Farragut-class (DDG-37)

Summary

Description

USS Farragut (DLG-6/DDG-37) serves as the lead ship of its class of guided-missile destroyers, originally built to function as destroyer leaders. Commissioned for the United States Navy in the 1950s, Farragut bears the name of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut and holds a notable place in naval history as the inaugural class designed with carrier escorts equipped with missile systems.

The Farragut class was conceptualized to provide a formidable blend of speed and firepower, particularly in the domain of anti-aircraft warfare to safeguard carrier battle groups. Propelled by two geared steam turbines, each connected to a propeller shaft and powered by four water-tube boilers, these ships aimed to achieve a substantial 85,000 shaft horsepower, thereby allowing the Farragut class to reach an impressive speed of 32 knots. With a considerable operational range of 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 20 knots, these ships were designed for long-range missions. The crews of these vessels comprised 23 officers and 337 enlisted personnel, attesting to the complexity and manpower requirements of operating advanced naval warships of this period.

With a primary armament consisting of a single 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun at the forefront and dual mounts for 3-inch/50-caliber guns positioned amidships on both sides, Farragut was well-armed. Unique amongst her class, Farragut was equipped with an ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) launcher and was the only ship with an ASROC magazine located behind this launcher, a feature that increased the ship's top-heaviness and was consequently not replicated in her sister ships. The class was equipped with Terrier anti-aircraft missiles, dispensed through a dual-arm Mark 10 launcher, carrying 40 missiles on board to defend against aerial threats. To bolster her anti-submarine capabilities, Farragut also featured two triple sets of 12.75-inch Mark 32 torpedo tubes, positioning her as a formidable opponent to submarine threats.

The operational history of Farragut is extensive, with her keel laid down on 3 June 1957 at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. Launched on 15 July 1958 and commissioned on 10 December 1960, Farragut displayed the might of post-World War II American naval engineering. On 30 June 1975, in alignment with evolving naval classifications, she was reclassified from a destroyer leader to a guided missile destroyer, receiving the designation DDG-37. After nearly three decades of service, USS Farragut was decommissioned on 31 October 1989, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 November 1992, and finally sold for scrap on 16 December 1994. Her dismantling was contracted to International Shipbreaking Limited in Brownsville, Texas, in 2006, yet her legacy lives on through her preserved ship's bell at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Technical specifications