* Written for the universe of the Three Amigos with @TheMann & @Joe Bonkers *
Clifton Sprague Class DLGN
Operator
United States Navy (1962 - 1995)
Number Built
21
Builders
Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California
New York Shipbuilding Corporation, New Jersey
Newport News Shipyard, Virginia
Fore River Shipyard, Massachusetts
Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi
Displacement
13,500 tons (full load)
Dimensions
630 x 66 x 33 feet
Compliment
633 (45 Officers & 588 Enlisted)
Propulsion
2 C1G Nuclear Reactors 120,000 shp
4 Tubo-Electric Steam Turbines
2 Shafts
Speed
34 Knots sustained
Range
Unlimited
Armament
2 Mark 42 5"/54 (650 rounds per mount)
2 Mark 37 3"70RF (2,000 rounds per mount)
1 Mark 10 mod 2 (80 RIM-2 Terrier/RUR-5 ASROC/RGM-59 Taurus)
1 Mark 11 (42 RIM-24 Tartar)
2 Mark 25 21" Torpedo Tubes
2 Mark 32 12.75" SVTT
Electronics
SPS-32/33 SCANFAR
SPS-10 Surface Search
AA-8200 ECM "Beehive"
SQS-23 Hull Sonar
SQS-26 Hull Sonar (Oldendorf sub-class)
SQA-10 Variable Depth Sonar
2 SPG-51 Tartar Illumination
2 SPG-55 Terrier Illumination
Mk 68 5" GFCS
Mk 69 3" GFCS
Naval Tactical Data System
Aviation
3 QH-50C DASH
1 UH-2B Seasprite
John Paul Jones class DLG
Operators
United States Navy (1961 - 1992)
Brazilian Navy (1976 - 2005)
Venezuelan Navy (1976 - 2003)
Number Built
45
Builders
Todd Shipyards, California
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, New Jersey
Fore River Shipyard, Massachusetts
Bath Iron Works, Maine
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania
Consolidated Steel, Texas
Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina
Havana Bay Naval Shipyard, Cuba
Displacement 11,200 tons (full load)
Dimensions
610 x 63 x 29 feet
Compliment
540 (39 Officers & 501 Enlisted)
Propulsion
4 FT4B Gas Turbine (regenerative) 92,000 shp
2 38ND Diesel 8,000 shp
CODAG-E transmission
2 Shafts
Speed
32 Knots sustained
Range
8,000 nmi @20 knots
Armament
2 Mark 42 5"/54 (650 rounds per mount)
2 Mark 37 3"70RF (2,000 rounds per mount)
1 Mark 10 mod 2 (80 RIM-2 Terrier/RUR-5 ASROC/RGM-59 Taurus)
1 Mark 11 (42 RIM-24 Tartar)
2 Mark 25 21" Torpedo Tubes
2 Mark 32 12.75" SVTT
Electronics
SPS-39 3D Radar
SPS-40 2D Radar
SPS-10 Surface Search
SQS-23 Hull Sonar
SQS-26 Hull Sonar (Biddle sub-class)
SQA-10 Variable Depth Sonar
2 SPG-51 Tartar Illumination
2 SPG-55 Terrier Illumination
Mk 68 5" GFCS
Mk 69 3" GFCS
Naval Tactical Data System
Aviation
3 QH-50C DASH
1 UH-2B Seasprite
Backstory
Though not participating directly in the fighting, as ordered by President Kirk, the United States Navy actively studied the exploding Suez Conflict and subsequent Energy Crisis of 1957-1959, fought by its French and Commonwealth allies. What initially started as another "Brushfire War" in the post-colonial era rapidly expanded into a full regional revolution as Soviet-backed forces overthrew the various royal families propped up by the Amigos and European interests. These new Arabian Socialist Republics warmly greeted the Red Army pouring south through the Caucasus, upholding anti-Western sentiment and firmly placing the majority of Middle Eastern oil exports under Soviet influence.
