History of the USS Lang (DE/FF-1060)

USS Lang (DE/FF-1060): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Lang was the ninth member of the Knox class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates). She was named after John Lang, a sailor on the USS Wasp during the War of 1812 who helped turn the tide of battle against the HMS Frolic. It is the second ship named in Lang’s honor.

The Todd Pacific Shipyards—Los Angeles Division of San Pedro, Calif., received the order to build the Lang on July 22, 1964. Her keel was laid on March 25, 1967; she was launched on Feb. 17, 1968. She was commissioned on March 28, 1970, and joined the ranks of the Pacific Fleet. It was given the motto “1812-1970”.

Underway

The Lang made her first deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean in 1971. During that deployment and two others, the Lang received battle stars for its participation in the Vietnam War. Its duties during this period included fire support for land operations and search and rescue for pilots who bailed out of their planes in the Gulf of Tonkin. In 1981, well after the war was over, the Lang rescued 43 Vietnamese boat people who had been attacked by pirates.

In 1975, the Lang, along with the rest of the Knox class, was re-classified as a frigate. On June 30, the Lang’s designation changed from DE-1509 to FF-1509.

In the 1980s, the Lang spent several deployments off the coast of South America supporting anti-drug efforts. In October 1989, she was docked in San Francisco when the city was struck by a massive earthquake. The Lang’s crews supplied steam from the ship to Pacific Gas and Energy to help power emergency generators.

Decommissioning

The Lang was decommissioned on Dec. 12, 1991. It was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on Jan. 11, 1995 and was scrapped on Dec. 15, 2001.

Characteristics of the USS Lang (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: July 22, 1964
Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards - Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down: March 25, 1967
Launched: February 17, 1968
Acquired: March 20, 1970
Commissioned: March 28, 1970
Decommissioned: December 12, 1991
Struck: January 11, 1995
Motto: 1812-1970
Fate: Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling December 15, 2001

Timeline:

July 1964: Order placed for construction of USS Lang
March 1967: Keel of USS Lang laid
February 1968: USS Lang launched
March 1970: USS Lang commissioned
1971: USS Lang makes first Western Pacific deployment
October 1989: USS Lang supports Pacific Gas and Energy after Bay Area Earthquake

Crewmembers of the USS Lang:

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Lang 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://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=543

Ole Halvorson (served February 1982-August 1985):”Enjoyed my tour onboard her. Was a fine ship and i learned alot while i was there. Hope all is well with all shipmates. Fair winds and following seas to all.”
Joseph Bell (served June 1982-January 1986): “I enjoyed the Lang; being underway. Liked being a sailor, but not necessarily the Navy. Some of the officers were cruel and sadistic.”
Joe Senick (served March 1982-December 1985): “Great SHIP! Couldn't get enough of it from 82-85 in Long Beach so I returned in 89-91 in Treasure Island.”

Links:

http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://navysite.de/ff/ff1060.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Lang_(FF-1060)
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=543

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