USS Francis Hammond (FF-1067)

History
United States
Ordered: 22 July 1964
Builder: Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down: 15 July 1967
Launched: 11 May 1968
Acquired: 17 July 1970
Commissioned: 25 July 1970
Decommissioned: 2 July 1992
Struck: 11 January 1995
Motto: Valor Honor
Fate: Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling 31 March 2003
General characteristics
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Displacement: 3,243 tons (4,244 full load)
Length: 438 ft (133.5 m)
Beam: 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
Draught: 24 ft 9 in (7.6 m)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
  • 1 Westinghouse geared turbine
  • 1 shaft, 35,000 shp (26 MW)
Speed: over 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h)
Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) @ 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
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:
Aircraft carried: one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter

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.

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.[1]

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).[2]

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.[3]

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 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.

Francis Hammond's repainted hull number of "$10,670"

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.[4]

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

Combat Action Ribbon
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Navy "E" Ribbon (4)
Navy Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
 National Defense Service Medal (with one bronze service star)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Vietnam Service Medal (with two bronze service stars)
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Southwest Asia Service Medal (with two bronze service stars)
Humanitarian Service Ribbon
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

References : USS Francis Hammond on NavSource.org

Notes

  1. ↑ Friedman, pp. 357–60, 425
  2. ↑ Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598
  3. ↑ Friedman, pp. 360–61; Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598
  4. ↑ "Hammond adds a zero for Navy Relief" (PDF). All Hands. United States Navy (837): 36. December 1986. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

References

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