Oliver Hazard Perry

Perry, Oliver Hazard, 1785-1819, American naval officer, b. South Kingstown, R.I.; brother of Matthew Calbraith Perry. Appointed a midshipman in 1799, he served in the Tripolitan War, was promoted to lieutenant (1807), and from 1807 to 1809 was engaged in building gunboats. In the War of 1812 he was commissioned to build, equip, and man a fleet at Erie, Pa. On Sept. 10, 1813, Perry's fleet left Put-in-Bay, Ohio, and met a slightly inferior British force. In the subsequent battle, the battle of Lake Erie, Perry's flagship, the Lawrence, was reduced to ruins, but he transferred his flag to the Niagara and shortly forced the British to surrender. His report of the battle sent to Gen. William H. Harrison—"We have met the enemy and they are ours"—has become famous. The victory, which made Perry a national hero, gave the United States control of Lake Erie and helped pave the way for Harrison's victory in the battle of the Thames River, in which Perry participated. After the war he served as a captain in the Mediterranean. Later, on a mission to Venezuela, he contracted yellow fever, died, and was buried in Trinidad. His body was later brought to Newport, R.I., where a monument was erected to him. A memorial to Perry at Put-in-Bay, built 1912-15, was made a national monument in 1936.

(born Aug. 20, 1785, South Kingston, R.I., U.S.—died Aug. 23, 1819, at sea) U.S. naval officer. The older brother of Matthew Perry, he entered the navy in 1799 and served in the West Indies and the Mediterranean. In 1813 he was ordered to Erie, Pa., to assemble a naval squadron to challenge British control of the Great Lakes in the War of 1812. With 10 small ships, he engaged six British warships in Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813). After his flagship was disabled, he was rowed to the Niagara, from which he won the battle by sailing directly into the British line, firing broadside. In reporting the British surrender he wrote, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

Learn more about Perry, Oliver Hazard with a free trial on Britannica.com.

The Oliver Hazard Perry class (sometimes referred to as the Perry class or FFG-7 class), is a class of frigates named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The class was designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels, capable of most naval operations, yet cheap enough to be bought in large quantities to replace World War II-era destroyers. 55 ships were built in the United States: 51 for the United States Navy and four for the Royal Australian Navy. Additionally, 8 were built in Taiwan, 6 in Spain and 2 in Australia for their respective navies, and ex-USN ships have been acquired by the navies of Bahrain, Egypt, Poland and Turkey.

Perry class frigates were designed primarily as Anti-submarine warfare ships intended to provide open-ocean escort of amphibious ships and convoys in low to moderate threat environments in a global war with the Soviet Union. They could also provide limited defense against anti-ship missiles extant in the 70s and 80s. The ships are equipped to escort and protect carrier battle groups, amphibious landing groups, underway replenishment groups and convoys. They can also conduct independent operations to perform such tasks as counterdrug surveillance, maritime interception operations, and exercises with other nations. The addition of NTDS, LAMPS helicopters, and the Tactical Towed Array System (TACTAS) gave these ships a combat capability far beyond the class program expectations, and has made the ships an integral and valued asset in virtually any war-at-sea scenario and particularly well suited for operation in the littoral

Ships

The ships were designed by Maine shipyard Bath Iron Works in partnership with New York-based naval architects Gibbs & Cox.

FFG-7 (often pronounced "fig-seven") class ships were produced in 445-foot (136 m) "short-hull" (Flight I) and 453-foot (138 m) "long-hull" (Flight III) variants. The long-hull ships (FFG 8, 28, 29, 32, 33, 36-61) carry the SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters, while the short-hull units carry the less-capable SH-2 Seasprite. The principal difference between the versions is the location of the aft capstan; on long-hull ships, it sits a step below the level of the flight deck in order to clear the tail rotor of the longer Seahawk helicopter. Long-hull ships also carry the RAST (Recovery Assist Securing and Traversing) system for the SH-60, a variant of a hook and winch that could reel in a Seahawk in flight, expanding the pitch and roll envelope in which flight operations were permitted. FFG 8, 29, 32, and 33 were built as short-hull ships but later modified into long-hull ships.

U.S. yards constructed FFG-7-class ships for the United States Navy and Royal Australian Navy. Early U.S.-built Australian ships were originally of the short-hull type and modified in the 1980s to the long-hull standard. Yards in Australia, Spain, and Taiwan have produced variants of the long-hull design for their navies.

