| USS Kirk (FF-1087) | |
|---|---|
 USS Kirk (FF-1087) | |
| Career (US) |  |
| Ordered: | 25 August 1966 |
| Builder: | Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana |
| Laid down: | 4 December 1970 |
| Launched: | 25 September 1971 |
| Acquired: | 27 August 1972 |
| Commissioned: | 9 September 1972 |
| Decommissioned: | 6 August 1993 |
| Struck: | 11 January 1995 |
| Fate: | Transferred to Taiwan, as Fen Yang |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Knox-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 3,221 tons (4,202 full load) |
| Length: | 438 ft (134 m) |
| Beam: | 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m) |
| Draught: | 24 ft 9 in (7.54 m) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × CE 1200psi boilers 1 Westinghouse geared turbine 1 shaft, 35,000 SHP (26 MW) |
| Speed: | over 27 knots |
| Complement: | 18 officers, 267 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar AN/SQS-26 Sonar AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonar system Mk68 Gun Fire Control System |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: | AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System |
| Armament: |
one Mk-16 8 cell missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun Mark 46 torpedoes from four single tube launchers) one Phalanx CIWS |
| Aircraft carried: | one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter |
USS Kirk (FF-1087) was a Knox-class destroyer escort, originally designated as DE-1087 and reclassified as a frigate (1975) in the United States Navy. Her primary mission of ASW remained unchanged. She was named for Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk.
Awarded to the Avondale Marine on 25 August 1966, Kirk was laid down on 4 December 1970, launched on 25 September 1971 and commissioned on 9 September 1972.
In April 1975 Kirk participated in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam.[1]
As part of the evacuation of South Vietnam, the USS Kirk carried out one of the most significant humanitarian missions in U.S. military history. Under the direction of a civilian, Richard Armitage, the Kirk rescued the South Vietnamese Navy, and along with it, tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees, and led them to the Philippines. From there, most of the refugees ultimately emigrated to the United States.[2]
In 2010, under the direction of VADM Adam Robinson, Fmr. Surgeon General of the US Navy, the US Navy created a documentary entitled "The Lucky Few." It has since been translated into Vietnamese as well.
She served in the US Navy up until 6 August 1993, when the ship was decommissioned and leased to Republic of China Navy in Taiwan. In Taiwanese service she was renamed Fen Yang (Chinese language: 汾陽) with the hull number changed to 934. On 29 September 1999, the ship was finally purchased by Taiwan.
References[]
External links[]
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
- Reunion organization site
- Maritimequest USS Kirk DE-1087/FF-1087 Photo Gallery
- USS Kirk (FF1087) Operation Frequent Wind gallery
- Forgotten Ship: A Lifesaving Mission As Saigon Fell - slideshow by NPR
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The original article can be found at USS Kirk (FF-1087) and the edit history here.