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Knox Statistics
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(FF 1052)
 The USS Knox, named for Commodore Dudley W.
Knox, was commissioned on a rainy 12 April, 1969 at the Bremerton Naval
Shipyard, Bremerton, WA. Dignitaries on hand included:
- Mrs. Peter A. Sturtevant, Sponsor
- LCDR W. T. Dierks, CHC, USN (Ret), Chaplain
- Rear Admiral William F. Petrovic, USN, Commander,
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
- Ivan Selin, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems
Analysis)
- Rear Admiral Frank L. Johnson, USN, Commandant,
13th Naval District
- CDR William A. Lamm, first Commanding Officer
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The aerial photo was taken while the Knox was undergoing
sea trials on the Puget Sound early in 1969. You'll note there is no ensign or
commissioning pennant flying.
Ship's Crest
This was the ship's patch that was presented to each of
the commissioning crew.
The crest is divided into two halves, each representing
one of Commodore Dudley W. Knox's two distinguished careers. The broad gold band
which spans the top of the crest signifies his rank of Commodore, while the gold
star on a field of blue designates his career as a sea-going line officer.
The crossed quill and sword on white in the lower half
represent Commodore Knox's later achievements as a leading naval scholar and
historian.
The scarlet arrow dividing the blue and white fields is
emblematic of the ship's ability to strike in defense of the free world.
Profile
View
(note the distinctive "Big Mack" of the class)
Details
Commander William A. LAMM was the first
Commanding Officer of the USS Knox. Commander Lamm and 216 crew and officers
were Knox Plankholders, the name given to the first crew of any new ship. Of all
the plankholders, the last to leave the ship was Boiler Technician First Class
Thomas R. WELLS, who left on 3 June 1974 after serving five and
a half years aboard the Knox (STGCS Bosworth left in March 1972 [as an STG2]
after serving 3 years aboard).
Knox was originally classified as an Ocean Escort (DE) and
reclassified as a Fast Frigate (FF) on 30 June, 1975
During her years of service to the fleet, the Knox has seen all of the
Pacific waters. After completing her sea trials which included an underwater
shock test from four seven foot diameter, 1,000 pound bombs off Long Beach,
California, she was homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 1969. She made
a five month WESTPAC deployment in late 1970, returning March, 1971. Port visits
during this cruise included:
- Pago Pago, American Samoa
- Auckland, New Zealand (participating in a 10 day SETO exercise)
- Manus Island, New Guinea
- Subic Bay, Phillipines
- Negros Island (Hinobaan), PI
- The Gulf of Tonkin (Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club)
- Hong Kong (at Christmas)
- Kaoshung, Taiwan (during Chinese New Year)
- Guam
Her return was hindered by a severe fire in the boiler room that occurred
during noon chow after she left Guam. Knox was slowly towed by the USS Chicago
back to Oahu. Just east off Diamond Head, about "oh dark thirty", she cut the
Chicago loose and made sufficient steam to limp into port later in the morning.
After a prolonged stand-down for repairs, she again made a 5 month WESTPAC
deployment in late 1971, returning in March, 1972. Port visits during this
cruise included:
- Subic Bay, Phillipines
- Singapore and Malaysia (two visits)
- Columbo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)
- The Maldive Islands
- The Gulf of Tonkin (Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club)
- Hong Kong (at Christmas)
- Kaoshung, Taiwan (during Chinese New Year)
- Yokosuka, Japan
- Midway
The remainder of 1972 was spent in overhaul.
Then from August to December 1973 the Knox participated in sonar improvement
trials which brought about development of the outstanding sonar systems in use
today. In May 1975, the Knox completed a nine month WESTPAC deployment in which
she saw action in Vietnam and participated in Operation Frequent Wind and Eagle
Pull.
In mid-1975, Knox and her crew guest starred in the
popular TV series "Hawaii Five-O", in
a special episode entitled "Murder
- Eyes Only." From June 1975 until October 1976, the Knox completed her
second overhaul before being homeported in Yokosuka, Japan in August 1977. As a
forward deployed unit of Seventh Fleet, the USS Knox was part of the Nation's
front line defense in the Pacific.
USS Knox went through quite a few changes in her time and
sailed the waters of the
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Persian
Gulf, Australia and New Zealand.
