USS Charles F. Adams

Career
Ordered:	28 March 1957
Laid down:	16 June 1958
Launched:	8 September 1959
Commissioned:	10 September 1960
Decommissioned:	20 November 1992
Fate:	laid up, Philadelphia
Struck:	20 November 1992
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,500 tons Full Load
Length:	437 ft (133.2 m)
Beam:	47 ft (14.3 m)
Draft:	22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	(2) Steam turbines powered by (4) Babcock & Wilcox Boilers operating at 1200PSI, turning twin screws.
Speed:	30+ kts
Range:
Complement:	354
Armament:	1 x Tartar guided missile launcher 2 x 5"/54 (127mm/54) (2x1) 1 x 8-tube ASROC launcher 6-12.75 inch (324 mm) torpedo tubes (2x3)
Aircraft:	None
Motto:	"First in class, second to none."

USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), named for Charles Francis Adams, III (Secretary of the Navy from 1929 to 1933), was the lead ship of the Charles F. Adams class of guided missile destroyers of the United States Navy.

The ship was laid down by the Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine on June 16, 1958, launched on September 8, 1959 by Mrs. R. Homans, sister of Mr. Adams, and commissioned on September 10, 1960 and stationed in its homeport of Charleston, South Carolina.

Intended as a follow-on to the Forrest Sherman class destroyers the ship was originally designated as DD-952. Outwardly similar to the Sherman class, Charles F. Adams was the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up to launch anti-aircraft missiles. To reflect the increased capabilities of the ship and to distinguish it from previous destroyer designs, Charles F. Adams was re-designated DDG-2 prior to the ship's launching.

Following commissioning Charles F. Adams took part in recovery operations for Walter M. Schirra's Mercury 8 mission. While engaged in this operation the Cuban Missile Crisis developed and Adams moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of the quarantine forces around the Island of Cuba. In July 1969, Charles F. Adams left its homeport of Charleston and relocated to Mayport, Florida.

Although designed with cutting edge technology for the 1950’s, by the mid 1970’s it was clear to the Navy that the Charles F. Adams class was ill prepared to deal with modern air and missile threats. To reduce this vulnerability the Navy initiated the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) program, which consisted of a number of sensor, weapons and communications upgrades, intended to extend the service life of the ships. Under NTU the Adams class would receive improved electronic warfare capability through the installation of the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 EW Suite. The upgraded combat system would include the MK86 Gun Fire Control System, Hughes AN/SPS-52C 3D radar, AN/SPG-51C (Digital) Fire Control Radars, and Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS). The ships would also have the ability to launch RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, to be housed in the Tartar missile magazine.

During the 1980’s the Reagan Administration chose to accelerate production of the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers and build the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers as a replacement for the Adams Class. The result of this was that only thee ships, USS Tattnall (DDG-19), USS Goldsborough (DDG-20), and USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22) received the full upgrade. Other ships of the class received only partial upgrades which included the SLQ-32 and Harpoon Missile upgrades intended to extend their service lives until the Burke class could reach operational capability.

Charles F. Adams was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on November 20, 1992 and held for donation at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania. The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum Committee attempted to acquire the ship as a museum and memorial to be located in Bay City, Michigan; however, the cost of preparing the ship for movement through the Saint Lawrence Seaway proved too expensive and the project was abandoned.

As of August 2007, Charles F. Adams remains at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

External link

• Operational Histories, Commissioning and Decommisioning Booklets
• MaritimeQuest USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 pages
• DDG-2 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com