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USS Simpson (FFG-56)

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USS Simpson (FFG-56)
Career USN Jack
Ordered:
Laid down: 27 February 1984
Launched: 31 August 1984
Commissioned: 9 November 1985
Status: Template:Ship fate box active in service
Homeport: NS Mayport, Florida
General Characteristics
Displacement: 4,100 tons (4,170 t) full load
Length: 453 ft (138.1 m), overall
Beam: 45 ft (13.7 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
Speed: 29+ knots (54+ km/h)
Range: 5,000 nm (9,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement: 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Armament: One OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun; one Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine); two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes; one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS; four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
Aircraft: 2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Motto: "Attaquer en Vigueur" (Attack with Vigor)
Nickname: Detect First Attack First

USS Simpson (FFG-56) is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Rodger W. Simpson. She was laid down at Bath Iron Works, Maine, on 27 February 1984, launched on 31 August 1984 and commissioned on 9 November 1985.

Simpson was deployed to the Persian Gulf in January 1988, as an escort to reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. On 18 April 1988, Simpson took part in Operation Praying Mantis, the US response to the mining of the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts, which hit an Iranian M-08 mine on 14 April 1988.

Simpson, with SN Frederick Wheeler at the helm, together with other warships and military assets destroyed Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the Persian Gulf, and sent at least six armed speedboats to the bottom. Simpson was attacked by an AGM-84 Harpoon missile from the Iranian frigate Joshan, and hit back with four missiles. Joshan was then sunk by gunfire. Another Iranian frigate was damaged. The frigate Sabalan was a special target; it had repeatedly fired machine guns into the bridges of neutral commercial ships. It was heavily damaged minutes before the Americans halted their operation.

Simpson was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award and the Combat Action Ribbon for this operation, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the deployment.

In the Gulf War of 1991, Simpson served as an escort to the aircraft carrier USS America.

In August 1993, Simpson again escorted USS America and took part in Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise during the Yugoslav wars.

In May 1994, Simpson took part in Operation Support Democracy and Operation Able Manner off the coast of Haiti in support of the United Nations embargo.

Arriving home in April 1995, Simpson completed many engineering, combat systems, and logistics inspections prior to deployment with the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic in November of 1995. Its primary mission was to enforce the Dayton Peace Accord with NATO naval forces in the Adriatic Sea as part of Operation Sharp Guard and Operation Joint Endeavor. The mission was to query ships to determine their origin and cargo during and after the Yugoslav Wars and Bosnian War.

As of 2006, Simpson is homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and is part of Destroyer Squadron 14 [1]

Citations of USS Simpson

See also

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