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Hull Number: FFG-51

Launch Date: 11/19/1983

Commissioned Date: 11/17/1984

Decommissioned Date: 07/23/2015

Call Sign: NDAG


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: DONALD ARTHUR GARY

DONALD ARTHUR GARY

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

Commander Donald Arthur Gary (July 23, 1901 – April 9, 1977) was an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the fires on USS Franklin on March 19, 1945.

Gary was born in Findlay, Ohio, on July 23, 1901. He enlisted in the navy in December 1919 and served continuously in the enlisted ranks until November 1943, when he received a commission as a lieutenant, junior grade. In 1943 and 1944, Lieutenant junior grade Gary was assigned to the Third Naval District and as an inspector of machinery at the Babcock & Wilcox Company. In December 1944, he was sent to the aircraft carrier Franklin as an engineering officer.

When that ship was severely damaged by Japanese air attack on March 19, 1945, Lieutenant Gary discovered 300 men trapped in a blackened mess compartment and, finding an exit, returned repeatedly to lead groups to safety. Gary later organized and led firefighting parties to battle the inferno on the hangar deck and entered number three fireroom to raise steam in one boiler, braving extreme hazards in so doing. For his heroism on that occasion, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 23, 1946.[1]

Subsequently, promoted to the ranks of lieutenant and lieutenant commander, Gary remained with Franklin until she was decommissioned in February 1947. He was then assigned to the Naval Disciplinary Barracks at Terminal IslandCalifornia, where he served until relieved of active duty pending retirement, which took place in June 1950. On the basis of his combat awards, he was advanced to the rank of commander upon retirement. Commander Donald A. Gary died in 1977.

Donald A. Gary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donald Arthur Gary

Gary in 1945
Born July 23, 1901
Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
Died April 9, 1977 (aged 75)
Garden Grove, California, U.S.
Place of burial
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch  United States Navy
Years of service 1919–1950
Rank  Commander
Unit USS Franklin
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Medal of Honor

Commander Donald Arthur Gary (July 23, 1901 – April 9, 1977) was an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the fires on USS Franklin on March 19, 1945.

Biography[edit]

Franklin listing, with crew on deck, March 1945; seen from cruiser USS Santa Fe alongside

Gary was born in Findlay, Ohio, on July 23, 1901. He enlisted in the navy in December 1919 and served continuously in the enlisted ranks until November 1943, when he received a commission as a lieutenant, junior grade. In 1943 and 1944, Lieutenant junior grade Gary was assigned to the Third Naval District and as an inspector of machinery at the Babcock & Wilcox Company. In December 1944, he was sent to the aircraft carrier Franklin as an engineering officer.

When that ship was severely damaged by Japanese air attack on March 19, 1945, Lieutenant Gary discovered 300 men trapped in a blackened mess compartment and, finding an exit, returned repeatedly to lead groups to safety. Gary later organized and led firefighting parties to battle the inferno on the hangar deck and entered number three fireroom to raise steam in one boiler, braving extreme hazards in so doing. For his heroism on that occasion, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 23, 1946.[1]

Subsequently, promoted to the ranks of lieutenant and lieutenant commander, Gary remained with Franklin until she was decommissioned in February 1947. He was then assigned to the Naval Disciplinary Barracks at Terminal IslandCalifornia, where he served until relieved of active duty pending retirement, which took place in June 1950. On the basis of his combat awards, he was advanced to the rank of commander upon retirement. Commander Donald A. Gary died in 1977.

Namesake[edit]

In 1983, the guided missile frigate USS Gary (FFG-51) was named in honor of Donald A. Gary.

