August 17,
2008: The Turkish Navy is getting two
more used U.S. Perry class frigates, one as a gift, and the other for cash. The
two ships were recently retired from U.S. service, and will be refurbished at
American expense. The Turks already have eight Perrys. The new LCS (Littoral
Combat Ships) is sort of replacing the 1970s era Oliver Hazard Perry-class
frigates (4,100 ton ships that would cost about $125 million to build today) in
U.S. service. The big difference between the frigates and LCS is the greater
use of automation in the LCS (reducing crew size to 75, versus 176 in the
frigates) and larger engines (giving the LCS a speed of about 90 kilometers an
hour, versus 50 for the frigates.) The 3,000 ton LCS also has a large "cargo
hold" designed to hold different "mission packages" of equipment and weapons.
The U.S.
Navy operated as many as 51 Perrys, but only 30 are in service now. The Perrys carry anti-aircraft and anti-ship
missiles, as well as torpedoes, a 76mm gun and a helicopter. These ships proved
very reliable, and were able to survive battle damage well.
