1967 Experimental Frigate (DE-1101)

[Graham1973]

I've recently learned that the USN planned to build an expermental gas turbine powered frigate in the late 1960s, but that the project was cancelled in 1969 to free up funding for the (Gas Turbine Powered) Spruance Class.

Is there any hard information (Plans, etc) to indicate exactly what was planned.

 

[TomS]

I've recently learned that the USN planned to build an expermental gas turbine powered frigate in the late 1960s, but that the project was cancelled in 1969 to free up funding for the (Gas Turbine Powered) Spruance Class.

Is there any hard information (Plans, etc) to indicate exactly what was planned.

I don't believe they ever got to the point of detailed designs. The Navy had been batting around a variety of gas turbine plant designs and considered building one Knox (DE-1101) with turbines to test the concept. Probably she would have had a similar relationship to the Knox class as Glover (ADGE-1) had with the Garcia class -- outwardly very similar but different equipment in key areas. At the time, I'd have bet on two FT4s as the power plant but no decision was made, as far as I can tell.

In the end? There was no point in building an experimental destroyer escort when the Navy was committed to building the DD-963s with gas turbines anyway.

 

[Graham1973]

TomS,

Thanks for your comment.

 

[TomS]

I did some more searching and it seems they did get as far as doing detailed design and nearly issued the construction contract. There's a discussion of the progress of DE 1101 on pg 7 of this article.

https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/proceedings-pdf/GT1989/79146/V002T03A006/2398165/v002t03a006-89-gt-230.pdf

It appears that the MSC ship USNS Adm. Wm. M. Callaghan ended up functioning as a GT testbed. She had a dual FT4A plant (with reversing gearbox and a single shaft) before the DE 1101 plan and was modified with an LM2500 during DD-963 development. She was at sea a lot, which may have reduced the perceived need for a dedicated DE test ship.

 

[M. A. Rozon]

Very good read. Thanks for putting up the link.

 

[TomS]

One more data point. Electronic Greyhounds, a wonderful history of the Spruance class, confirms that DE-1101 (the last Knox) was supposed to have a plant with two FT4A turbines.

 

[Graham1973]

Thanks for the additional information. The odd thing is that the hull numbers assigned to the Knox class run DE(FF)-1098 - 1100, 1102 - 1107, so the proposed experimental version would not have been the last class member.

 

[TomS]

Thanks for the additional information. The odd thing is that the hull numbers assigned to the Knox class run DE(FF)-1098 - 1100, 1102 - 1107, so the proposed experimental version would not have been the last class member.

Good catch. It was in the last group of Knoxes to be planned but not actually the last ship. It was in the FY68 batch of 10 ships, which was deferred in two chunks during 1968 to pay for DX/DXG (which became Spruance) and to cover SSN cost overruns (per Friedman, US Destroyers). I suspect it would have taken longer to build than the others in that group, since the standard Knoxes were basically being built on an assembly line by that point and the gas turbine test ship would have been a significant departure. So it might well have ended up being the last Knox-type frigate (aside from the Baleares DEGs for Spain). Arguably it would not have been an actual Knox class ship, given the radical change in powerplant.