Medal of Honor Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as an Engineering Officer attached to the U.S.S. Franklin when that vessel was fiercely attacked by enemy aircraft during the operations against the Japanese Home Islands near Kobe, Japan, March 19, 1945. Stationed on the third deck when the ship was rocked by a series of violent explosions set off in her own ready bombs, rockets and ammunition by the hostile attack, Lieutenant Gary unhesitatingly risked his life to assist several hundred men trapped in a messing compartment filled with smoke, and with no apparent egress. As the imperiled men below decks became increasingly panic-stricken under the raging fury of incessant explosions, he confidently assured them he would find a means of effecting their release and, groping through the dark, debris-filled corridors, ultimately discovered an escapeway. Staunchly determined, he struggled back to the messing compartment three times despite menacing flames, flooding water and the ominous threat of sudden additional explosions, on each occasion calmly leading his men through the blanketing pall of smoke until the last one had been saved. Selfless in his concern for his ship and his fellows, he constantly rallied others about him, repeatedly organized and led fire-fighting parties into the blazing inferno on the flight deck and, when firerooms 1 and 2 were found to be inoperable, entered the No. 3 fireroom and directed the raising of steam in one boiler in the face of extreme difficulty and hazard. An inspiring and courageous leader, Lieutenant Gary rendered self-sacrificing service under the most perilous conditions and, by his heroic initiative, fortitude and valor, was responsible for the saving of several hundred lives. His conduct throughout reflects the highest credit upon himself and upon the United States Naval Service.



USS GARY FFG-51 Ship History

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

USS Gary (FFG-51) was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in the United States Navy. She was named for Medal of Honor recipient Commander Donald A. Gary (1903–1977).

Gary was laid down on 18 December 1982 at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles DivisionSan PedroCalifornialaunched on 19 November 1983, co-sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy G. Gary, widow of the late Cmdr. Gary, and Mrs. Joyce Leamer, the late Medal of Honor recipient’s niece;[1] and commissioned on 17 November 1984 at Naval Station Long Beach.[2] The Gary was decommissioned from the US Navy on 5 August 2015 with the Taiwanese crew taking possession on 13 March 2017, and arrived at the ROCN Zyoying Naval Base on 13 May. She was formally commissioned into ROCN as the ROCS Feng Jia (PFG-1115) on 8 November 2018.

USS Gary (FFG-51)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USS Gary (FFG-51) leaves Pearl Harbor in July 2014

USS Gary (FFG-51), leaves Pearl Harbor in July 2014.
History
United States
Name Gary
Namesake Commander Donald A. Gary
Awarded 22 May 1981
Builder Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles DivisionSan PedroCalifornia
Laid down 18 December 1982
Launched 19 November 1983
Commissioned 17 November 1984
Decommissioned 5 August 2015
Homeport Naval Base San Diego
Identification
Motto “Freedom’s Foremost Guardian”
Nickname(s) “Two Guns”
Fate Sold to Taiwan
Badge
Taiwan
Name
  • Feng Jia
  • (逢甲)
Acquired 13 March 2017
Commissioned 8 November 2018
Identification Pennant number: PFG-1115
Status in active service
General characteristics
Class and type Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length 453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam 45 feet (14 m)
Draft 22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speed over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
AN/SLQ-32
Armament
Aircraft carried 2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Aviation facilities

USS Gary (FFG-51) was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in the United States Navy. She was named for Medal of Honor recipient Commander Donald A. Gary (1903–1977).

Gary was laid down on 18 December 1982 at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles DivisionSan PedroCalifornialaunched on 19 November 1983, co-sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy G. Gary, widow of the late Cmdr. Gary, and Mrs. Joyce Leamer, the late Medal of Honor recipient’s niece;[1] and commissioned on 17 November 1984 at Naval Station Long Beach.[2] The Gary was decommissioned from the US Navy on 5 August 2015 with the Taiwanese crew taking possession on 13 March 2017, and arrived at the ROCN Zyoying Naval Base on 13 May. She was formally commissioned into ROCN as the ROCS Feng Jia (PFG-1115) on 8 November 2018.

Background[edit]

Gary is the forty-fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided missile frigates. These ships were built to provide air, surface and sub-surface protection for underway replenishment groups, convoys, amphibious groups and other military and merchant shipping. While a capable surface combatant in these traditional warfare areas, Garys role has expanded from that of the early 1980s to meet the threats and contingencies of the 21st century. Being the smallest multi-mission surface combatant in the U.S. Navy, Garys shallow draft gives her an advantage over larger cruisers and destroyers in the littoral operations that have characterized recent conflicts.

Garys engineering plant is computer-controlled and monitored, reducing the number of watchstanders required in the engineering spaces themselves. Two marine gas turbine engines provide propulsion. Digital electronic logic circuits and remotely operated valves are monitored in a central control station and make Gary capable of getting ready to get underway in less than ten minutes rather than the eight hours required by steam-powered ships.