Although costs rose dramatically over the production run, all 50 ships planned for the USN were eventually built. Some Perry-class vessels are slated to remain in U.S. service for years, but many have been decommissioned. Some of these have been transferred to foreign countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, and Turkey; several have replaced modernized World War II destroyers again — ex-USN ships transferred abroad in the 1970s and 1980s.

Notable combat actions

Perry-class frigates made the news twice during the 1980s. Despite being small, these frigates were shown to be extremely durable. The Persian Gulf was a dangerous place to be during the Iran–Iraq War, and on 17 May 1987, USS Stark was attacked, apparently accidentally, by an Iraqi warplane. Struck by two Exocet antiship missiles, thirty-seven American sailors died in the deadly prelude to the U.S.'s Operation Earnest Will, the reflagging and escorting of oil tankers through the Persian Gulf. Less than a year later, on 14 April 1988, the frigate Samuel B. Roberts was nearly sunk by an Iranian mine. No lives were lost, but 10 sailors were medevaced from the ship. The U.S. retaliated four days later with Operation Praying Mantis, a one-day attack on Iranian oil platforms being used as bases for raids on merchant shipping, which included the minelaying operations that damaged the Roberts. Both frigates were repaired in U.S. yards and returned to service. The Stark was decommissioned in 1999, and scrapped in 2006.

Modifications

United States

The United States' active long-hull Perrys are being modified to reduce operating costs. The Detroit Diesel electrical generators are being replaced with modern Caterpillar units and the forward Mk 13 single arm missile launcher has been removed from all active units because the missile it is meant to fire, the Standard SM-1MR, has outlived its service life.

It would be too costly to refit the SM-1MRs, which have marginal ability to bring down sea-skimming missiles. Another reason for withdrawing the SM-1MRs is to focus support on US allied countries, such as Poland and Taiwan, that need it most.

With the removal of the Mk.13 launcher the Perry FFG also loses Harpoon capability (although its SH-60 Seahawk helicopter complement can carry shorter-ranged Penguin anti-ship missiles) and their "zone-defense" AAW capability, and are reduced to a "point-defense" type of AAW armament. The Perrys had never been primarily AAW ships to begin with; the primary AAW ships of the US Navy are the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.

The US Navy plans to update the Perrys’ CIWS to Block 1B, which will allow the Mk 15 20 mm Phalanx gun to shoot fast-moving surface craft and helicopters. The FFGs are also to be fitted with the Mk 53 DLS Nulka missile decoy system, which will be better than the chaff and flares at guarding against anti-ship missiles.

Australia

As part of a major programme of improvements, a AU$1 billion upgrade project for the Adelaide class is in progress, which will see enhancements to both weapons and equipment. The costs of the project will be partly offset by the decommissioning of the two oldest ships. HMAS Canberra was decommissioned on 12 November 2005 at HMAS Stirling, Garden Island, Western Australia and HMAS Adelaide was decommissioned at HMAS Stirling, Garden Island, in Western Australia on 20 January 2008. The first upgraded vessel, HMAS Sydney, returned to the fleet in 2005. Some of the new features include the ability to fire the SM-2 version of Standard missile, an 8 cell Mk-41 VLS for Evolved Sea Sparrow and enhanced air search radar and long range sonar. Each unit to be upgraded will do so at Garden Island in Sydney, with the modifications taking between 18 months and two years. The ships will be replaced starting in 2013 by three new air defence destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system.

Turkey

The Turkish Navy has commenced the modernization of its G class frigates with the GENESIS (Gemi Entegre Savaş İdare Sistemi) combat management system. The first GENESIS upgraded ship was delivered in 2007, and the last delivery is scheduled for 2011. The short hull Perry class frigates that are currently being operated by the Turkish Navy were modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, so that they can accommodate the S-70B Seahawk helicopters. Turkey is planning to add 8-cell Mk.41 vertical launching systems for ESSM, to be fitted in front of the Mk.13 launchers, similar to the case in the modernization program of the Australian Adelaide class frigates. There are also plans to install components that are being developed for the Milgem class warships (Ada class corvettes and F-100 class frigates) of the Turkish Navy. These include modern 3D and X-Band radars developed by Aselsan and national hull-mounted sonars. One of the G class frigates will also be used as a testbed for Turkey's 4,500-ton TF-2000 class AAW frigates that are currently being designed by the Turkish Naval Institute.