The now infamous pledge of September 22nd, 1957, to "Make Them Suffer" blocked all oil exports to Western-aligned nations, spiking the price of crude oil by 650% between September and November 1957. Though cushioned by its Strategic Reserve of oil, as part of "Project Independence," President Kirk ordered the Navy to review its surface ship production and prioritize nuclear propulsion. While naval reactors had matured with submarines, as Nautilus had been commissioned in 1951 and some 18 Attack and Regulus submarines were in service by the end of 1957, surface propulsion was still in its infancy. Both the Enterprise (CVN-75) and San Francisco (CAGN-15) had only just left their docks for builders' trials and were horrendously over budget, with a commissioning date of July 1958. Initial results, however, had proven the cost worth it, bringing Admiral Rickover's dream of a Nuclear Navy closer to reality.
Enter the DLG, or Frigate, guided missile, a cross between a once cruiser-sized hull and the mission of a destroyer "riding shotgun" to protect its assigned battlegroup. The Frigate was uniquely an American response to lessons learned from the past 20 years of naval development and combat. The initial Farragut class proved technologically impressive for 1957, though it was built on an expanded Mitscher class hull that was too austere for future growth. The Clifton Sprague and John Paul Jones classes of Frigates rectified the austere shortcomings of the Farragut with larger hulls, increased habitability for extended deployments, and improved integration of the latest radar and missile systems. The Clifton Sprague was designed to "economize" systems developed by the Enterprise and San Francisco classes, chiefly the massive Hughes SCANFAR phased-array radar system, which provided unparalleled range and clarity compared to "traditional" radar systems.
Though differing in propulsion, both classes had revolutionary systems, with the DLG being the first gas turbine-powered ship, using regenerative FT4 turbines that provided significant manning, weight, and space savings over a comparable 1200 psi turbine system. The C1G reactors naturally allowed the DLGNs to maintain speeds of 30 knots and above indefinitely while powering the electrically hungry SCANFAR system. Though designed to protect Carrier and Amphibious groups with long-range missiles, the heavy armament and embedded flag space allowed these Frigates to lead independent formations of their own.
Clifton Sprague Class DLGN
Operator
United States Navy (1962 - 1995)
Number Built
21
Builders
Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California
New York Shipbuilding Corporation, New Jersey
Newport News Shipyard, Virginia
Fore River Shipyard, Massachusetts
Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi
Displacement
13,500 tons (full load)
Dimensions
630 x 66 x 33 feet
Compliment
633 (45 Officers & 588 Enlisted)
Propulsion
2 C1G Nuclear Reactors 120,000 shp
4 Tubo-Electric Steam Turbines
2 Shafts
Speed
34 Knots sustained
Range
Unlimited
Armament
2 Mark 42 5"/54 (650 rounds per mount)
2 Mark 37 3"70RF (2,000 rounds per mount)
1 Mark 10 mod 2 (80 RIM-2 Terrier/RUR-5 ASROC/RGM-59 Taurus)
1 Mark 11 (42 RIM-24 Tartar)
2 Mark 25 21" Torpedo Tubes
2 Mark 32 12.75" SVTT
Electronics
SPS-32/33 SCANFAR
SPS-10 Surface Search
AA-8200 ECM "Beehive"
SQS-23 Hull Sonar
SQS-26 Hull Sonar (Oldendorf sub-class)
SQA-10 Variable Depth Sonar
2 SPG-51 Tartar Illumination
2 SPG-55 Terrier Illumination
Mk 68 5" GFCS
Mk 69 3" GFCS
Naval Tactical Data System
Aviation
3 QH-50C DASH
1 UH-2B Seasprite
John Paul Jones class DLG
Operators
United States Navy (1961 - 1992)
Brazilian Navy (1976 - 2005)
Venezuelan Navy (1976 - 2003)
Number Built
45
Builders
Todd Shipyards, California
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, New Jersey
Fore River Shipyard, Massachusetts
Bath Iron Works, Maine
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania
Consolidated Steel, Texas
Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina
