USS Taylor (FFG-50)

USS Taylor (FFG-50), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Commander Jesse J. Taylor (1925–1965), a naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism in the Vietnam War.

USS Taylor (FFG-50) leaving Mayport in January 2014
History
United States
Name:	Taylor
Namesake:	Commander Jesse J. Taylor
Awarded:	May 22, 1981
Builder:	Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Laid down:	May 5, 1983
Launched:	November 5, 1983
Sponsored by:	Barbara A. Taylor, widow of namesake
Commissioned:	December 1, 1984
Decommissioned:	May 8, 2015
Identification:	Hull symbol: FFG-50 MMSI number: 338975000 Code letters: NJJT
Motto:	"Proud Defender"
Status:	Slated for sale to Taiwan by the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2013
Badge:
Taiwan
Name:	Ming-chuan
Namesake:	Liu Mingchuan
Acquired:	6 March 2016
Commissioned:	8 November 2018
In service:	2018-present
Identification:	PFG-1112
Status:	Active
General characteristics
Class and type:	Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement:	4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length:	453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam:	45 feet (14 m)
Draft:	22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and variable pitch propeller 2 × Auxiliary Propulsion Units, 350 hp (260 kW) retractable electric azimuth thrusters for maneuvering and docking.
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:	AN/SPS-49 air-search radar AN/SPS-55 surface-search radar CAS and STIR fire-control radar AN/SQS-56 sonar.
Electronic warfare & decoys:	AN/SLQ-32
Armament:	As built: 1 × OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun 2 × Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes 1 × Vulcan Phalanx CIWS 4 × .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. 1 × Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine) Note: As of 2004, Mk 13 systems removed from all active US vessels of this class. Mk 38 Mod 2 in place of Mk 13
Aircraft carried:	2 × SH-60B LAMPS Mk III helicopters
Aviation facilities:	2 × Hangars RAST helicopter hauldown system
Notes:	6 x Mk 11 Mod 1 High Speed Radial Texture Enhancer Removed 1988 Terrazzo upgrade

Construction

Taylor's keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, on May 5, 1983. She was launched November 5, 1983, and commissioned December 1, 1984 in Bath, Maine. Taylor was sponsored by Barbara A. Taylor, the widow of the ship's namesake, and Diane Taylor-Oeland as matron of honor.

History

Taylor was homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, was part of Destroyer Squadron 6 "Greyhounds", from 1985 to 1993. The ship deployed to Northern Europe as part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic in 1987, and the Persian Gulf in 1988 and 1990. She participated in Operation Earnest Will and Operation Prime Chance. In 1993, Taylor changed homeport to Mayport, Florida, with the closing of Charleston Naval Station. Up to 2015, Taylor was homeported at Naval Station Mayport, and was part of Destroyer Squadron 14.

In August 2008, Taylor entered the Black Sea conducting a pre-planned routine visit to the region to interact and exercise with NATO partners Romania and Bulgaria. It joined ships from Poland, Germany and Spain.[1]

In September 2010, Taylor was buzzed by a Russian Tu-95 bomber.[2] However, as of 2004, all significant anti-aircraft capability was deleted from this class. On January 8, 2014, Taylor left Naval Station Mayport for her last seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets. On February 5, 2014, Taylor was scheduled to enter the Black Sea along with Mount Whitney in support of the Sochi Olympics.[3]

On February 12, 2014, Taylor ran aground while mooring in Samsun, Turkey, during operations supporting the 2014 Winter Olympics.[4] "A senior Turkish port official said the ship's propeller scraped the surface as it was mooring at Samsun."[5] The ship's skipper, Commander Dennis Volpe, was subsequently relieved and reassigned.[6]

Republic of China Navy

Taylor was decommissioned on May 8, 2015, and subsequently transferred to Taiwan,[7][8] where the ship was commissioned by the Republic of China Navy as ROCS Ming-chuan (銘傳, PFG-1112) on November 8, 2018.[9]

References

1. Tran, Mark (August 21, 2008). "Russia suspends military cooperation with Nato". Guardian. London. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
2. "DoD details Russian buzzing of U.S. frigate". September 17, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
3. "U.S. Navy Warship In Black Sea Ahead of Sochi Olympics". February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
4. "USS Taylor being inspected after running aground off Turkey". February 18, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
5. "U.S. Warship Deployed Near Sochi Runs Aground". February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
6. Beardsley, Steven, "Navy relieves USS Taylor's commander after ship ran aground", Stars & Stripes, February 25, 2014
7. "USS Taylor decomissioned; (sic) officer's family recalls his heroism". The Florida Times-Union. May 8, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
8. "Six Things to Know About USS Taylor (FFG 50)". United States Navy. May 8, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
9. Tu, Aaron; Chin, Jonathan (November 9, 2018). "US-purchased warships inaugurated". Taipei Times.

External links

• USS Taylor official website
• Photo gallery of USS Taylor (FFG-50) at NavSource Naval History

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.