Welcome Aboard to the USS Constellation
The MOC
USS Constellation off Naples, Italy by De Simone, circa 1860. Image From the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.
Center for Maritime Strategy
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
These immortal words of the Father of the American Navy were not only prophetic but largely practical. When King Louis XVI of France gifted the former French merchant vessel, Duc de Duras, to the Continental Navy on February 4, 1779, Captain John Paul Jones renamed the frigate Bonhomme Richard in honor of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” Captain Jones made good use of the vessel to defeat the Royal Navy frigate HMS Serapis in battle off Flamborough Head on 23 September 1779. Jones’ spectacular victory is celebrated to this day by every new Plebe at the Naval Academy in their required memorization of Reef Points.
Since then, frigates have been a part of the U.S. naval order of battle. With a displacement in between a corvette and a destroyer, the frigate has been a force multiplier of the fleet, conducting integrated operations in support of our carrier battle groups or independent operations in a variety of missions from Maritime Interdiction Operations, AAW, ASW, ASuW and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR). Frigates are agile, independent, fast, and well-armed for their mission set.
During my time as Commander of the Sixth Fleet, the last frigate to deploy to my area of responsibility was the USS Simpson – a great ship with a phenomenal Captain and crew. After a sixth month deployment in theater, the ship was in better shape than she arrived in with zero defects or CASREPS. This was a testament to the crew and our ability to conduct sustainment operations far away from American shores.
As I tracked the ship’s final departure from the European theater of operations, I lamented the fact that the United States Navy had allowed for the decommissioning and atrophy of our last of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates. In the final analysis, the Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV), later reclassified as the Expeditionary Patrol Frigate (EPF) was a poor substitute for ships like John Paul Jones Bonhomme Richard or the USS Simpson.
Frigates are essential to the fleet architecture and order of battle. Accordingly, I was ecstatic with the announcement this week from the Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Small and Unmanned Combatants that Fincantieri Marine Group in Marinette, Wisconsin, had started to cut and bend metal in the production of the first of 20 Constellation-class Frigates.
The U.S. Navy saved a considerable amount of time and resources in choosing the Italian FREMM design for its next generation FFG. Modified to American standards, the new frigate displaces 7300 tons with a combined gas-turbine and diesel electric propulsion system. Equipped with the AEGIS Baseline 10 combat system, 32 Mk 41 VLS launchers, a Mk 110 57 mm gun, ERAM, two RHIBs, and one MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, the new frigate will be capable of operating with a Carrier Strike Group, a Large Surface Combatant Action Group, or on independent operations, much as the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the past.
To ensure a smooth production and delivery on time, Fincantieri Marinette Marine has invested $300 million in the U.S. industrial base. The shipyard has completed 80% of the ship’s design prior to this week’s start of production, which is an important milestone in assuring delivery of the first ship of the class, USS Constellation, on time in 2026.
We look forward to welcoming USS Constellation, USS Chesapeake, and USS Congress, the first three ships of this new class, with historical ties to the first six frigates of the naval armament act of 1794, to the Fleet on or after 2026. Huzzah!
USS Constellation in Baltimore, MD. Photo From U.S. Department of the Navy.
Admiral James G. Foggo U.S. Navy, retired, is the Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy. Admiral Foggo is the former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and Allied Joint Force Command, Naples. He Commanded BALTOPS in 2015 and 2016 as well as Exercise Trident Juncture in 2018.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.