Garcia-class frigate

A Garcia-class frigate: USS Albert David (FF-1050) in December 1975. USS Albert David underway in December 1975.
Class overview
Name:	Garcia class
Builders:	Various
Operators:	United States Navy Brazil Navy Pakistan Navy
Preceded by:	Bronstein class (US) Marcílio Dias class (Brazil)
Succeeded by:	Knox class
Subclasses:	Brooke class
Built:	1962–1968
In commission:	1964–1990 (USN)
Completed:	10 + Glover
Retired:	10 + Glover
General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Displacement:	2,624 tons (light)
Length:	414 ft 6 in (126.34 m)
Beam:	44 ft 1 in (13.44 m)
Draft:	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion:	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 1 steam turbine, 35,000 shp (26,000 kW), single screw
Speed:	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	16 officers 231 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems:	AN/SPS-40 air search radar AN/SPS-10 surface search radar AN/SQS-26 bow mounted sonar Mark 56 fire-control system
Armament:	2 × single 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. Mk 30 guns 1 × 8-tube ASROC Mk16 launcher (16 missiles) 2 × triple 12.75 in (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes, Mk 46 torpedoes (18 torpedoes) 2 × Mk 25 twin torpedo tubes for Mk 37 torpedo (fixed, stern) (removed later) (8 torpedoes)
Aircraft carried:	Gyrodyne QH-50 (planned) / SH-2 LAMPS

Garcia-class frigates were United States Navy warships. These frigates were originally ocean escorts bearing the hull classification DE until 1975. The ships were commissioned between 1964 and 1968 and decommissioned between 1988 and 1990.

Description

Frigates fulfill a Protection of Shipping (POS) mission as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups and merchant convoys.

The Garcia class was a larger version of the Bronstein class. The Garcias were accompanied by the similar Brooke class, which replaced the aft gun with a Mark 22 missile launcher.

The Bronstein ocean escort was a response to the development of high speed nuclear submarines in the late 1950s, but their speed was insufficient to keep pace with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) groups and their gun (naval artillery) power was poor for general patrol tasks. The Garcia class rectified these issues by becoming the first ships of their type in the US Navy to use pressure fired boilers, which allowed them to generate much more power than the Bronsteins without an increase in size or weight of machinery. The gun armament was increased in the Garcia class to two Mk.30 5 inch/38 caliber guns. The ASW weapon system consisted of the SQS-26BX sonar, Mk.112 ASROC rocket launcher, QH-50 DASH armed drones, and Mk.32 torpedo tubes and was further reinforced with the addition of a pair of Mk.25 torpedo tubes for firing the much longer ranged Mark 37 torpedo.

There were two distinct breeds of ships bearing the DE hull classification, the World War II destroyer escorts (some of which were converted to DERs) and the postwar DE/DEG classes, which were known as ocean escorts despite carrying the same type symbol as the World War II destroyer escorts. All DEs, DEGs, and DERs were reclassified as FFs, FFGs, or FFRs on 30 June 1975 by the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification.

After decommissioning, Bradley, Davidson, Sample, and Albert David were transferred to the Brazilian Navy, as Pernambuco (D 30), Paraíba (D 28), Paraná (D 29), and Pará (D 27), respectively. Pará (D 27) remained in reserve till 2015, but appears to have been scrapped since. Glover was a Garcia-class frigate modified for research use, commissioned as AGDE-1 in 1965, redesignated AGFF-1 in 1975, and redesignated FF-1098 in 1979.

Ships

Name	Hull no.	Crest	Builder	Commission– decommission	Fate	Link
Garcia	FF-1040	File:USS Garcia (DE-1040) insignia 1964.png	Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco	1964–1989	Sold for scrapping, 29 March 1994	[1]
Bradley	FF-1041		Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco	1965–1988	Sold to Brazil as Pernambuco (D 30), decommissioned 2004, scrapped 2013	[2]
Edward McDonnell	FF-1043		Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1988	Sold for scrapping, 21 August 2002	[3]
Brumby	FF-1044	File:USS Brumby (DE-1044) insignia, in 1965 (NH 64833-KN).png	Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1989	Sold for scrapping, 9 September 1994	[4]
Davidson	FF-1045		Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1988	Sold to Brazil as Paraiba (D28), decommsissoned 2002, sank under tow 2005	[5]
Voge	FF-1047	File:USS Voge (DE-1047) insignia, in 1966 (NH 65418-KN).png	Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1966–1989	Sold for scrapping, 19 January 2001	[6]
Sample	FF-1048		Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle	1968–1988	1989 to Brazil as Paraná (D 29), sold for scrapping in 2004	[7]
Koelsch	FF-1049		Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1967–1989	Sold for scrapping, 9 September 1994	[8]
Albert David	FF-1050	File:USS Albert David (DE-1050) insignia, circa in 1971 (NH 78942-KN).png	Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company Seattle	1968–1989	1989 to Brazil as Pará (D 27), scrapped 2015	[9]
O'Callahan	FF-1051		Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1968–1988	Sold for scrapping, 29 March 1994	[10]
Glover	FF-1098	Error creating thumbnail:	Bath Iron Works	1965–1990	Sold for scrapping, 15 April 1994	[11]

Gallery

Davidson with vertical bridge structure

USS Koelsch (FF-1049) underway.jpg

Koelsch with angled lower bridge structure for automatic ASROC loading. All units Voge and later were similarly equipped

Sample with two gun mounts

USS Glover (FF-1098) underway at sea on 1 June 1982 (6349647).jpg

Glover with only one gun mount

USS Bradley (DE-1041) firing Sea Sparrow testing BPDMS.jpg

Bradley with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow BPDMS installed. Installed and removed c.1967-1968.

USS Bradley (DE-1041) stern view with torpedo tubes c1965.jpg

Stern view of Bradley, note torpedo tubes installed in the transom, later removed.

See also

• List of frigates of the United States Navy
• List of frigates by country and by frigate class

External links

• Garcia-class frigates at Destroyer History Foundation
• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships from Naval Historical Center - information about person whom ship was named after plus early ship history
  • Garcia picture
  • Voge
  • Sample
  • Koelsch
  • Albert David picture
  • O'Callahan
• Frigate from Naval Vessel Register - all these ships have been decommissioned - see link for status
• The Garcia class from Destroyers OnLine - pictures, history, crews
• Destroyer Escort Sailors Association^Usurped! more information and history about DEs
• USS Voge former crewmember's site with pictures (archive link, was dead)