Garcia class frigate

Garcia class frigates were United States Navy warships. These frigates were called ocean escorts until 1975, commissioned between 1964 to 1968 and decommissioned between 1988 to 1990.

Frigates fulfill a Protection of Shipping (POS) mission as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups and merchant convoys.

The Garcia class was a larger version of the Bronstein class.

The Bronstein Ocean escort was a response to the development of high speed nuclear submarines in the late 1950s. They were powered by steam engines instead of diesel engines and incorporated a first class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon system: the SQS-26 sonar, MK 16 ASROC rocket launcher, and MK 32 torpedo tubes. Gun (naval artillery) armament (MK 33 3 inch/50 caliber) was changed in the Garcia class to two MK 30 5 inch/38 caliber guns.

There were two distinct breeds of DE, the World War II Destroyer Escorts (some of which were converted to DERs) and the postwar DE/DEG classes, which were known as Ocean Escorts despite carrying the same type symbol as the WWII Destroyer Escorts. All DEs, DEGs, and DERs were reclassified as FFs, FFGs, or FFRs on June 30, 1975.

After decommissioning, USS Bradley (FF-1041), USS Davidson (FF-1045), USS Sample (FF-1048), and USS Albert David (FF-1050), were transferred to the Brazilian Navy, as the Pernambuco (D 30), Paraíba (D 28), Paraná (D 29), and Pará (D 27), respectively.

Ships

* USS Garcia (FF-1040)
* USS Bradley (FF-1041)
* USS Edward McDonnell (FF-1043)
* USS Brumby (FF-1044)
* USS Davidson (FF-1045)
* USS Voge (FF-1047)
* USS Sample (FF-1048)
* USS Koelsch (FF-1049)
* USS Albert David (FF-1050)
* USS O'Callahan (FF-1051)
* USS Glover (FF-1098) (Garcia class modified for research use, commissioned as AGDE-1 in 1965, redesignated AGFF-1 in 1975, and redesignated FF-1098 in 1979.)

See also

*destroyer escort DE
*frigate FF
*List of frigates of the United States Navy
*List of frigates by country and by frigate class

External links

*Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships from Naval Historical Center - information about person whom ship was named after plus early ship history
**Garcia picture
**Voge
**Sample
**Koelsch
**Albert David picture
**O'Callahan
*Frigate from Naval Vessel Register - all these ships have been decommissioned - see link for status
*The Garcia class from Destroyers OnLine - pictures, history, crews
*Destroyer Escort Sailors Association more information and history about DEs
*USS Voge former crewmember's site with pictures (archive link, was dead)