USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)
_steams_through_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg) USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29) in the Atlantic Ocean in 2008 |
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Ensign Stephen W. Groves (1917-1942), U.S. Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient |
| Ordered: | 23 January 1978 |
| Builder: | Bath Iron Works |
| Laid down: | 16 September 1980 |
| Launched: | 4 April 1981 |
| Commissioned: | 17 April 1982 |
| Homeport: | Mayport, Florida |
| Motto: | Dirigo (I Direct) |
| Nickname: | Stevie G |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2012[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load |
| Length: | 453 feet (138 m), overall |
| Beam: | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Draught: | 22 feet (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 × Auxiliary Propulsion Units, 350 hp (260 kW) retractable electric azipods for maneuvering and docking. |
| Speed: | over 29 knots (54 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPS-49 air-search radar AN/SPS-55 surface-search radar CAS and STIR fire-control radar AN/SQS-56 sonar. |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
AN/SLQ-32 |
| Armament: |
As built:
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters |
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29), twenty-first ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Ensign Stephen W. Groves (1917–1942), a naval aviator who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at the Battle of Midway during World War II.
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[edit] Background
Ordered from Bath Iron Works on 23 January 1978 as part of the FY78 program, Stephen W. Groves was laid down on 16 September 1980, launched on 4 April 1981, and commissioned on 17 April 1982, Commander Philip A. Bozzelli commanding.
Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29) is the first ship of that name in the U.S. Navy. A previous ship named for Ensign Groves, destroyer escort USS Groves (DE-543) was cancelled in 1944 prior to completion. Assigned to Destroyer Squadron 14 and home-ported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, She remains active until her decommissioning on February 24, 2012.
[edit] History
On 28 August 2005, she sailed from her then-home port of Pascagoula, Mississippi, along with sister ship John L. Hall (FFG-32) under threat from Hurricane Katrina; Naval Station Pascagoula is now closed as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Deployed to the Indian Ocean, on 10 May 2011 she met the Somali pirate longliner Jih Chun Tsai 68 after being ordered to intercept the hijacked Taiwanese fishing vessel. Receiving fire from the longliner, the Stephen W. Groves engaged her in a single ship action that saw the pirate vessel sunk with 3 pirates killed, 2 wounded, and one of the Taiwanese hostages killed.[1]
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29) |
- USS Stephen W. Groves official website
- navsource.org: USS Stephen W. Groves
- navysite.de: USS Stephen W. Groves
- MaritimeQuest USS Stephen W. Groves FFG-29 pages
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