Navy decommissions USS Thatch Friday | FOX5 San Diego – San Diego news, weather, traffic, sports from KSWB
Admiral John Thatch, for whom the ship was named, was a true hero of World War II aviators for his brilliant tactical innovation which saved many lives.
The Oliver Hazard Perry class of which this was one, was named for another hero, Oliver Hazard Perry, immortalized by his dispatch to Major General William
Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie, 10 September 1813, "We
have met the enemy and they are ours..."
Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate FFG-7
The USS Thach (FFG-43) was one of the seven ubiquitous OHP class, which are being modernised and sold off to other navies such as Poland in 2014 fiscal year. See decommissioning schedule. The US Navy has 29 Oliver Hazard Perry Class guided missile frigates
remaining in service of the 50 built for the US Navy during the 1970s
and 1980s. Relatively inexpensive and long lived hulls, the frigates have a full load displacement of 4,100t. The
maximum speed is 30kt, limited by the dual gas turbine power plant and single screw, and the range at an economical speed is 4,500nm. It has NTDS command and control with moderate capabilities for all phases of naval warfare ASW, AAW, and ASuW, hence could be used as a sort of utility infielder for almost any mission. Crew included 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-2 detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers.
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
USS Freedom the lead ship of the class which is designated to replace the OHP class. It is designed to be a fast, maneuverable and networked surface combatant
for missions such as anti-mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface
warfare and humanitarian relief. The ship is 377 feet (115 m) in length, displaces 3,000 metric tons (2950 metric tons) and can go faster than 40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h). The design incorporates a large reconfigurable seaframe to allow rapidly interchangeable mission modules, a flight deck with integrated helicopter
launch, recovery and handling system and the capability to launch and
recover boats (manned and unmanned) from both the stern and side.
The flight deck is 1.5 times the size of that of a standard surface
ship, and uses a Trigon traversing system to move helicopters in and out
of the hangar. The ship has two ways to launch and recover various
mission packages: a stern ramp and a starboard side door near the
waterline. The mission module bay has a 3-axis crane for positioning
modules or cargo. The fore deck has a modular weapons zone which can be used for a 57 mm gun turret or missile launcher (compared to the original equipment 76 mm dual purpose gun and Mk13 SM-1mr SAM launcher of the OHP). A Rolling Airframe Missile
launcher is mounted above the hangar for short-range defense against
aircraft and cruise missiles, and .50-caliber gun mounts are provided
topside.
The core crew will be 40 sailors, usually joined by a mission package
crew and an aviation detachment for a total crew of about 75.
Automation allows a reduced crew from that of the OHP class,
but workload can still be "grueling", and endurance in long deployments can be questioned.
Much discussion of the comparative merits of the OHP and LCS has been made, with derogatory comments on the LCS. When inflation is factored in, acquisition cost is comparable. ASW and AAW sensor and weapon capabilities seem to be a significant lower level than the FFG-7 and it will need to be screened from air and missile threats, against which the extra speed will not be significant, although the reduced RCS may help. The Navy would seem to have given up blue water capability for littoral capability to support amphibious operations. Also, the Navy doesn't name ships for naval heroes any more.
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