Havana Bay Naval Shipyard, Cuba
Displacement 11,200 tons (full load)
Dimensions
610 x 63 x 29 feet
Compliment
540 (39 Officers & 501 Enlisted)
Propulsion
4 FT4B Gas Turbine (regenerative) 92,000 shp
2 38ND Diesel 8,000 shp
CODAG-E transmission
2 Shafts
Speed
32 Knots sustained
Range
8,000 nmi @20 knots
Armament
2 Mark 42 5"/54 (650 rounds per mount)
2 Mark 37 3"70RF (2,000 rounds per mount)
1 Mark 10 mod 2 (80 RIM-2 Terrier/RUR-5 ASROC/RGM-59 Taurus)
1 Mark 11 (42 RIM-24 Tartar)
2 Mark 25 21" Torpedo Tubes
2 Mark 32 12.75" SVTT
Electronics
SPS-39 3D Radar
SPS-40 2D Radar
SPS-10 Surface Search
SQS-23 Hull Sonar
SQS-26 Hull Sonar (Biddle sub-class)
SQA-10 Variable Depth Sonar
2 SPG-51 Tartar Illumination
2 SPG-55 Terrier Illumination
Mk 68 5" GFCS
Mk 69 3" GFCS
Naval Tactical Data System
Aviation
3 QH-50C DASH
1 UH-2B Seasprite
Backstory
Though not participating directly in the fighting, as ordered by President Kirk, the United States Navy actively studied the exploding Suez Conflict and subsequent Energy Crisis of 1957-1959, fought by its French and Commonwealth allies. What initially started as another "Brushfire War" in the post-colonial era rapidly expanded into a full regional revolution as Soviet-backed forces overthrew the various royal families propped up by the Amigos and European interests. These new Arabian Socialist Republics warmly greeted the Red Army pouring south through the Caucasus, upholding anti-Western sentiment and firmly placing the majority of Middle Eastern oil exports under Soviet influence.
The now infamous pledge of September 22nd, 1957, to "Make Them Suffer" blocked all oil exports to Western-aligned nations, spiking the price of crude oil by 650% between September and November 1957. Though cushioned by its Strategic Reserve of oil, as part of "Project Independence," President Kirk ordered the Navy to review its surface ship production and prioritize nuclear propulsion. While naval reactors had matured with submarines, as Nautilus had been commissioned in 1951 and some 18 Attack and Regulus submarines were in service by the end of 1957, surface propulsion was still in its infancy. Both the Enterprise (CVN-75) and San Francisco (CAGN-15) had only just left their docks for builders' trials and were horrendously over budget, with a commissioning date of July 1958. Initial results, however, had proven the cost worth it, bringing Admiral Rickover's dream of a Nuclear Navy closer to reality.
Enter the DLG, or Frigate, guided missile, a cross between a once cruiser-sized hull and the mission of a destroyer "riding shotgun" to protect its assigned battlegroup. The Frigate was uniquely an American response to lessons learned from the past 20 years of naval development and combat. The initial Farragut class proved technologically impressive for 1957, though it was built on an expanded Mitscher class hull that was too austere for future growth. The Clifton Sprague and John Paul Jones classes of Frigates rectified the austere shortcomings of the Farragut with larger hulls, increased habitability for extended deployments, and improved integration of the latest radar and missile systems. The Clifton Sprague was designed to "economize" systems developed by the Enterprise and San Francisco classes, chiefly the massive Hughes SCANFAR phased-array radar system, which provided unparalleled range and clarity compared to "traditional" radar systems.
Though differing in propulsion, both classes had revolutionary systems, with the DLG being the first gas turbine-powered ship, using regenerative FT4 turbines that provided significant manning, weight, and space savings over a comparable 1200 psi turbine system. The C1G reactors naturally allowed the DLGNs to maintain speeds of 30 knots and above indefinitely while powering the electrically hungry SCANFAR system. Though designed to protect Carrier and Amphibious groups with long-range missiles, the heavy armament and embedded flag space allowed these Frigates to lead independent formations of their own.