Operators

• (Adelaide class): The Royal Australian Navy purchased six frigates. Four of them were built in the United States while the other two were built in Australia. They were upgraded in the early 2000s, with the addition of an 8-cell Mk.41 VLS with 32 Evolved Sea Sparrow (ESSM) missiles.
• : FFG-24 gift of U.S. Government in 1996, re-christened Sabha.
• (Mubarak class): Four frigates were transferred from the U.S. Navy.
• : Two frigates were transferred from the U.S. Navy in 2002 and 2003.
• (Cheng Kung class): Taiwan built eight ships equipped with the Hsuing Feng II anti-ship missiles, which are expected to be replaced by Harpoon.
• (Santa Maria class): Spain built six ships.
• (G class): Eight ex-U.S. Navy frigates are operational, with two more delivered as parts hulks. The transfer of two additional Perry class ex-USN frigates (FFG-12 and FFG-14) to Turkey was approved by the U.S. Congress on 24/10/2007 and is pending approval by the Turkish Navy.
• : The U.S. Navy commissioned 51 FFG-7 class frigates between 1977 and 1989. As of early 2008, 30 long-hull frigates remain in active service.

Units

Ship Name	Hull No.	Builder	Commission– Decommission	Fate	Link
U.S.-built
Oliver Hazard Perry	FFG-7	Bath Iron Works	1977-1997	Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 04/21/2006
McInerney	FFG-8	Bath Iron Works	1979-
Wadsworth	FFG-9	Todd Pacific Shipyards, San Pedro	1978-2002	Transferred to Poland as ORP Gen. T. Kos'ciuszko (273)
Duncan	FFG-10	Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle	1980-1994	Transferred to Turkey as parts hulk
Clark	FFG-11	Bath Iron Works	1980-2000	Transferred to Poland as ORP Gen. K. Pulaski (272)
George Philip	FFG-12	Todd, San Pedro	1980-2003	Stricken, to be disposed of, 5/24/2004 (to be transferred to Turkey in the summer of 2008
Samuel Eliot Morison	FFG-13	Bath Iron Works	1980-2002	Transferred to Turkey as TCG Gokova (F 496)
USS Sides	FFG-14	Todd, San Pedro	1981-2003	Stricken, to be disposed of, 5/24/2004, to be transferred to Turkey in the summer of 2008
Estocin	FFG-15	Bath Iron Works	1981-2003	transferred to Turkey as TCG Goksu (F 497)
Clifton Sprague	FFG-16	Bath Iron Works	1981-1995	transferred to Turkey as TCG Gaziantep (F 490)
built for Australia as HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)	FFG-17	Todd, Seattle	1980-2008	Decommissioned, to be sunk as dive reef
built for Australia as HMAS Canberra (FFG 02)	FFG-18	Todd, Seattle	1981-	Decommissioned, to be sunk as dive reef
John A. Moore	FFG-19	Todd, San Pedro	1981-2001	transferred to Turkey as TCG Gediz (F 495)
Antrim	FFG-20	Todd, Seattle	1981-1996	transferred to Turkey as TCG Gemlik (F 492)
Flatley	FFG-21	Bath Iron Works	1981-1996	transferred to Turkey as TCG Giresun (F 491))
Fahrion	FFG-22	Todd, Seattle	1982-1998	transferred to Egypt as Sharm El-Sheik (F 901)
Lewis B. Puller	FFG-23	Todd, San Pedro	1982-1998	transferred to Egypt as Toushka (F 906)
Jack Williams	FFG-24	Bath Iron Works	1981-1996	transferred to Bahrain as Sabha (90)
Copeland	FFG-25	Todd, San Pedro	1982-1996	transferred to Egypt as Mubarak (F 911)
Gallery	FFG-26	Bath Iron Works	1981-1996	transferred to Egypt as Taba (F 916)
Mahlon S. Tisdale	FFG-27	Todd, San Pedro	1982-1996	TCG Gokceada (F 494)>TCG Gokceada (F 494)
Boone	FFG-28	Todd, Seattle	1982-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 1998
Stephen W. Groves	FFG-29	Bath Iron Works	1982-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 1997
Reid	FFG-30	Todd, San Pedro	1983-1998	transferred to Turkey as TCG Gelibolu (F 493)
Stark	FFG-31	Todd, Seattle	1982-1999	Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 6/21/2006
John L. Hall	FFG-32	Bath Iron Works	1982-
Jarrett	FFG-33	Todd, San Pedro	1983-
Aubrey Fitch	FFG-34	Bath Iron Works	1982-1997	Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling, 5/19/2005
