Knox Class Frigate 10-16-06

[Simon Darkshade]

I've always liked these rather elegant escorts, notable for their turn in Red Storm Rising and they shall be put into service on the high seas for the convoys of the USN with great relish; more excellence for TCW, and even for Praying Mantis.
Class by class, you continue to fill the seas with great Cold War era vessels.

I'm currently in a state of pretending the 1975 ship reclassification did not occur, so DE-1052 all the way!

(There is a certain appeal to the neat delineations of cruisers, frigates, destroyers and escorts; as well as the 1950s and 1960s being a most interesting time for developments at sea. I have been doing a great deal of snooping and thinking on these areas lately; particularly in regards to cruiser and battleship conversion.)

 

[Ares de Borg]

That's my new generic FFG! Thank you for this pretty ship.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

If we were to quibble, one could point out that the DE/FF fast frigates carried no missile armament, so could hardly be termed guided missile frigates; simply helos, a five inch gun and ASROC. Austere and perfect for convoy escort in large numbers.

 

[vingrjoe]

The Knox did receive eight Harpoon ASMs later in it's career. However, it seems the Navy only designated ships to be "Guided Missile" type if they carried SAMs. So, technically the Knox is a FF and the Oliver Hazard Perry is a FFG since it carried the SM line of SAMs.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Harpoons were launched from some of the cells on the ASROC pepperbox, but, as you say, 'G is for SAM' (And 'C is for Cookie'); or even moreso, non-obsolescent SAMs - the CAG redesignations.

The OHPs have had their SAMs removed, but have not yet been rebadged. There is even some talk of removing their guns.

 

[Ares de Borg]

There is even some talk of removing their guns.

Why would someone do that?

 

[MarineCorps]

Why would someone do that?

Why not? Not like we need them. Hasn't been a naval battle in a while. The last real naval battle was in WW2.

 

[Goldflash]

Why not? Not like we need them. Hasn't been a naval battle in a while. The last real naval battle was in WW2.

"Oh, the F-4 Phantom doesn't need a gun. We only use missiles now..."
"Ooops! MiG-17s!"

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Ares - Because they are on their way out, and their role no longer really exists. The missile launcher was pulled off because they are not supporting the SM-1 for USN use; the gun is also not employed on other USN major combatants. For anything that needs a gun, a 5" ship can be sent from the far more capable ranks of the tin cans.

MarineCorps - That isn't the reasoning that is being implied. Guns are still an integral part of ship design, and have been used on numerous occasions; NGS on the Al-Faw in 03, for example. As for no naval battles since WW2, there have not been any Surigao Strait encounters, but there have been others - Operation Praying Mantis comes to mind.

Goldflash - The decision to go all missile was based on the assumption that all war would be in the prism of nuclear conflict; one, as in many cases (including the USN DLGs) turned out to be an inaccurate reading of future portent.

 

[MarineCorps]

"Oh, the F-4 Phantom doesn't need a gun. We only use missiles now..."
"Ooops! MiG-17s!"

They were stupid back then as Guided missle tech was still in its infancy back then. From what I've read the missles missed a lot of the time and some started tracking the biggest ball of heat in the sky: the sun. Kinda like sortly after WW2 when we throught we wouldn't need a large army. Just have the airforce drop a nuke on a city have the army follow up with occupation. The nuke was seen as the end all for warfare. Course they were stupid back then too.

 

[MarineCorps]

MarineCorps - That isn't the reasoning that is being implied. Guns are still an integral part of ship design, and have been used on numerous occasions; NGS on the Al-Faw in 03, for example. As for no naval battles since WW2, there have not been any Surigao Strait encounters, but there have been others - Operation Praying Mantis comes to mind.

I knew someone was going to come up with praying mantis. Soon as I typed it. Yes there was that, but that battle from what I read (had to refresh my memory on it) gunfire used in ship to ship combat was used only to finish off a Patrol boat after a missle hit it. I would think that for NGS that a missle would be just as accururte for it as a gun. The only advantage I can think of for guns is that shells are cheaper.

 

[BadKharma]

The only advantage I can think of for guns is that shells are cheaper

Yes that is the main advantage in this day of highly accuarate and effective SSM's. Also that a ship can carry a whole lot more shells than missles.

 

[toby1982]

knox class friagte is very famous in USS history.

 

[Redback]

Owww no....not again lol! Can someone tell him