USS Taurus (PHM-3)
For other ships of the same name, see USS Taurus.
 | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Taurus |
| Awarded: | 20 October 1977 |
| Builder: | Boeing Marine Systems, Renton, Washington |
| Laid down: | 30 January 1979 |
| Launched: | 8 May 1981 |
| Commissioned: | 10 October 1981 |
| Decommissioned: | 30 July 1993 |
| Homeport: | Key West, Fl |
| Motto: | ad astra "To the stars" |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping, 19 August 1996 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Pegasus-class hydrofoil |
| Displacement: | 255 long tons (259 t) full |
| Length: | 133 ft (41 m) |
| Beam: | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Mercedes-Benz marine diesels (hullborne), 1,600 bhp (1,193 kW) 1 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (foilborne), 18,000 shp (13,423 kW) |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) hullborne 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph) foilborne |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 17 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: | LN-66 navigation radar MK 92 Mod 1 fire-control system |
| Armament: | 2 × quad RGM-84 Harpoon 1 × Mk.75 76 mm OTO Melara, 62 cal. gun |
USS Taurus (PHM-3) was the third ship of her class of hydrofoils operated by the United States Navy. Pegasus class vessels were designed for high speed and mobility, and carried a powerful (for their size) armament. The ship was named for the constellation Taurus.
In November 1972, The United States, Germany and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to share the cost of the development of a Patrol Missile Hydrofoil. This brought about the building of the Pegasus class . The Taurus was the first production model.[1]
See also
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References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Taurus (PHM-3). |
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Taurus at NavSource Naval History
- Navysite.de PHM-3 page
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Rear Admiral James D. Williams, Commander, Naval Base Seattle, delivers his address as the keynote speaker during the commissioning for Taurus on 10 October 1981.
A sailor aboard the patrol combatant missile hydrofoil USS Taurus (PHM 3) stands beside an M60 machine gun as he keeps an eye on a small craft that was stopped after being spotted unusually far from shore