Charles F. Adams-class (DDG-2)

Summary

Description

The Charles F. Adams class, consisting of 29 guided-missile destroyers, was produced between 1958 and 1967 with ships serving the United States, Australia, and Germany. The design was an extension of the Forrest Sherman-class and meant to carry an ASROC launcher, marking the first specifically designed guided-missile destroyers. Serving prominently, several United States ships participated in the blockade of Cuba and the Vietnam War, while Australian ships saw action in Vietnam and the Gulf War.

By the 1970s, the Charles F. Adams class was outpaced by modern warfare requirements, prompting the U.S. Navy to initiate the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) program which aimed to extend the ships' operational lives. These upgrades included advanced electronic warfare systems, weapons enhancements like the ability to fire Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and inclusion into the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS). Despite this, the emergence of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers featuring the superior Aegis Combat System led to the abbreviated upgrading of the class. Only three ships fully received the NTU upgrades, while others got partial improvements until they could be replaced by newer vessels. The United States decommissioned its last destroyer of this class, the Goldsborough, in 1993, with Australia and Germany retiring their last ships by 2003. Additionally, four vessels were transferred to the Hellenic Navy.

Various ships of the Charles F. Adams class have met different fates post-service. While plans to convert the namesake destroyer into a museum were ultimately scrapped, the German Mölders was successfully turned into a museum ship. Most other ships were either sunk for reefs or target practice, or sold for scrap.

The Hellenic Navy received four destroyers, formerly part of the U.S. fleet, and the Lütjens-class was a modified version built for the Bundesmarine featuring several design changes such as crew accommodations and sonar location. Similarly, the Royal Australian Navy operated three ships of the class, known as the Perth class, which were customized with the Ikara system instead of the American ASROC. All three Australian ships were eventually sunk to create dive wrecks.

Technical specifications