One of the U.S. Navy’s premiere anti-submarine warfare platforms, Gary routinely deploys for bilateral anti-submarine exercises and real-world contingency operations in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, she displayed her versatility, deploying to the Arabian Sea, Persian GulfGulf of Aden and Red Sea, conducting carrier escort and air defense, intelligence gathering and presence missions, terrorist interdiction operations, rescue at sea and escorted dozens of merchant and military supply ships through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb strait. From 1999 to 2007, Gary was forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the United States Seventh Fleet. During 2007, Gary completed a hull-swap/crew-swap with McCampbell (DDG-85) and to be home-ported at Naval Station, San Diego.

An Iranian mine damaged guided missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf on 14 April 1988. On 18 April the U.S. launched retaliatory Operation Praying Mantis against the Iranian-occupied Rakhsh, Salman (Sassan), and Sīrrī-D (Nassr) oil platforms. As the Task Unit Commander of joint forces in the Northern Persian Gulf, Gary coordinated her efforts with naval, Air Force and Army aircraft as well as special operations boat units while protecting Mobile Sea Bases Hercules and Wimbrown VII during the fighting.[1] She even claimed to have shot down a Silkworm missile, but this was never officially credited nor was she officially commended for her actions due to political reasons at that time.[3]

While aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, guided missile destroyer Curtis Wilbur, and Gary, with an embarked an SH-60B Seahawk of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 51 Detachment 5, passed through the Strait of Malacca, en route to the Indian Ocean, on 7 October 2001, they rescued five Indonesian fishermen from their sinking 40-foot fishing vessel.[1]

On 13 March 2003, Gary, with an SH-60B of HSL-51 embarked, assisted in the rescue of all eight Iraqi fishermen from dhow Kaptain Muhamadat when she lost steerage and propulsion in heavy seas and capsized 20 miles south of the Iranian coast.[1]

On 9 February 2007 Gary docked at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. It is the first time since the Vietnam War that an American warship has docked in Cambodia.

In the summers of 2012 and 2014, Gary took part in the largest Rim of the Pacific multi-national naval exercise including 23 nations and over 40 ships.

While Gary, with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment team embarked, deployed for Operation Martillo (Spanish for “Hammer”), a counter-narcotics patrol, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, she intercepted a suspicious vessel on 4 January 2013. The Coast Guardsmen and Sailors from the ship’s “visit, board, search, and seizure” (VBSS) team boarded the suspected smuggler and seized 600 pounds (270 kg) of cocaine with an estimated street value of $22 million. “This was one of those vessels we were chasing in the dark,” Leatrice Daniels, Garys embarked Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agent explained, “There was great open communication with everybody involved. Everything just flowed, from pursuit to initial contact and boarding.” The investigators deemed the smuggler a hazard to navigation and sank her. This case concluded a hectic week in which Garys crewmembers and Coast Guardsmen boarded three boats, disrupting more than 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of cocaine destined for the United States with a street value of $272 million.[1]

On the night of 8 January 2013, Gary encountered a small vessel loaded with cargo. The boat displayed several indicators that she was involved in illicit trafficking, and the VBSS team and the Coast Guardsmen boarded the vessel. While they searched the boat, she suffered a temporary steering casualty, rendering her dangerous to operate. Gary rigged a tow until the Americans and the mariners restored the boat’s steering. The intervening time enabled the boarders to complete their search and they failed to discover any narcotics on board, and the vessel resumed her voyage two days later.[1]

The ship capped her deployment by seizing an additional vessel smuggling more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) of cocaine valued at $81 million. “It was a complex operation,” Lt. (j.g.) Christian Gotcher, the ship’s navigation officer, recalled, “involving a law enforcement boarding, boat and helicopter searches, precision driving, detainee handling, and multiple deck operations, but Garys crew proved they were fully capable of handling it and scored a big win.”[1]

Gary was decommissioned on 23 July 2015 at Naval Base San Diego, California.[1][4]

The ship was inactivated on 5 August 2015 and then prepared for transfer to Taiwan.[5] The Republic of China Navy inaugurated the ship as the ROCS Feng Jia (PFG-1115) on 8 November 2018.[6]