USS Wadsworth (FFG-9)

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USS Wadsworth (FFG-9) underway.
USS Wadsworth (FFG-9) underway, 1983.
History
United States
NameWadsworth
NamesakeCommodore Alexander S. Wadsworth (1790–1851)
Ordered27 February 1976
BuilderTodd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down13 July 1977
Launched29 July 1978
Sponsored byMrs. Patricia P. Roberts, great-great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth
Commissioned2 April 1980
Decommissioned28 June 2002
Stricken23 July 2002
HomeportSan Diego, California (former)
Identification
Motto"For One's Country"
FateTransferred to Poland
Badge
ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko
Poland
NameGenerał Tadeusz Kościuszko
NamesakeTadeusz Kościuszko
Commissioned28 June 2002
Identification273
General characteristics
Class and typeOliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length445 feet (136 m), overall
Beam45 feet (14 m)
Draft22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedover 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
AN/SLQ-32
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × SH-2F LAMPS I helicopter

USS Wadsworth (FFG-9), third ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth (1790–1851). She was the third US Navy ship named Wadsworth. She was the second "short-hull" (Flight I) OHP frigate 445 ft (136 m) long. Commissioned in 1980, she served in the US Navy until 2002. Upon decommissioning she was immediately turned over to the Polish navy, where she now serves as ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko.

History

Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY75 program, Wadsworth, originally classified PF-111, was laid down on 13 July 1977, launched on 29 July 1978, and commissioned on 28 February 1980. Wadsworth was sponsored by Mrs. Patricia P. Roberts, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth.[1]

Wadsworth portrayed Reuben James in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October along with USS Gary (FFG-51).

The ship's motto was "For One's Country" and originates from the words of Captain Isaac Hull, Commanding Officer of USS Constitution before her August 1812 battle with HMS Guerriere. Hull said, "Men, now do your duty. Your officers cannot have entire command over you now. Each man must do all in his power for his country."[2]

Wadsworth and her crew received Battle Effectiveness Awards for operations in 1993, 1998 and 2001.[3]

Decommissioned on 28 June 2002, Wadsworth was handed over to Poland the same day and commissioned as ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko, after Tadeusz Kościuszko an American Revolutionary War hero in the United States and an independence hero in Poland. She was formally stricken from the Navy list on 23 July 2002.

References

  1. ^ "Wadsworth III". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Coat of Arms". USSWadsworth.org. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Navy Unit Awards". Navy Unit Awards. Archived from the original on 14 October 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

External links