Garcia-class frigate

Garcia-class frigates were United States Navy warships. These frigates were originally ocean escorts bearing the hull classification DE until 1975. The ships were commissioned between 1964 and 1968 and decommissioned between 1988 and 1990.

USS Albert David underway in December 1975.
Class overview
Name	Garcia class
Builders	Various
Operators	United States Navy  Brazilian Navy  Pakistan Navy
Preceded by	Bronstein class (US) Marcílio Dias class (Brazil)
Succeeded by	Knox class
Subclasses	Brooke class
Built	1962–1968
In commission	1964–1990 (USN)
Completed	10 + Glover
Retired	10 + Glover
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	2,624 tons (light)
Length	414 ft 6 in (126.34 m)
Beam	44 ft 1 in (13.44 m)
Draft	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 1 steam turbine, 35,000 shp (26,000 kW), single screw
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	16 officers 231 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-40 air search radar AN/SPS-10 surface search radar AN/SQS-26 bow mounted sonar[1] Mark 56 fire-control system
Armament	2 × single 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. Mk 30 guns 1 × 8-tube ASROC Mk16 launcher (16 missiles) 2 × triple 12.75 in (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes, Mk 46 torpedoes (18 torpedoes) 2 × Mk 25 twin torpedo tubes for MK 37 torpedo (fixed, stern) (removed later) (8 torpedoes)
Aircraft carried	Gyrodyne QH-50 (planned) / SH-2 LAMPS

Description

Frigates fulfill a Protection of Shipping (POS) mission as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups and merchant convoys.

The Garcia class was a larger version of the Bronstein class. The Garcias were followed by the similar Brooke class, which was given guided missile armament.

The Bronstein ocean escort was a response to the development of high speed nuclear submarines in the late 1950s. They were powered by steam turbines instead of diesel engines and incorporated a first class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon system: the SQS-26BX sonar, MK 112 ASROC rocket launcher, and MK 32 torpedo tubes. Gun (naval artillery) armament (MK 33 3 inch/50 caliber) was changed in the Garcia class to two MK 30 5 inch/38 caliber guns.

There were two distinct breeds of ships bearing the DE hull classification, the World War II destroyer escorts (some of which were converted to DERs) and the postwar DE/DEG classes, which were known as ocean escorts despite carrying the same type symbol as the World War II destroyer escorts. All DEs, DEGs, and DERs were reclassified as FFs, FFGs, or FFRs on 30 June 1975 by the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification.

After decommissioning, Bradley, Davidson, Sample, and Albert David were transferred to the Brazilian Navy, as Pernambuco (D 30), Paraíba (D 28), Paraná (D 29), and Pará (D 27), respectively. Pará (D 27) remained in reserve till 2015, but appears to have been scrapped since.^[2] Glover was a Garcia-class frigate modified for research use, commissioned as AGDE-1 in 1965, redesignated AGFF-1 in 1975, and redesignated FF-1098 in 1979.

Ships

Name	Hull no.	Crest	Builder	Commission– decommission	Fate	Link
Garcia	FF-1040		Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco	1964–1989	Sold for scrapping, 29 March 1994
Bradley	FF-1041		Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco	1965–1988	Sold to Brazil as Pernambuco (D 30), decommissioned 2004, scrapped 2013
Edward McDonnell	FF-1043		Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1988	Sold for scrapping, 21 August 2002
Brumby	FF-1044		Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1989	Sold for scrapping, 9 September 1994
Davidson	FF-1045		Avondale Shipyard, Louisiana	1965–1988	Sold to Brazil as Paraiba (D28), decommsissoned 2002, sank under tow 2005
Voge	FF-1047		Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1966–1989	Sold for scrapping, 19 January 2001
Sample	FF-1048		Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle	1968–1988	1989 to Brazil as Paraná (D 29), sold for scrapping in 2004
Koelsch	FF-1049		Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1967–1989	Sold for scrapping, 9 September 1994
Albert David	FF-1050		Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company Seattle	1968–1989	1989 to Brazil as Pará (D 27), scrapped 2015
O'Callahan	FF-1051		Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan	1968–1988	Sold for scrapping, 29 March 1994
Glover	FF-1098		Bath Iron Works	1965–1990	Sold for scrapping, 15 April 1994

Gallery

• 
  Davidson with vertical bridge structure
• 
  Koelsch with angled lower bridge structure for automatic ASROC loading. All units Voge and later were similarly equipped
• 
  Sample with two gun mounts
• 
  Glover with only one gun mount
• 
  Bradley with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow BPDMS installed. Installed and removed c.1967-1968.
• 
  Stern view of Bradley, note torpedo tubes installed in the transom, later removed.

See also

• List of frigates of the United States Navy
• List of frigates by country and by frigate class

Notes

1. Polmar, Norman "The U.S. Navy: Sonars, Part 1" United States Naval Institute Proceedings July 1981 p.119
2. "Brazilian Navy – Frigates". 13 May 2020. Retrieved 4 Sep 2023.

External links

• Garcia-class frigates at Destroyer History Foundation
• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships from Naval Historical Center - information about person whom ship was named after plus early ship history
  • Garcia picture
  • Voge
  • Sample
  • Koelsch
  • Albert David picture
  • O'Callahan
• Frigate from Naval Vessel Register - all these ships have been decommissioned - see link for status
• The Garcia class from Destroyers OnLine - pictures, history, crews
• Destroyer Escort Sailors Association more information and history about DEs
• USS Voge former crewmember's site with pictures (archive link, was dead)