USS Plainview

History
Name	USS Plainview
Builder	Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle, Washington
Laid down	8 May 1964
Launched	28 June 1965
Commissioned	3 March 1969
Decommissioned	22 September 1978
Stricken	30 September 1978
Homeport	Bremerton, Washington
Fate	Wrecked
General characteristics
Type	Hydrofoil
Displacement	310 long tons (315 t)
Length	220 ft 6 in (67.21 m)
Beam	40 ft 5 in (12.32 m)
Draft	24 ft 4 in (7.42 m)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines 2 × 14,000 hp (10,440 kW) General Electric J79 gas turbine engines
Speed	40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)
Complement	20
Armament	None

USS Plainview (AGEH–1) was, in its time, the world's largest hydrofoil. Named for the cities of Plainview, New York and Plainview, Texas, she was also the United States Navy's first hydrofoil research ship. Plainview was laid down 8 May 1964 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle, Washington; launched 28 June 1965; sponsored by Mrs. John T. Hayward; and placed in service on 3 March 1969.

Propulsion consisted of two General Electric J79 jet engines of the same type used in the F-4 Phantom aircraft, but during conventional operations she was driven by two diesel engines. Her homeport was Bremerton, Washington. Plainview carried out long range experimental programs to evaluate the design principles of hydrofoils and to develop and evaluate tactics and doctrine for hydrofoils, particularly in anti-submarine warfare, and helped to determine the feasibility of hydrofoil operations in high seas.

Plainview was decommissioned at 10:30 am, 22 September 1978, at Pier 7, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 September 1978, Plainview was sold for scrapping by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) on 1 July 1979 to General Metals (now Schnitzer Metals) on the Hylebos Waterway, Tacoma, Washington. She was partially broken up and then abandoned on the Columbia river where she remains as of October 2013.

See also

• List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy
• Pegasus-class hydrofoil
• Boeing hydrofoils
• USS Flagstaff (PGH-1)
• USS Tucumcari (PGH-2)
• HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• "Plainview". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
• "Plainview". Service Ship Photo Archive. Retrieved 5 January 2007.

External links

• 1968 film at British Movietone Digital Archive
• 1969 film at British Movietone Digital Archive

December 1968 Popular Mechanics page 88-90-91 "The Biggest Fastest Flying Boat Yet" words by Bob Zimmerman ; Technical Art Concept (cut away labeled) Fred Wolff available via Google Books