USS Knox, FF-1052 was decommissioned 14 February
1992 after 23 and one half years of faithful service to her
country. She was brought back to the place of her birth for her final resting
place. She now sits quietly tied up at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Bremerton, Washington.
The stats for the USS Knox are as follows:
Note: KNOX stats originally researched
by YNC(AW) Rob Cross, USN (CINCPACFLT,
Pearl Harbor, HI). Updated by STGCS
Bosworth.
Built by Todd Shipyards Corporation,
Seattle Division, Seattle, WA.
- Keel Laid: 5 October 1965
- Launched/Christened: 19 November 1966
- Commissioned: 12 April 1969 (Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard)
- Decommissioned: 14 February
1992 (Currently lies Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton,
WA)
- Displacement, tons: 3,011 standard (1052-1077)
4,200 full load (remainder).
- Dimensions, feet (meters): 438 x 46.8 x 24.8
[sonar dome], 15 [keel] (133.5 x 14.3 x 7.8, 4.6).
- Aircraft: 1 SH-2 LAMPS helicopter.
The helo deck was too thin to support manned helicopters!
- Missiles: SAM, 1 Sea Sparrow BPDMS (Basic Point
Defense Missile System) multiple launcher (MK 25) which was installed on 31
ships from 1971-75 (FF-1052-69) and (FF-1071-83).
- Gun: 1-5"/54 MK 42 (127mm).
- A/S Weapons: 1 ASROC 8-tube launcher, 4 fixed
torpedo tubes (MK 32).
- Main Engines: 1 geared turbine (Westinghouse)
35,000 SHP, 1 shaft.
- Boilers: 2 Combustion Engineering (except
FF-1056, 1057, 1061, 1063, 1065, 1072, 1073, 1075, 1077 which have Babcock &
Wilcox).
- Speed: 27+ knots.
- Crew Compliment: Originally 220 (15 officers,
205 enlisted); increased to 245 (17 officers, 228 enlisted); finally increased
to 283 (22 officers, 261 enlisted) with BPDMS and LAMPS installation, (as
built, 12 ships had accommodations for 2 staff officers).
- Anchor: A 4,000 lb. lightweight anchor is fitted
on the port side and an 8,000 lb. anchor fits into the after section of the
sonar dome.
- Electronics: Fitted with OE-82 satellite
communications antenna, SSR-1 receiver and WSC-3 transceiver.
- SONAR: ANSQS 26-CX (originally).
AN/SQS-35 IVDS, AN/SQR-17, and AN/SQR-18
- Engineering: The ships could steam at 22 knots
on one boiler. They had a single 5-blade, 15 foot diameter submarine
propeller.
- Fire Control: One MK 68 gunfire control with SPG
3A radar, one MK 115 MFCS, one MK 114 ASW FCS and one MK 1 target designation
system.
- Gunnery: All ships of the class were to be
fitted with 20mm Phalanx CIWS MK 16 on the fantail. Those ships equipped with
the Sea Sparrow would have had that system replaced with CIWS. During WESTPACs
in the Gulf of Tonkin, ships were temporarily fitted with two 50 caliber
machine guns, port and starboard amidships and an 80mm mortar on the hangar
deck.
