black Sea.[13][14]

See also
  • Gölcük Naval Base - location of several of the ex-USN Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates in service with Turkey and one mast-less hulk, possibly ex-Duncan.

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

  1. "USS Duncan (FFG 10)". Navysite.de. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  2. "USS Duncan (FFG-10)". geocities.ws. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  3. Daniels, R.J (2004). The End Of An Era: The Memoirs Of a Naval Constructor. Penzance: Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-904381-18-1. OCLC 56400391.
  4. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Volume 131. London: Royal Institution of Naval Architects. 1989. p. 90. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  5. USS Duncan (FFG-10) Crew's Book. 1984. p. 70.
  6. "Navy Unit Awards". Navy Unit Awards. Archived from the original on 14 October 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. Smith, Ed (3 October 1992). "Frigate gets red-carpet welcome from Port Hueneme". Oxnard Press-Courier. Oxnard, California.
  8. Warner, Gary A. (6 March 1993). "Naval Officer from OC leads rescue". Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California.
  9. "Sailors under investigation for misconduct with minors". European Stars And Stripes. 16 November 1992.
  10. Carollo, Russell (16 October 1995). "Tailhook's shadow eclipsed sordid tale of Alaskan port call". European Stars And Stripes.
  11. "Two ex-sailors charged in alleged '92 sexual assault". European Stars And Stripes. 10 March 1996.
  12. "Charges Dismissed in Navy, Sitka case". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Sitka, Alaska. 3 January 1997.
  13. "Frigate Photo Index FFG-10 USS DUNCAN". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  14. Yaylalı, Devrim (6 October 2017). "The Sinking Of Ex-USS Duncan". Retrieved 21 October 2020.
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