Kidd class destroyer

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USS Kidd
USS Kidd (DDG-993)
Class overview
Name: Kidd class destroyer
Builders: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Operators: Naval flag of United States United States Navy
Naval flag of Republic of China Republic of China Navy
Preceded by: Spruance-class destroyer
Succeeded by: Arleigh Burke class destroyer
Built: 1978
In commission: 1981-1999
Completed: 4
Active: 4
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement: Light Displacement: 7289 tons
Full Displacement: 9783 tons
Dead Weight: 2494 tons
Length: 171.6 m (563 ft)
Beam: 16.8 m (55 ft)
Propulsion: 4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW)
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h)
Range: 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
3,300 nautical miles (6000 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h)
Sensors and
processing systems:
SPS-48E Air Search Radar
SPG-60 Gun Fire Control Radar
SPS-55 Surface Search Radar
SPQ-9A Gun Fire Control Radar
SQS-53 Sonar
Electronic warfare
and decoys:
AN/SLQ-32(V)3 OUTBOARD II EW Suite
Armament: 2 x 5 in (127 mm) 54 calibre Mark 45 dual purpose guns
2 x Mk 26 launchers for Standard Missile
2 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns
2 x MK 141 quadruple Harpoon missile canisters
2 x Mark 32 triple 12.75 in (324 mm) torpedo tubes (Mk 46 torpedoes)
Aircraft carried: 1 SH-3 Sea King helicopter or 2 SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS helicopter

The Kidd class destroyers are a series of vessels based upon the hull of the Spruance class destroyers. These ships were originally ordered by the Shah of Iran for service in the Persian Gulf in an air defense role.

Each ship in the class is named after a U.S. Navy Admiral, each of whom died in combat in the Pacific in World War II:

Originally built for the Shah of Iran's government, the contracts were cancelled when the 1979 Iranian Revolution began, and the ships were completed for the U.S. Navy. Because they were equipped with heavy-duty air conditioning and other features that made them suitable in hot climates, they tended to be used in the Middle East, specifically the Persian Gulf itself.

All four ships were decommissioned from the U.S. Navy in the late 1990s, and were initially offered for sale to Australia in 1997 for AU$30 million each.[1] In 1999, the offer was rejected, based on extensive problems the Royal Australian Navy had encountered during the acquisition of two surplus Newport class tank landing ships from the U.S. Navy in 1994.[1] After the Australian refusal, the four ships were offered to Greece, who also refused.[1]

The ships were featured in 2001 film Pearl Harbor, in exploding scenes.

Contents

[edit] Kee Lung class destroyer

In 2001, the US authorized their reactivation and sale to Taiwan. All four have been transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy. They were sold for a total price of US$732 million.[1]

The first two ships, 995 and 994, arrived at Suao, a military port in eastern Taiwan, in December 2005, and were named Kee Lung (DDG-1801) and Su Ao (DDG-1802) in a commissioning ceremony on December 17, 2005. Therefore, following the tradition of ship class naming, ROCN has referred these vessels as Kee Lung class destroyers. Ships 993 and 996 were delivered in 2006, and named Tso Ying (DDG-1803) and Ma Kong (DDG-1805), respectively.

The opposition-led Legislature Yuan originally allocated only enough money to purchase half of the SM-2 missiles that the destroyers can carry; a further purchase of 100 supplemental SM-2MRs was included in the 2007 annual budget to ensure all four ships had a full load.

[edit] List of ships

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c McPhedran, Ian. "Navy told US ships too risky", Herald-Sun, News Corporation, 1999-11-05, p. pg. 26. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. 

[edit] External links

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