Commissioning
The USS Pharris was a member of the Knox class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates). She was named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Commander Jackson C. Pharris. The Pharris was ordered on Aug. 25 1966. The contract to build her was awarded to the Avondale Shipyards of Westwego, La. Her keel was laid on Feb, 11, 1972; she was launched on Dec. 16,1 972. She was commissioned on Jan. 26,1974.
Underway
Though the Pharris started her career as a destroyer escort, she would retire as a frigate. The Pharris, along with the rest of the Knox class, was re-classified as a frigate on June 30, 1975. She was re-designated as FF-1094.
In 1981, the Pharris was awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness. She would win the award each of the next two years as well. In 1983, she was deployed off the coast of Lebanon as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force. During that time, she took part in several ground support missions, shelling enemy positions in the city of Beirut and the nearby hills.
In April 1986, the Pharris was on another deployment to the Mediterranean when President Reagan authorized Operation El Dorado Canyon, the joint Air Force/Navy airstrike against Libya in retaliation for that nation’s involvement in terrorist attacks against American citizens in Europe. The Pharris served as part of the escort for the U.S. carriers who launched strikes against the Libyan city of Benghazi on the night of April 15.
In 1987 and 1988, the Pharris was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will, the defense of re-flagged Kuwaiti oil tankers against Iranian attacks. In 1988, she escorted the Mighty Servant 2, a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship carrying the severely damaged Samuel B. Roberts, from the mouth of the Persian Gulf through the Red Sea.
In the fictional realm, the Pharris suffers severe damage after attack by a Soviet submarine in the Tom Clancy novel, “Red Storm Rising.”
Decommissioning
The Pharris was decommissioned on April 15, 1992 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. She was leased and later sold to Mexico, where she served into the 21st Century.
Characteristics of the USS Pharris (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Displacement: 3,305 tons (4,295 full load)
Length: 438 ft (134 m)
Beam: 46 ft 9 in (14.2 m)
Draught: 24 ft 9 in (7.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
1 Westinghouse geared turbine
1 shaft, 35,000 SHP (26 MW)
Speed: over 27 knots
Range: 4,500 nautical miles @ 20 knots
Complement: 18 officers, 267 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems: AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar
AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
AN/SQS-26 Sonar
AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonar system
Mk68 Gun Fire Control System
Electronic warfare and decoys: AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System
Armament: one Mk-16 8 cell missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles
one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun
Mark 46 torpedoes from four single tube launchers)
one Mk-25 BPDMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles, later replaced by Phalanx CIWS Aircraft carried: one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter
Career:
Ordered: Aug. 25, 1966
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: February 11, 1972
Launched: December 16, 1972
Acquired: December 14, 1973
Commissioned: January 26, 1974
Decommissioned: April 15, 1992
Struck: January 11, 1995
Motto: Vigilance-Valor-Tenacity
Fate: Sold to Mexico as ARM Victoria
Timeline:
August 1966: USS Pharris ordered laid
February 1972: USS Pharris keel laid
December 1972: USS Pharris launched
January 1974: USS Pharris commissioned
1983: USS Pharris deployed to the coast of Lebanon
April 1986: USS Pharris takes part in Operation El Dorado Canyon
1987-88: USS Pharris takes part in Operation Earnest Will in the Persian Gulf
April 1992: USS Pharris decommissioned
January 1995: USS Pharris stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Crewmembers of the USS Pharris:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Pharris can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=573
Barry Carter (served July 1987—January 1990):”Best ship I served on. Great crew! We were in the persian gulf right after the Stark was hit and after the Samuel B. Roberts hit the mine. We participated in operation Earnest Will. Shellback cruise.”
John Salton (served January 1987—August 1991): “Great memories of two cruises.”
Jeff Robinson (served January 1987—July 1992): “Worked in gun plot and had a great time.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://navysite.de/ff/ff1094.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pharris_(FF-1094)
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=573