built for Australia as HMAS Sydney (FFG 03)	FFG-35	Todd, Seattle	1983-
Underwood	FFG-36	Bath Iron Works	1983-
Crommelin	FFG-37	Todd, Seattle	1983-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2003
Curts	FFG-38	Todd, San Pedro	1983-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 1998
Doyle	FFG-39	Bath Iron Works	1983-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2002
Halyburton	FFG-40	Todd, Seattle	1983-
McClusky	FFG-41	Todd, San Pedro	1983-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2002
Klakring	FFG-42	Bath Iron Works	1983-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2002
Thach	FFG-43	Todd, San Pedro	1984-
built for Australia as HMAS Darwin (FFG 04)	FFG-44	Todd, Seattle	1984-
Dewert	FFG-45	Bath Iron Works	1983-
Rentz	FFG-46	Todd, San Pedro	1984-
Nicholas	FFG-47	Bath Iron Works	1984-
Vandegrift	FFG-48	Todd, Seattle	1984-
Robert G. Bradley	FFG-49	Bath Iron Works	1984-
Taylor	FFG-50	Bath Iron Works	1984-
Gary	FFG-51	Todd, San Pedro	1984-
Carr	FFG-52	Todd, Seattle	1985-
Hawes	FFG-53	Bath Iron Works	1985-
Ford	FFG-54	Todd, San Pedro	1985-
Elrod	FFG-55	Bath Iron Works	1985-
Simpson	FFG-56	Bath Iron Works	1985-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2002
Reuben James	FFG-57	Todd, San Pedro	1986-
Samuel B. Roberts	FFG-58	Bath Iron Works	1986-
Kauffman	FFG-59	bath Iron Works	1987-
Rodney M. Davis	FFG-60	Todd, San Pedro	1987-	Naval Reserve Force, Active since 2002
Ingraham	FFG-61	Todd, San Pedro	1989-
Australian-built
HMAS Melbourne	FFG 05	Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated (AMECON), Williamstown, Victoria	1992-
HMAS Newcastle	FFG 06	AMECON, Williamstown	1993-
Spanish-built
SPS Santa María	F81	Bazan, Ferrol	1986-
SPS Victoria	F82	Bazan, Ferrol	1987-
SPS Numancia	F83	Bazan, Ferrol	1989-
SPS Reina Sofía	F84	Bazan, Ferrol	1990-
SPS Navarra	F85	Bazan, Ferrol	1994-
SPS Canarias	F86	Bazan, Ferrol	1995-
Taiwanese-built
ROCS Cheng Kung	FFG-1101	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1993-
ROCS Cheng Ho	FFG-1103	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1994-
ROCS Chi Kuang	FFG-1105	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1995-
ROCS Yueh Fei	FFG-1106	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1996-
ROCS Tzu I	FFG-1107	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1997-
ROCS Pan Chao	FFG-1108	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1997-
ROCS Chang Chien	FFG-1109	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	1998-
ROCS Tian Dan	FFG-1110	China Shipbuilding, Kaohsuing, Taiwan	2004-

References

Further reading

• Bruhn, David D., Steven C. Saulnier, and James L. Whittington (1997). Ready to Answer All Bells: A Blueprint for Successful Naval Engineering. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-227-7. (Operating a Perry frigate)
• Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-733-X. (Contains material on frigates and Perrys in particular)
• Levinson, Jeffrey L. and Randy L. Edwards (1997). Missile Inbound. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-517-9. (Attack on the USS Stark (FFG 31) )
• Peniston, Bradley (2006). No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-661-5. (Mining of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) )
• Snow, Ralph L. (1987). Bath Iron Works: The First Hundred Years. Bath, Maine: Maine Maritime Museum. ISBN 0-9619449-0-0. (The origin and construction of the Perrys, from the design shipyard's point of view.)
• Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-970-3.

External links

• Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates at Destroyer History Foundation
• Official U.S. Navy Fact File: Frigates
• FFG-7 OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class: by the Federation of American Scientists
• MaritimeQuest Perry Class Overview
• Labor 'inherited Navy nightmare': Fitzgibbon