Part I: Sundowning the Oliver Hazard Perry-Class Frigate
The MOC
By
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
December 19, 2023
Since I can remember, the United States Navy has always had frigates. Therefore, as a Fleet Commander, it was surprising that the Navy allowed the last of the active-duty Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates to decommission in 2015, without an on-contact replacement. These workhorses were at, or approaching, their 30-year hull life, and the Navy had made a decision in the early 2000s not to spend precious resources modernizing them to compete in the 21st century threat environment. As fast ships with long legs, capable of operating in consort with a carrier strike group or operating independently, this was a regrettable decision. Let’s examine how we got here.
At the birth of our nation, Congress authorized the original six frigates through the Naval Act of 1794. The amazing stories of their captains and crews were immortalized by Ian Toll in his epic work, Six Frigates. The last of these frigates, USS Constitution, is still in commission today. As Director of the Navy Staff in 2016, I had oversight of her budget and wrote the Commanding Officer’s fitrep. We completed USS Constitution’s last overhaul at Charlestown Navy Shipyard in Boston during this time period and repaired several hull sections with new white oak beams, new caulking, new copper cladding and refurbished sails. Afterwards, we floated the ship in drydock during a nail-biting 48-hour period as inboard pumps worked overtime to keep up with the leak rate, allowing the hull to swell, the caulking to seal, and the water entering the hull to diminish to an eventual trickle. The ship still gets underway annually and at full sail in Boston Harbor. She is a tribute to American shipbuilding at its finest.
As a submariner all of my life, I did not appreciate the value of different classes of surface ships until I became the Sixth Fleet Commander in 2014. Until then, I had always been taught that there were only two types of ships: submarines and targets. Bravado aside, I quickly learned the value of the destroyers and frigates under my command. I took the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (“FDNF”) to Full Operational Capability (“FOC”) in Rota, Spain during my tour at Sixth Fleet. We started with two DDGs and finished with four DDGs in 2016. We wrote the Fleet Response Training Plan (“FRTP”) for these multi-mission ships that perform a variety of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strike warfare, maritime domain awareness, integrated air, and missile defense, just to name a few. These assets are so sought after by Combatant Commanders in EUCOM, AFRICOM and CENTCOM, that the President of the United States announced two more DDGs to Rota, for a total of six forward deployed, at the NATO Summit in Madrid in 2022.
On the other hand, the frigates that served in my Sixth Fleet area of responsibility were not FDNF but independent deployers from CONUS. One was USS Simpson (“FFG 56”), last of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships. While USS Simpson was in theater, I attended a conference in Naples, Italy with the Italian Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Giuseppe Di Giorgi. During a coffee break, Admiral Di Giorgi asked me if I had a ship in the eastern Mediterranean. I replied in the affirmative, as USS Simpson was loitering in international waters off the coast of Libya conducting maritime domain awareness. He then asked if USS Simpson could help with the air picture in the southern Mediterranean in support of Operation Sophia, a European Union operation, led by Italy, to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa to European shores and, particularly, the island of Lampedusa. While operating in consort, this flotilla of warships was frequently over flown by unknown jet aircraft originating from Libya. Sometimes, with the aircraft’s IFF transponder secured, it was difficult to determine hostile intent. Admiral Di Giorgi wanted some peace of mind and early warning to give his ships more time to react.
Italy is host nation to three naval bases with U.S. ships or aircraft, including Naples, Gaeta, and Sigonella Naval Air Station, not to mention all the other facilities and bases throughout Italy that are friendly to American service members and their families. So naturally, I wanted to help. I told Admiral Di Giorgi that I did have USS Simpson in the Eastern Mediterranean. Admiral DeGiorgi asked if I could have USS SIMPSON provide an extended Link 16 picture because like most NATO ships, Italian ships were Link 16 compatible. I agreed and left the conference to call my Battle Watch Captain in the Sixth Fleet Maritime Operations Center and pass the word to the CO of USS Simpson. Connection made! Having USS Simpson extend the Common Operating Picture (“COP”) for our Italian friends was the least we could do.
Sadly, this was Simpson’s last deployment. For a 30-year-old ship, she was the only platform I ever recall in my seven years as a Commander in Naples that had ZERO CASREPS at the end of deployment. I attributed that to a great command culture and crew. The Navy retired the Oliver Hazard Perry-class in September 2015. The U.S. Navy had considered upgrading the Perry-class in the early 2000’s but decided against it citing, “new communications realities and advanced missile threats.”
With Simpson’s retirement, it also meant that Constitution was the last U.S. Navy ship in commission that had sunk another warship with direct fire. Simpson had helped to sink the Iranian missile boat Joshan with SM-1 missiles and gunfire during the April 1988 Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. It would take 11 years to reconcile this decision and produce a new class of frigates for the United States Navy. Where do we go from here?
