October 17,
2008: Ukraine has asked the United
States for some surplus Perry class frigates. The U.S. said they would think
about it, as Russia has become very testy about Ukrainian attempts to join
NATO. Getting American warships would not, everyone agrees, please the Russians.
The Perrys came along in the late 1970s. They are 408
foot long, 4,200 ton warships armed with a 76mm gun, anti-ship, anti-aircraft
and anti-missile missiles, as well as torpedoes, a helicopter and a crew of
176. Many of the 69 Perrys have been retired from U.S. service, and most are
given to foreign navies, who are glad to have them. Currently the Ukrainian
navy has two Russian built Krivak II class frigates, which are a little smaller
(3,500 tons) than the Perrys, and a decade or two older in terms of technology.
The Ukrainians would prefer Perrys, and have seen the Turkish ones operating in
the Black Sea.
