The Oliver Hazard Perry-class, shortly the Perry-class frigates are still taking on important
missions in the world's seas, although they were decommissioned by the US Navy. They have
served all over the world, since 1977. These ships proved their worth in the real war in
the Persian Gulf. The frigate became a true legend by performing many firsts over 40 years
of duty. Now we are investigating the Perry-class, which has accomplished many firsts over 40
years, as well as its successful career. Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel
before we start. Perhaps the most used word when referring
to Perry-class is "first". The US Navy changed the classification of
surface combatants in 1975. Thus, the Brooke, Garcia, and Knox-classes,
previously described as escort destroyers, were reclassified into frigates.
The Perry is the first surface combatant designed as a frigate according to this new classification.
This class of ships, which were defined as patrol frigates during the study phase, were
reclassified as guided missile frigates before they were commissioned.
The Perry-class was designed to protect, amphibious landing forces, supply and replenishment groups,
and merchant convoys from aircraft and submarines. But later, these surface combatants were also
part of battleship-centred surface action groups and aircraft carrier strike groups.
The Perry-class is the first ship designed by computer.
The first ship of the class, USS Oliver Hazard Perry, were commissioned in 1977. The USA,
which originally planned to build 75 of these frigates, later reduced this number to 50,
due to budget cuts. However, it was later approved for the building
of the 51st ship, USS Ingraham. There are two versions of the frigate, short
hull which is 136 metres long, and long hull which is 138 metres long.
Outside the USA, these frigates were also built in Australia, Spain, and Taiwan.
Unlike US versions, the ships built in Australia have a sloping helipad and 2.4 meters longer
hull. The Spanish models, defined as the Santa María-class,
are 138.8 meters long. The beam of these ships is 14.3 meters.
The frigates built in Taiwan are defined as the Cheng Kung-class and have a length of
138 meters and a beam of 14.3 meters. The USA decommissioned the last of these ships
in 2015 and Australia in 2019. The Perry-class is still used by Bahrain, Chile, Egypt, Pakistan,
Poland, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey. The full loaded displacement of the ship was
4,100 tons. The Perry-class has nearly 136 metres length, 14 metres beam, and 7.5 metres
draught. The long hull version of the frigate is 138 metres long. Two 20,500-horsepower
GE LM 2500 gas turbine engines provided 29 knots maximum speed. Two 350 horsepower retractable
electric azimuth thrusters are used for manoeuvring and docking. The frigate can sail 8,330 kilometres
at an economic speed of 20 knots. The RIM-66 standard SM-1 air defence and RGM-84 Harpoon
anti-ship missile can be launched from the single arm Mk 13 Mod4 launcher of the Perry-class.
There is also one 76mm single barrel Mk 75 gun and one 20mm six-barrel Mk 15 Phalanx
close in weapon system on the frigate. The ship has two triple 324mm torpedo tubes. The
Perry-class can carry two helicopters. Many users have equipped their ships with
machine guns of various calibres. Australia had even integrated the Mini Typhoon remotely
controlled weapon stations with 12.7mm machine gun to its frigates, which it describes as
the Adelaide class. The Santa María-class ships have Meroka close-in
weapon systems instead of Phalanxes. Taiwanese frigates have additional two 40mm
and two 20mm guns. The decks of these ships have been modified to integrate Hsiung Feng
II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles. Chile's two Adelaide-class frigates that they
purchased from Australia and commissioned in 2020, have an 8-cell vertical launching
system suitable for firing RIM-162 ESSM air defence missiles. Each cell can carry four
missiles. In addition, these ships carry RIM-67 Standard
SM-2 missiles, not RIM-66 Standard SM-1. Similarly, the Turkish Navy has equipped four
Perry-classes with an 8-cell vertical launching system for the RIM-162.
There are some complaints about the Perry-class. For example, the position of the 76mm gun
causes large blind spots. The gun can be fire only from the sides. Therefore, while the
ship is heading over a target, it is also unable to conduct suppressing fire on it.
The location of the close-in weapon system above the hangar also creates large blind
spots, being able to shoot only at the targets that are approaching from the aft area.
Another complaint is that the superstructure is of relatively less durable aluminium. In
December 1982, Perry-class USS Duncan developed a 12 metres fissure in her superstructure
during a storm. It was a class design deficiency that occurred on other frigates.
However, the ship has 19 millimetres thick Kevlar armour in vital spaces. The engine
room is reinforced with 16 millimetres thick steel and magazine with 19 millimetres thick
aluminium plates. Despite all the complaints, the Perry-class
proved to have exceptional survivability. On July 14, 2016, a decommissioned Perry-class
frigate, USS Thach was used as a target ship. During the live-fire exercise, she was hit
by four Harpoon, two Hellfire, one Maverick missiles, and two bombs as well as one Mark
48 torpedo. After these hits, it took 12 hours for the frigate to sink.
Similarly, another decommissioned Perry-class ship, USS Rentz, was used as target ship at
the same exercise and sank in five hours after sustaining 22 missile hits.
The Perry-class is the first US Navy surface combatant whose gas turbine propulsion system
also allowed the ship's speed to be controlled directly from the bridge via a throttle control.