Part II: “Huzzah! There’s a New Frigate on the Horizon” to can be found here.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Since I can remember, the United States Navy has always had frigates. Therefore, as a Fleet Commander, it was surprising that the Navy allowed the last of the active-duty Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates to decommission in 2015, without an on-contact replacement. These workhorses were at, or approaching, their 30-year hull life, and the Navy had made a decision in the early 2000s not to spend precious resources modernizing them to compete in the 21st century threat environment. As fast ships with long legs, capable of operating in consort with a carrier strike group or operating independently, this was a regrettable decision. Let’s examine how we got here.
At the birth of our nation, Congress authorized the original six frigates through the Naval Act of 1794. The amazing stories of their captains and crews were immortalized by Ian Toll in his epic work, Six Frigates. The last of these frigates, USS Constitution, is still in commission today. As Director of the Navy Staff in 2016, I had oversight of her budget and wrote the Commanding Officer’s fitrep. We completed USS Constitution’s last overhaul at Charlestown Navy Shipyard in Boston during this time period and repaired several hull sections with new white oak beams, new caulking, new copper cladding and refurbished sails. Afterwards, we floated the ship in drydock during a nail-biting 48-hour period as inboard pumps worked overtime to keep up with the leak rate, allowing the hull to swell, the caulking to seal, and the water entering the hull to diminish to an eventual trickle. The ship still gets underway annually and at full sail in Boston Harbor. She is a tribute to American shipbuilding at its finest.
As a submariner all of my life, I did not appreciate the value of different classes of surface ships until I became the Sixth Fleet Commander in 2014. Until then, I had always been taught that there were only two types of ships: submarines and targets. Bravado aside, I quickly learned the value of the destroyers and frigates under my command. I took the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (“FDNF”) to Full Operational Capability (“FOC”) in Rota, Spain during my tour at Sixth Fleet. We started with two DDGs and finished with four DDGs in 2016. We wrote the Fleet Response Training Plan (“FRTP”) for these multi-mission ships that perform a variety of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strike warfare, maritime domain awareness, integrated air, and missile defense, just to name a few. These assets are so sought after by Combatant Commanders in EUCOM, AFRICOM and CENTCOM, that the President of the United States announced two more DDGs to Rota, for a total of six forward deployed, at the NATO Summit in Madrid in 2022.
On the other hand, the frigates that served in my Sixth Fleet area of responsibility were not FDNF but independent deployers from CONUS. One was USS Simpson (“FFG 56”), last of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships. While USS Simpson was in theater, I attended a conference in Naples, Italy with the Italian Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Giuseppe Di Giorgi. During a coffee break, Admiral Di Giorgi asked me if I had a ship in the eastern Mediterranean. I replied in the affirmative, as USS Simpson was loitering in international waters off the coast of Libya conducting maritime domain awareness. He then asked if USS Simpson could help with the air picture in the southern Mediterranean in support of Operation Sophia, a European Union operation, led by Italy, to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa to European shores and, particularly, the island of Lampedusa. While operating in consort, this flotilla of warships was frequently over flown by unknown jet aircraft originating from Libya. Sometimes, with the aircraft’s IFF transponder secured, it was difficult to determine hostile intent. Admiral Di Giorgi wanted some peace of mind and early warning to give his ships more time to react.
Italy is host nation to three naval bases with U.S. ships or aircraft, including Naples, Gaeta, and Sigonella Naval Air Station, not to mention all the other facilities and bases throughout Italy that are friendly to American service members and their families. So naturally, I wanted to help. I told Admiral Di Giorgi that I did have USS Simpson in the Eastern Mediterranean. Admiral DeGiorgi asked if I could have USS SIMPSON provide an extended Link 16 picture because like most NATO ships, Italian ships were Link 16 compatible. I agreed and left the conference to call my Battle Watch Captain in the Sixth Fleet Maritime Operations Center and pass the word to the CO of USS Simpson. Connection made! Having USS Simpson extend the Common Operating Picture (“COP”) for our Italian friends was the least we could do.
Sadly, this was Simpson’s last deployment. For a 30-year-old ship, she was the only platform I ever recall in my seven years as a Commander in Naples that had ZERO CASREPS at the end of deployment. I attributed that to a great command culture and crew. The Navy retired the Oliver Hazard Perry-class in September 2015. The U.S. Navy had considered upgrading the Perry-class in the early 2000’s but decided against it citing, “new communications realities and advanced missile threats.”
With Simpson’s retirement, it also meant that Constitution was the last U.S. Navy ship in commission that had sunk another warship with direct fire. Simpson had helped to sink the Iranian missile boat Joshan with SM-1 missiles and gunfire during the April 1988 Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. It would take 11 years to reconcile this decision and produce a new class of frigates for the United States Navy. Where do we go from here?
Part II: “Huzzah! There’s a New Frigate on the Horizon” to can be found here.