USS Ford (FFG-54)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see USS Ford.

History
United States
NameFord
Namesake
Gunner's Mate
Patrick O. Ford
Awarded22 May 1981
BuilderTodd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down11 July 1983
Launched23 June 1984
Sponsored byJonda McFarlane
Commissioned29 June 1985
Decommissioned31 October 2013
HomeportNaval Station Everett, Washington
Identification
MottoTenacious
FateSunk as target, 1 October 2019
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type
guided missile frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam45 feet (14 m)
Draft22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedover 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus
SH-60
LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
AN/SLQ-32
Armament
Aircraft carried2 ×
SH-60B LAMPS Mk III
helicopters
Aviation facilities

USS Ford (FFG-54) was a Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in service with the United States Navy from 1985 to 2013. She was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean near Guam in 2019.

Namesake

Patrick Osborne Ford was born on 2 May 1942 in

Saigon, Republic of Vietnam. He was assigned to Task Force 116, River Squadron 5
, River Section 535 in 1968.

For the next five months, he served as a

Navy Cross.[1] A description of Gunner's Mate Ford's actions can be found here.[2]

Construction and commissioning

Ford was laid down by

Robert C. McFarlane; and commissioned 29 June 1985. Ford was decommissioned 31 October 2013.[3]

Service history

Ford deployed on 28 November 1985, stopping first in San Diego to pick up

Third Taiwan Straits Crisis
.

The guided missile frigate completed her first deployment during a voyage to the Western Pacific and Middle East Force (17 August 1987 – 17 February 1988). She took part in Operation Earnest Will, an operation to maintain freedom of navigation within the Persian Gulf, that included renaming and reflagging 11 Kuwaiti tankers.[1]

During a deployment to the Western Pacific, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean (13 November 1990 – 13 May 1991), Ford fought in

Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm (28 January–18 March 1991). She alternated plane guard and "shotgun" duties for aircraft carriers Midway, Ranger, and Theodore Roosevelt during 34 continuous days of flight operations, and interdicted more than 90 merchant ships suspected of smuggling.[1]

From 13 December 1995 to 3 May 1996 Ford was assigned to the Nimitz

USS Nimitz, Ford deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. In March 1996, it patrolled the waters off Taiwan
amid missile tests conducted by the Chinese in the area. It also cruised the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch prior to returning from deployment on 20 May 1996.

On 16 February 2007, Ford was awarded the 2006

Battle "E" award.[5]

Ford completed a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) deployment starting 4 May 2007 and returning home on 20 September 2007. Ford made port visits to Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Saipan, and Guam.[citation needed]

USS Ford under fire as a target ship off Guam, 1 October 2019

Inactivated on 19 August 2013, Ford was decommissioned 31 October 2013.[1] As of September 2016, the ship was in reserve at Bremerton and was slated to be disposed of as a target.[6] 1 October 2019 it was used as a target during a SINKEX near Guam. A MK-48 ADCAP torpedo was used to sink the Ford.

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c d Evans, Mark L. (8 July 2015). "Ford (FFG-54)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. ^ History Provided By Ralph J. Fries, River Section 535 (9/67 – 6/68)
  3. ^ USS Ford Completes Final Underway
  4. ^ USS Ford Command History 1995
  5. ^ "Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E"". Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
  6. ^ "Inactive ship inventory" (PDF). NAVSEA, US Navy. 27 September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Ford (FFG-54).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Ford_(FFG-54)&oldid=1162663257"