The propeller of the single-shaft frigate has lower impact on the bottom and higher
impact on the top. Therefore, at the speeds above 12 knots, the stern of the frigate slides
in the direction of the starboard. However, thanks to the its auxiliary engines and advanced
steering system, the ship can be easily controlled and has high manoeuvrability.
By using its two auxiliary engines, the Perry-class can travel at speed of 6 knots.
The ship creates air bubbles around the engine and hull to reduce the acoustic signature.
The combat career of the Perry-class frigates began quickly.
USS Clifton Sprague was part of the forces during Operation Urgent Fury, the US led 1983
Invasion of Grenada. But they got their real reputation in the
Persian Gulf. By 1984, there was a balance on the ground
front of the Iran-Iraq War. Iraq decided to engage in a war of attrition
against its enemy in hopes of breaking the balance and started attacking Iran's oil tankers.
When Iran responded to these attacks, oil shipment to the world started to interrupt
through the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz.
The US Navy deployed surface combatants to the area to secure the shipment. The main
task of this task force was to escort tankers against attacks from Iran. But the first major
attack on American surface combat ships came from Iraq.
On May 17, 1987, the Perry-class frigate USS Stark, who patrolled in the Persian Gulf,
was hit with by two Exocet AM39s. The missiles had been fired not from a usual
combat aircraft like Mirage F1 but a modified Falcon 50 of the Iraqi Air Force.
For this reason, the crew of the frigate could not evaluate the tactical situation correctly.
Deciding that the speed of the threat directed at them was low compared to a combat plane
and high compared to a helicopter, the captain of the USS Stark had not operated countermeasure
systems. When Exocet's ADAC radar became active within 10 kilometres, it was realized that
the frigate was under attack. Although the ship also had decoys and the Mk 15 Phalanx
close-in weapon system, it was too late to respond.
One missile detonated, the other did not. However, the fuel of the non-detonated missile
also caused a fire. Despite the heavy damage, USS Stark survived without sinking.
In July of the same year, another Perry-class frigate USS Rentz involved naval gun bombardment
and SEAL Team took over of an abandoned oil rig being used by the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard to stage attacks on Persian Gulf shipping. On April 14, 1988, same class USS Samuel B.
Roberts frigate hit a mine in the same area and managed to reach Bahrain thanks to her
auxiliary engines. On September 21, 1987, three US Army helicopters
attacked on Iranian ship Iran Ajr which conducted minelaying operation. It is known that at
least one of these helicopters flew from USS Jarret.
On April 18, 1988, the Perry-class USS Simpson, along with USS Wainwright cruiser and Knox-class
USS Bagley frigate, destroyed Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on the oil platform.
One day later, the Iranian Kaman-class missile patrol boat Joshan attacked at USS Simpson
with a Harpoon missile. The frigate returned missile fire. The missile hit the Joshan which
was then sunk by combined gunfire. With Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, these
frigates once again went to the Persian Gulf to fight.
On August 18, 1990, USS Reid fired the first shots of Operation Desert Shield.
During the 1991 Gulf War, USS Nicholas sunk or damaged seven Iraqi patrol boats, destroyed
eight drifting mines. The Iraqi garrison on Qaruh Island was captured
by the soldiers, embarked from helicopters flew from USS Curts, on January 24, 1991.
The frigate also destroyed two mines, sank an Iraqi minelayer and provided support to
combat helicopter operations during the Battle of Bubiyan Island.
In addition to being a good warrior, the Perry-class has been a good diplomat and has achieved
many firsts in this area. In 1986, USS Rentz was part of an historic
visit to China, the first US Naval visit to this country after 37 years.
In 1992, USS McClusky visited Vladivostok in the Russian Federation, the first ship
to do so after the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 1997, USS Estocin became the first US surface
combatant to visit two Russian ports in the same deployment, with stops in Baltiysk and
Severomorsk. In 2003, USS Nicholas entered Neum, Bosnia
and Herzegovina. It was important because no surface combatant had not visited this
city since 1917. Also, the frigate was the first US warship ever visit Neum.
At the same year, USS Vandegrift became the first US surface combatant to enter Vietnamese
waters since 1975. USS Gary, the first US warship to visit Cambodia
after the end of the Vietnam War, was also the Perry-class.
Australia's frigates took part in many military missions, including 1987 Fijian coups d'état,
1999 INTERFET peacekeeping mission, 2000 Solomon Islands Civil War, War in Afghanistan, and
the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Additionally, in 1995, the Adelaide-class
HMAS Sydney became the first Royal Australian Navy warship to visit the Russian port of
Vladivostok. In 2014, the Turkish Navy's Barbaros Task
Group passed through the Cape of Good Hope for the first time after 1866. TCG Gediz,
who was part of this task group, was also a Perry-class frigate.
Although many users tried to keep their Perry-class up-to-date with various modernizations, it
is now an outdated surface combatant in terms of modern naval combat requirements. In addition,
these ships are approaching the end of their economic life. The USA, which suffered from
the escort ship, evaluated re-activating these frigates, but did not find this plan effective
and economical. Although his glorious days are now over, the Perry-class proved repeatedly
itself as a successful frigate in war and peace. It deserves to be mentioned as a legend.
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