Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate

The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie. Also known as the Perry or FFG-7 class, the warships were designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities to replace World War II-era destroyers. Fifty-five ships were built in the United States: 51 for the United States Navy and four for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In addition, eight were built in the Republic of China (Taiwan), six in Spain, and two in Australia for their navies. Former U.S. Navy warships of this class have been sold/donated to the navies of Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, and Turkey.

Class overview
Name:	Oliver Hazard Perry
Builders:	Bath Iron Works Todd Pacific Shipyards San Pedro Todd Pacific Shipyards Seattle Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated Bazan China Shipbuilding
Operators:	United States Navy Royal Australian Navy Armada Española Republic of China Navy Royal Bahrain Naval Force Egyptian Navy Polish Navy Turkish Navy
Preceded by:	Brooke-class frigate
Subclasses:	Adelaide-class (Australia) Santa María-class (Spain) Cheng Kung-class (Republic of China)
Built:	1975 – 2004
In commission:	1977 – Present
Completed:	71
General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Displacement:	4,100 long tons (4,200 t) full load
Length:	408 ft (124 m) waterline, 445 ft (136 m) overall, 453 ft (138 m) for "long-hull" frigates
Beam:	45 ft (14 m)
Draft:	22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and variable pitch propeller; 2 x Auxiliary Propulsion Units, 350 hp (.25 MW) retractable electric azipods for maneuvering and docking.
Speed:	29+ knots (54+ km/h)
Range:	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 knots (40 km/h)
Complement:	176
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar: AN/SPS-49, AN/SPS-55, Mk 92 fire control system Sonar: SQS-56, SQR-19 Towed Array
Electronic warfare and decoys:	SLQ-32(V)2, Flight III with sidekick, Mark 36 SRBOC AN/SLQ-25 Nixie
Armament:	One single-arm Mk 13 Missile Launcher with a 40-missile magazine that contains SM-1MR anti-aircraft guided missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Removed from the U.S. Navy ships starting in 2003, due to the retirement of the SM-1 missile from American service Two triple Mark 32 Anti-submarine warfare torpedo tubes with Mark 46 or Mark 50 anti-submarine warfare torpedoes One OTO Melara 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun One 20 mm Phalanx CIWS rapid-fire cannon Eight Hsiung Feng II SSM or four HF-2 and 4 HF-3 supersonic AShM, plus 2 Bofors 40mm/L70 guns on Taiwanese vessels only)
Aircraft carried:	Two LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters (the SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I on the short-hulled ships or the SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III on the long-hulled ships)

The remaining American "long-hull" Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships are being modified to reduce their operating costs. The Detroit Diesel Company electrical generators are being replaced with more modern Caterpillar, Inc.-made diesel engines and the ships' Mk 13 single arm missile launchers and magazines have been removed from all U.S. Navy active frigates because the primary missile that it was meant to fire, the Standard missile SM-1MR, has outlived its service life. This unfortunately also removes the capability of firing Harpoon missiles (anti-ship missiles) from these warships.

It would supposedly be too costly to refit the Standard Missile SM-1MR missiles, which had a marginal ability to bring down sea-skimming missiles. Another reason for withdrawing the SM-1MR from the American ships is to focus the supplies of these missiles to American allies, such as Poland, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and the Republic of China (Taiwan), which need them most. (Possessing no or few other guided-missile warships in their navies.)

With the removal of their Mk 13 missile launchers the American Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships also lose their Harpoon anti-ship missile capability. However, their Seahawk helicopters can carry the much shorter-ranged Penguin anti-ship missile, delivered far from the ship by helicopter. The "zone-defense" anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) capability has vanished, and all that remains is a "point-defense" type of AAW armament.

The U.S. Navy plans to update the Oliver Hazard Perry-class warships' Phalanx CIWS to the "Block 1B" capability, which will allow the Mk 15 20 mm Phalanx gun to shoot at fast-moving surface craft and helicopters. The remaining Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships are also to be fitted with the Mk 53 DLS "Nulka" missile decoy system, which will be better than the presently-equipped chaff (SRBOC, Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Chaff) and flares at guarding against anti-ship missiles.

On June 16, 2009, Vice Adm. Barry McCullough turned down the suggestion of Mel Martinez to keep the Perrys in service, citing their worn out and maxed out condition.