Asheville class gunboat

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Tolmi P-229 of the Hellenic Navy
Class overview
Name: Asheville
Preceded by: Erie-class
Succeeded by: Pegasus-class Hydrofoil Missile (PHM)
Completed: 17 commissioned
General characteristics
Type: PGM motor gunboat
Displacement: 240 tons (244 t)
Length: 164 ft 6 in (50.1 m)
Beam: 24 ft (7.3 m)
Draft: 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Cummins VT12-875 diesel; 1,450 hp (1.07 MW); General Electric LM-1500 marine gas turbine
Speed:

16 knots (30 km/h) maximum on diesels

35 knots (65 km/h) maximum on turbine
Range: 1,700 NM (3100 km)
Complement: 24 crew (3 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems:

Weapons control: Mk 63 GFCS. Radar: Sperry AN/SPS-53; I/J-band.

Fire control: Western Electric AN/SPG-50; I/J-band.
Armament:

Missiles: 4 × Aérospatiale SS 12M; wire-guided to 5.5 km (3 NM) subsonic; warhead 30 kg. Guns: 1 × USN 3 in (76 mm) /50 Mk 34; 50 rounds/min to (7 NM) 12.8 km; weight of shell 6 kg.

1 × Bofors 40 mm/70 Mk 10. 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns (2×2)

The Asheville class gunboats were a class of small military ships built for the United States Navy in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The class is named for a city in western North Carolina and the seat of Buncombe County. Most Asheville-class gunboats have since been donated to museums, scheduled for scrapping, or transferred to the Greek, Turkish, Colombian and South Korean Navies. The exceptions are the USS Chehalis (PGM-94) and USS Grand Rapids (PGM-92), which are operated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center.[1]

The Asheville-class gunboats were originally designated PGM motor gunboats, but were reclassified in 1967 as PG patrol combatant ships. [2]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Ships

A total of 17 Asheville-class gunboats were built between 1966 and 1971.

[edit] Original commission

This is a list of the Asheville-class gunboats commissioned for the U.S. Navy. [3] [4]

[edit] Hellenic Navy

Two of the ships were transferred to the navy of Greece; both ships were in reserve from April 1977 before being refitted and transferred. The gas-turbine propulsion engines were removed prior to transfer and the ships were reclassified as coastal patrol craft.

[edit] Colombian National Armada

[edit] Turkish Navy

  • USS Defiance (PGM-95) transferred to Turkey in 1973 under the Foreign Assistance Act; renamed Yildirim (P-338), sunk in 1985.[9]
  • USS Surprise (PGM-97) transferred to Turkey in 1973 under the Foreign Assistance Act; renamed Bora (P-339).[9]

[edit] Republic of Korea Navy

  • USS Benicia (PGM-96) transferred to Korea in 1973; renamed Paek Ku (PGM 351), scrapped in 1998.[11]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links