Ordered 22 July 1964 Acquired 17 July 1970 Decommissioned 2 July 1992 Construction started 15 July 1967 Length 134 m | Laid down 15 July 1967 Commissioned 25 July 1970 Struck 11 January 1995 Launched 11 May 1968 Displacement 2.942 million kg | |
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Builders Vigor Shipyards, Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division | ||
Uss francis hammond at sea
USS Francis Hammond (DE/FF-1067) is the ninth Knox-class frigate, named in honor of Hospitalman Francis Colton Hammond, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Contents
- Uss francis hammond at sea
- Various pictures from the uss francis hammond
- Design and description
- Construction and career
- Awards Citations and Campaign Ribbons
- References
Various pictures from the uss francis hammond
Design and description
The Knox class design was derived from the Brooke-class frigate modified to extend range and without a long-range missile system. The ships had an overall length of 438 feet (133.5 m), a beam of 47 feet (14.3 m) and a draft of 25 feet (7.6 m). They displaced 4,066 long tons (4,131 t) at full load. Their crew consisted of 13 officers and 211 enlisted men.
The ships were equipped with one Westinghouse geared steam turbine that drove the single propeller shaft. The turbine was designed to produce 35,000 shaft horsepower (26,000 kW), using steam provided by 2 C-E boilers, to reach the designed speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). The Knox class had a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
The Knox-class ships were armed with a 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward and a single 3″/50 caliber gun aft. They mounted an eight-round ASROC launcher between the 5-inch (127 mm) gun and the bridge. Close-range anti-submarine defense was provided by two twin 12.75-inch (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes. The ships were equipped with a torpedo-carrying DASH drone helicopter; its telescoping hangar and landing pad were positioned amidships aft of the mack. Beginning in the 1970s, the DASH was replaced by a SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I helicopter and the hangar and landing deck were accordingly enlarged. Most ships also had the 3-inch (76 mm) gun replaced by an eight-cell BPDMS missile launcher in the early 1970s.
Construction and career
She was originally designed as a Knox-class ocean escort (DE-1067), and was built by Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California. She was propelled by one Westinghouse steam turbine with a total of 35,000 shaft horsepower (26,000 kW). The ship's keel was laid on 15 July 1967. She was launched on 11 May 1968; sponsored by Mrs. Phyllis Hammond Smith (widow of Hospitalman Hammond). The ship was commissioned at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, California on 25 July 1970, with Commander John E. Elmore in command.
As part of the Navy's 1975 ship reclassification, Francis Hammond was reclassified as a frigate (FF-1067) on 30 June 1975.
In December 1986, after the ship's company of Francis Hammond raised over $11,000 for Navy Relief (beating their goal of ten time's the ship's hull number), permission was granted to temporarily add a dollar sign, a thousands separator, and an extra zero to the hull number painted on the side of the ship.
Decommissioned 2 July 1992 in Long Beach, California after twenty-one years and nine months in active commission and struck from the Navy Register on 11 January 1995. Francis Hammond was disposed of by scrapping 31 March 2003.
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
References : USS Francis Hammond on NavSource.org