On 29 September the U.S. Navy decommissioned its last remaining Oliver Hazard Perry–class frigate, the USS Simpson (FFG-56). The 51 Perry-class frigates that entered U.S. service beginning in the 1970s proved remarkably sturdy during both combat and noncombat operations, and the soundness of the design permitted numerous enhancements and upgrades. By the dawn of 21st century, however, the vessels began to show their age as newer and larger warships entered the fleet. In 2003 the class’s primary air-defense weapon, the Standard SM-1 surface-to-air missile, was retired from U.S. service and the existing Mk-13 missile launchers were removed, along with the capability to launch Harpoon antiship missiles. Armed with little more than a 3-inch gun each for the remainder of their lives, the surviving Perrys remained valuable assets thanks to their dual-helicopter hangar, which proved useful for low-threat operations such as humanitarian-assistance and counter-drug missions. The Oliver Hazard Perry class still thrives abroad, however, where many sister ships have been upgraded for continued operation in more than a half-dozen foreign navies.
In September Poland launched the Kormoran, its first of three new Kormoran II–class mine-hunting vessels, at a shipyard in Gdynia. The 850-ton (full load) vessel is built using a non-magnetic steel hull, at an overall length of 192 feet and a beam of 34 feet. While primarily intended for mine-countermeasures missions in the coastal zones of the Baltic and North seas, the vessel will also be able to patrol Poland’s exclusive economic zone and perform additional small-craft auxiliary duties. The Kormoran II–class ships, also known by the project number 258, are intended to replace the aging Krogulec-class (Project 206FM) minehunters that were originally launched during the mid-1960s. The Kormoran is due to enter service late in 2016, while her two sister ships, to be named the Albatros and Mewa, are to be delivered in subsequent years.
On 30 September the oiler Orangeleaf was retired from service with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Launched in 1975, the vessel was completed for commercial ownership in 1979 and was leased for military service during the 1982 Falklands War. Initially she was operated without replenishment equipment, but in the mid-1980s she was formally renamed and chartered by the Ministry of Defence, undergoing a major refit that enlarged the superstructure, supplemented the cargo space, and added an underway-replenishment capability. The 37,000 ton, single-hull Orangeleaf and her retired Leaf-class sister ships are being replaced in British service by a new type of double-hulled tanker under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability program. The new replenishment ships, to be named the Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge, and Tideforce, are due to begin entering service in 2016. These four new vessels are expected to be similarly sized but more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than their predecessors.
Mr. Wertheim, a defense consultant in the Washington, D.C., area, is the author of the new 16th edition of The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, available from the Naval Institute Press (see www.usni.org).