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Knox Class Frigates, previously
designated Destroyer Escorts (DE) |
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Hull / Ship Name |
Commissioned |
Decommissioned |
Fate |
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FF-1052 Knox |
04/12/69 |
02/14/92 |
Berthed Bremerton,
WA, to be sunk |
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FF-1053 Roark |
11/22/69 |
12/14/91 |
To be scraped |
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FF-1054 Gray |
04/04/70 |
09/29/91 |
To be scraped |
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FF-1055 Hepburn |
07/03/69 |
12/20/91 |
Sunk as target
06/04/02 |
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FF-1056 Connole |
08/30/69 |
08/30/92 |
To Greek Navy,
renamed Espiros |
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FF-1057 Rathburne |
05/16/70 |
02/14/92 |
Scrapped 1946 |
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FF-1058 Meyerkord |
11/28/69 |
12/14/91 |
Sold for scrapping
2000 |
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FF-1059 W. S. Sims |
01/03/70 |
09/06/91 |
To Turkey 1999 |
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FF-1060 Lang |
03/28/70 |
12/12/91 |
To be scrapped,
berthed Suisun Bay Benecia, CA |
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FF-1061 Patterson |
03/14/70 |
09/30/91 |
Scrapped 1999 |
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FF-1062 Whipple |
08/22/70 |
02/14/92 |
Sold to Mexico |
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FF-1063 Reasoner |
07/31/71 |
08/28/93 |
To Turkey, renamed
F252 Kocatepe |
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FF-1064 Lockwood |
12/05/70 |
09/27/93 |
Scrapped 2000 |
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FF-1065 Stein |
01/08/72 |
02/19/92 |
To Mexico 1999,
renamed Ignacio Adande |
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FF-1066 Marvin Shields |
04/10/71 |
07/02/92 |
To Mexico, renamed
Mariano Abasolo |
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FF-1067 Francis Hammond |
07/25/70 |
07/02/92 |
To be scrapped,
berthed Suisun Bay Benecia, CA |
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FF-1068 Vreeland |
06/13/70 |
06/30/92 |
To Greece 1992,
renamed Makedonia |
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FF-1069 Bagley |
05/05/72 |
09/26/91 |
Scrapped 1999 |
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FF-1070 Downes |
08/28/71 |
06/05/92 |
To be sunk -
SINKEX, berthed Bremerton, WA |
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FF-1071 Badger |
12/01/70 |
12/20/91 |
Sunk as target
7/21/98 as a part of RIMPAC 98 |
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FF-1072 Blakely |
07/28/70 |
11/15/91 |
Scheduled for
dismantling, berthed Philadelphia, PA |
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FF-1073 Robert E. Perry |
09/23/72 |
08/07/92 |
To Taiwan 1992,
renamed Chiu Yang |
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FF-1074 Harold E. Holt |
03/26/71 |
07/02/92 |
Sunk during
RIMPAC-2002 |
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FF-1075 Trippe |
09/19/70 |
07/30/92 |
Sold to Greece |
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FF-1076 Fanning |
07/23/71 |
07/31/93 |
Sold to Turkey,
renamed F251 Adatepe |
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FF-1077 Ouellet |
12/12/70 |
08/06/93 |
To Thailand |
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FF-1078 Joseph Hewes |
04/24/71 |
06/30/94 |
To Taiwan, renamed
Lan Yang |
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FF-1079 Bowen |
05/22/71 |
06/30/94 |
To Turkey 1994 |
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FF-1080 Paul |
08/14/71 |
08/14/92 |
To Turkey 2000 |
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FF-1081 Aylwin |
09/18/71 |
05/15/92 |
To Turkey 1998 |
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FF-1082 Elmer Montgomery |
10/30/71 |
06/30/93 |
To Turkey as
parts/hulk 1993 |
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FF-1083 Cook |
12/18/71 |
04/30/92 |
To Taiwan 1994,
renamed Hae Yang |
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FF-1084 McCandless |
03/18/72 |
05/06/94 |
To Turkey 1994,
renamed TCG Trakya (F-254) |
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FF-1085 Donald B. Beary |
07/22/72 |
05/20/94 |
To Turkey |
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FF-1086 Brewton |
07/08/72 |
07/02/92 |
? |
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FF-1087 Kirk |
09/09/72 |
08/06/93 |
To Taiwan 1993,
renamed Fen Yang |
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FF-1088 Barbey |
11/11/72 |
03/20/92 |
To Taiwan 1994,
renamed Hwai Yang |
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FF-1089 Jesse L. Brown |
02/17/73 |
07/27/94 |
To Egypt 1994,
renamed Dumyat |
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FF-1090 Ainsworth |
03/31/73 |
05/27/94 |
To Turkey 1994 |
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FF-1091 Miller |
06/30/73 |
10/15/91 |
To Turkey as
parts/hulk, sunk as target 2001 |
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FF-1092 Thomas C. Hart |
07/28/73 |
08/30/93 |
To Turkey, renamed
Zafer |
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FF-1093 Capodanno |
11/17/73 |
07/30/93 |
To Turket 1993,
re-named Mauvenet (F-250) |
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FF-1094 Pharris |
01/26/74 |
04/15/92 |
To Mexico 1999 |
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FF-1095 Truett |
06/01/74 |
07/30/94 |
To Thailand 1994,
renamed
HMTS F461 Phutthayofta Chulalok |
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FF-1096 Valdez |
07/27/74 |
12/16/91 |
To Taiwan 1998 |
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FF-1097 Moinester |
11/02/74 |
07/28/94 |
To Egypt, renamed
Rashid F-966 |
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