Life in the Ghetto Navy

[Laptop Hobo]

Philip Ewing at DODBuzz has a great piece about the Oliver Hazard Perry class (FFG-7) frigates left around since the Carter/Regan era. The U.S. Navy commissioned 51 FFG-7 class frigates between 1977 and 1989. As of early 2011, 27 long-hull Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates remain in active service. Of these, 19 ships are in regular service, while eight ships are in active service with the Naval Reserve Force. They are the oldest non-carrier surface combatants in the US fleet and are all set to be replaced by 2019.

"The life of a frigate sailor in the U.S. Navy doesn’t look much like what you see in the recruiting commercials.

As described by Navy Times’ senior writer Mark D. Faram, the crew of the frigate USS Elrod struggles constantly with breakdowns, old equipment and the limitations of a ship deliberately left out of combat relevance in the 21st century.

Plus sailors’ accommodations are cramped. Their clothes come back damp and wrinkled from the central laundry. Sometimes they shower without hot water for weeks.

The frigates, in short, are the self-described “Ghetto Navy,” the part of the surface force that makes the rest of the surface force — which has had its own maintenance, training and readiness problems — look good. But in the true spirit of the service, the crew has to look on the bright side. Everyone, starting with the ships’ chiefs, treats her or his time aboard as an experience that, as Calvin’s father might have put it, “builds character.”

[PaulClift]

The USS Stark was deployed to the Middle East Force in 1984 and 1987. Captain Glenn R. Brindel was the commanding officer during the 1987 deployment. The ship was struck on May 17, 1987, by two Exocet antiship missiles fired from an Iraqi Mirage F1^[1][2] (although some believe it to be a Falcon) aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War. The plane had taken off from Shaibah at 8 p.m. and had flown south into the Persian Gulf. The pilot fired the first Exocet missile from a range of 22.5 nautical miles (41.7 km), and the second from 15.5 nautical miles (28.7 km), just about the time Stark issued a standard warning by radio.^[3] The frigate did not detect the missiles with radar; warning was given by the lookout only moments before the missiles struck.^[4] The first penetrated the port-side hull and failed to detonate, but left flaming rocket fuel in its path. The second entered at almost the same point, and, leaving a 3-by-4-meter gash, exploded in crew quarters. 37 sailors were killed and 21 were injured.^[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_(FFG-31)

Never heard of this incident till this thread.

[PMI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_(FFG-31)

Never heard of this incident till this thread.

The Navy was busy in the Gulf during the 80's....Stark, the Vincennes incident, Operation Praying Mantis. There was also the multiple confrontations with Libya in the Gulf of Sidra (81, 86, 89).

[Laptop Hobo]

The USS Samuel B Roberts, another of the same class struck a mine in the Persian Gulf and lived to tell the story. These Figs could take a lot of punishment and their Damage Control teams (with a 200-man crew) were a lot larger than the crews of thier replacements (the LCS) would be.

http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhono...58damage.shtml

[bd popeye]

Of these, 19 ships are in regular service, while eight ships are in active service with the Naval Reserve Force.

Not true..no USN Ships are "active reserves". None. Some ships are held in a reserve status however they never put to sea.

Plus sailors’ accommodations are cramped. Plus sailors’ accommodations are cramped. Their clothes come back damp and wrinkled from the central laundry.

And the problem is?? this has been ongoing for decades. Move along ..nothing to see here.

[Soldat_Américain]

Pop-eye...I went on an FFG some years ago...from what I understand the crews on a bunch of FFGs are from the USNR and they go on patrol in support of USCG drug interdiction missions.

[bd popeye]

Pop-eye...I went on an FFG some years ago...from what I understand the crews on a bunch of FFGs are from the USNR and they go on patrol in support of USCG drug interdiction missions.

Thank you. Are you stating the whole crew are reservist? If so that's news to me. Certainly there are reservist on active duty.

[Soldat_Américain]

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

[bd popeye]

^^^ thanks ..did not know that. I learn something new everyday.

man I was really wrong..

Check this out.. and trust me I had no idea!

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...surfresfor.htm

[Soldat_Américain]

Saw it when I was confirming my info, just forgot to post it...at least those reservists actually do something vs a lot of Navy reservists have done nothing but do 12 years at a reserve center...NO JOKE.

[bd popeye]

^^^ I hear ya' about reservist. I remember on shore duty when we got reservist some of them always had to go to "meetings" everyday. Do their PRT out of season.. go to the exchange(frequently)..go to disbursing to check on their pay.. and of course tell us how great their life as a civilian was.

Don't get me wrong most reservist are great sailors..but some of them needed to be beat about the head and shoulders with a blunt instrument.

[dave81]

I was in the Army with a soldier who had once been a sailor in the submarine service. We visited a Navy base and took a guided tour of one of the Los Angeles-class attack subs, much like the one he served on. He started "talking shop" with the guys giving us the tour and they eventually revealed to us that almost half the stuff they were showing us either didn't work, needed repairs or was waiting to get fixed. I thought to myself, "This is what's defending America?" But then I remembered the Army was just like that, too.

[afallan1]

Don't get me wrong most reservist are great sailors..but some of them needed to be beat about the head and shoulders with a blunt instrument.

That can be said about anyone you work with.

That said, I'm Navy Reservist who's been pretty much active duty since I joined.

[bd popeye]

afallan1, thank you for your service to our nation. Sorry if I insulted you or any other hard working reservist in any way.

That can be said about anyone you work with.

Humm maybe, but most(about 80%) of the persons that I've worked with since I retired in 1991 could not make it through boot camp. I'm not kidding. I've been a truck driver, worked in the TV/motion picture biz, and have also worked in a clerical jobs for the state of Iowa. I now do building maintenance for the state of Iowa.