Celebrating this weekend the 249th Birthday of the U.S. Navy!

Hull Number: FFG-25

Launch Date: 07/26/1980

Commissioned Date: 08/07/1982

Decommissioned Date: 09/18/1996

Call Sign: NRWC


Class: OLIVER HAZARD PERRY

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY Class


Length Overall: 445'

Beam: 45'

Draft: 24' 6"

Armament:

1-3″ 1-Standard-SAM Harpoon-SSM 6-12.75″T LAMPS

Complement:

180

Propulsion:

40,000 SHP, 2 G. E. LM-2500 gas turbines, 1 screw

Highest speed on trials: 28.5 knots

Namesake: ROBERT WITCHER COPELAND

ROBERT WITCHER COPELAND

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

Rear Admiral Robert Witcher Copeland (September 9, 1910 – August 25, 1973) was a United States Navy officer who served during World War II.

Copeland was born in Tacoma, Washington. Enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1929, he was commissioned as a Naval Reserve officer in 1935. Copeland practiced law from 1935 until 1940, when he was ordered to active duty during the Navy’s pre-World War II expansion. During the war, he commanded Pawtucket (YT-7)Black Douglas (PYc-45)Wyman (DE-38), and Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413).

During the Battle off Samar, October 25, 1944, while commanding Samuel B. Roberts, Lieutenant Commander Copeland led his ship and crew in an attack on a superior Japanese battleship and cruiser force. Though his ship was lost, this action helped defeat the Japanese counter-offensive against the Leyte invasion. For this, he was awarded the Navy Cross, and shared the Presidential Unit Citation with the rest of Task Unit 77.4.3.

According to the action report of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, “The crew were informed over the loud speaker system at the beginning of the action, of the Commanding Officer’s estimate of the situation, that is, a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival could not be expected, during which time we would do what damage we could. In the face of this knowledge the men zealously manned their stations wherever they might be, and fought and worked with such calmness, courage and efficiency that no higher honor could be conceived than to command such a group of men.”[1]

Following World War II, Copeland resumed his law career while remaining a member of the Naval Reserve, in which he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. Robert W. Copeland died at Tacoma, Washington, on August 25, 1973.

In 1980, the frigate USS Copeland (FFG-25) was named for him.


Disposition:

Naval Reserve Force ship 9/30/1989. To Egypt on decomm/strike.


USS COPELAND FFG-25 Ship History

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

USS Copeland (FFG-25) was the seventeenth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral Robert W. Copeland (1910–1973).

Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles DivisionSan PedroCalifornia on 28 February 1977 as part of the FY77 program, Copeland was laid down on 24 October 1979, launched on 26 July 1980, and commissioned on 7 August 1982. Decommissioned and stricken on 18 September 1996, she was transferred to Egypt the same day as Mubarak (F911). After the 2011 revolution the ship was renamed to remove the former ruler’s name. The ship is named Alexandria (F911) now. As of 2023, she remained in active service with the Egyptian Navy.[1]

Copeland was the first ship of that name in the US Navy.