The SWO Picture Gallery for those so inclined

[HeyJoe]

Unlike the FFG-7 class of frigates ^^^, the Arleigh Burkes look fast even sitting at anchor and the class has a namesake befitting the sportscar of destroyers

091001-N-0780F-052 SOUDA BAY, Greece (Oct. 1, 2009) The guided-missisle destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) prepares to go underway after a routine port visit to Crete. James E. Williams is homeported in Norfolk and has been on a scheduled six-month deployment since April, operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley/Released)

 

[PropAddict]

Conducted some impromptu rigging of USS BOONE (FFG 28) today, had to show a VQ student what the water looked like up close...

Does the iPhone have an "8 Point Rig" App yet?:icon_tong

 

[A4sForever]

Unlike the FFG-7 class of frigates ....

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates ... what a piece of shit from the get-go ... essentially a single ended and single screw economic compromise to a fighting warship ... the ONLY thing they were/are good for is providing the service of bullet-magnet to the Gator's and Auxiliaries they were suppose to escort ...

Such a bullshit concept from day-1 ... and such a compromise. UNLESS ... we have a 1000-ship Navy ... ... THEN, and only then ... can we 'afford' 'em ...

 

[scoolbubba]

I always thought that was the point of the FFGs...bullet sponge/missile screen for the Carriers?

 

[A4sForever]

I always thought that was the point of the FFGs...bullet sponge/missile screen for the Carriers?

They can't keep up w/ the carriers/cruisers when they are strokin' it ...

 

[Pags]

I always thought that was the point of the FFGs...bullet sponge/missile screen for the Carriers?

I had always heard they were designed to provide a larger radar return, so incoming vampires would mistake them for the carrier.

Of course, pickett ships have a tendency to end up as a sponge...

 

[Mumbles]

The besmirchment of the FFGs during the 600 ship Navy idea may have been justified... (precisely because they couldn't keep up)
turns out to be a pretty shit hot counter drug/littoral interdiction/VBSS platform(does a few things manuverability wise that DDGs can't do)... It's by no means going to "go downtown" on the badguys...and it may not be as capable as the x10$$ LCS, but it's a great platform that the USN will keep around for another 20+ years.

 

[A4sForever]

The besmirchment of the FFGs ....it's a great platform that the USN will keep around for another 20+ years.

Engineering plant??? Reliability?? Redundant systems??

A 'great' platform??? I theeeeenk not ...

 

[Pags]

Some old school SWO photos from the Mariner's Museum in Newport News (highly recommended for an afternoon trip if in the Tidewater area):

Figurehead

11in Dahlgren from USS Monitor in preservation tank

USS Monitor's turret in preservation tank

 

[Mumbles]

A4s...If you're talking War at Sea with Oscar SSGNs firing SS-N-19s, or PLAN SS Yuan firing wake homing torps at it, or a Sovremmeny shooting a huge ass Sunburn ASCM at the poor little frigate that couldnt....than you're prolly right. It is one of our less capable vessels in that regard (self defence)
The irony is that it has really come into its own as a great littoral boat, (think SOF). I don't think it has the open architecture to support all the new tech shit, but it's a great platform for the lower intensity (non DEFCON 1) stuff.

 

[A4sForever]

.... It is one of our less capable vessels in ... (self defence)
The irony is that it has really come into its own as a great littoral boat...

Littoral was not even a 'word' in the USN when the OHP class was conceived & built -- but if OHP class works; then it works. But so do/did the ASHVILLE class PG's ... PEGASUS PHMs ... NASTY MGBs ... et 'al ... and at a much lower unit cost -- there just wasn't enough 'BIG NAVY' support for them to develop, improve, flourish, and survive ...

And ... if she can't 'defend herself' ... i.e., the 'self-defense' that you mention ... then, as a USN vessel -- it's next to worthless ... and a death trap for its crew. And a liability ...

I feel dirty delving into Black Shoe stuff ...

 

[Mumbles]

You wanna talk liabilty and a CAPITAL warship not being able to defend itself....
don't talk to our RN LNO about the HMS Queen Elizabeth class. He turns beet red and starts snorting like a bull. I don't want to play rugby with him.

Back to the point.....Pegasus hydrofoils were great and I wish that they were still around. ('poons still suck and the the USN needs a better ASCM stat, BTW)
Totally different mission set now. A Pegasus hydrofoil would have sucked for a SOF team to disembark from......If one of our esteemed SWOdaddys will chime in (any time now) I would venture to say that the FFG is not an offensive or defensive platform in conventional naval terms anymore anyways. That being said, it's incredibly versatile and I'm sticking to that and will no longer stick up for the SWOs again!!

 

[A4sForever]

.... A Pegasus hydrofoil would have sucked for a SOF team to disembark from...

I wouldn't use 'em for that ... I'd use one of these -- and they worked for that mission (whatever the name was), since -- what?? Since their inception ???

 

[skim]

boy that thing is ugly.

 

[Gatordev]

I always thought that was the point of the FFGs...bullet sponge/missile screen for the Carriers?

There was no point to the FFG. It was originally a Coast Guard cutter, but because the Navy "needed" 600 ships at the time, it was a cheap way to bully up the numbers. At the time, the CG didn't need (and I don't believe wanted) something that big. Of course nowadays, they'd love to have it (if it was still new).

The besmirchment of the FFGs during the 600 ship Navy idea may have been justified... (precisely because they couldn't keep up)
turns out to be a pretty shit hot counter drug/littoral interdiction/VBSS platform(does a few things manuverability wise that DDGs can't do)... It's by no means going to "go downtown" on the badguys...and it may not be as capable as the x10$$ LCS, but it's a great platform that the USN will keep around for another 20+ years.

Um, no. The FFGs won't last another 20 years. The ones they do have now are dropping like flies. They're very old and pretty beat up. Many of the systems don't work onboard and even if you have a pretty good ship (the last one I cruised on a few months ago was actually in really good shape), they tend to fall apart by the end of the deployment. I know that's not something particular to FFGs, but they're starting out in such poor condition, they don't have far to fall.

They are great for CD Ops and VBSS, like you said, but other than that, they don't have the fuel to do a whole lot, they don't have the speed to keep up, even on CD Ops, and they constantly break.