ORP Gen. K. Pułaski

ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski is one of two Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates of the Polish Navy. Formerly serving in the United States Navy as the USS Clark (FFG-11), after her transfer to Poland she was named for Kazimierz Pułaski, who fought in both the War of the Bar Confederation in Poland and later the American Revolutionary War. As the USS Clark, she was the US Navy's fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, and was named for Admiral Joseph James "Jocko" Clark (1893–1971). The ship is propelled by two General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines and two 350 horsepower (261 kW) electric drive auxiliary propulsion units. The Gen K. Pułaski is currently homeported at Gdynia (Oksywie).

"USS Clark (FFG-11)" redirects here. For ships with a similar name, see USS Clark.

ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski moored in Gdynia
History
United States
NameUSS Clark
NamesakeAdmiral Joseph James "Jocko" Clark (1893–1971)
Ordered27 February 1976
BuilderBath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Laid down17 July 1978
Launched24 March 1979
Sponsored byMrs. Olga Clark, widow of Admiral Clark
Commissioned9 May 1980
Decommissioned15 March 2000
Stricken15 March 2000
HomeportNorfolk, Virginia (former)
Identification
Motto"Determined Warrior"
FateDisposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP) Sold to Polish Navy
Badge
Complement15 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 carried1 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopter
Poland
NameORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski
NamesakeCasimir Pulaski
Acquired15 March 2000
Commissioned25 June 2000
Identification
StatusActive
Complement17 officers and 198 enlisted
Armament
  • 2 × double tube anti-submarine torpedo mounts
  • 1 × 76 mm (3.0 in) Rapid Fire Dual Purpose Gun
  • 1 × Vulcan Phalanx system
  • 1 × Guided missile launching system with Standard surface-to-air missiles
  • Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles
Aircraft carriedASW Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopter
General characteristics
Class and typeOliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length445 feet (136 m), overall
Beam45 feet (14 m)
Draft22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedover 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)

History

Ordered by the US Navy from Bath Iron Works on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY76 program, the USS Clark was laid down on 17 July 1978, launched on 24 March 1979, and commissioned on 9 May 1980. She was the second US Navy ship commissioned as the USS Clark. The ship sponsor was Mrs. Olga Clark, the widow of the ship's namesake.

In July 1982, Clark recovered three sailors that were washed overboard from the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain.[1] A fourth sailor was not recovered and was lost at sea.[2]

In December 1992, Clark was nearby when the crew of an F-14 was forced to eject during training operations off the coast of Virginia. Clark's helicopter rescued the radar intercept officer and a United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued the pilot.[3]

In April 1994, Clark changed homeports from Newport, Rhode Island, to Norfolk, Virginia.[4] The ship had previously been homeported in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the mid-1980s to 1992 and Mayport, Florida before that.

Decommissioned and stricken from the US Navy list on 15 March 2000, she was transferred to the Polish Navy that same day.

The ship was commissioned the ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski (after Kazimierz Pułaski) on 25 June 2000, at a ceremony attended by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Commander Marian Ambroziak was the first Polish Commanding Officer. Since her transfer to Poland, the Gen K. Pułaski has participated in numerous NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea.

Awards as the USS Clark
A starboard bow view of the guided missile frigate USS Clark (FFG-11) underway.

The USS Clark and her crew received the following unit awards, according to the US Navy unit awards website:[5]

USS Clark was also nominated for the United States Public Health Service Outstanding Unit Citation for operations from 24 June 1994 to 12 July 1994, but did not receive the award. The ship was reported near Haiti in mid-July 1994[6] around the time many refugees were fleeing Haiti in small boats.[7]

See also

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

  1. "Sailor Missing from Carrier". Daily News Record. Harrisonburg, Virginia. Associated Press. 7 July 1982.
  2. "Man Overboard: Sailor Recalls Ordeal". The Winchester Star. Winchester, Virginia. 15 July 1982.
  3. "Navy Jet Crashes into Ocean". Daily Press. Hampton Roads, Virginia. 16 December 1992.
  4. "Underway for Good". Pacific Stars And Stripes. Associated Press. 18 April 1994.
  5. "Unit Awards". US Navy. Archived from the original on 14 October 2004.
  6. "Haitian Crisis Deepens". European Stars And Stripes. Associated Press. 16 July 1994.
  7. "Haitians to go to Guantanamo". Syracuse Herald-Journal. Syracuse, New York. Associated Press. 29 June 1994.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Clark (FFG-11) (ship, 1979) and ORP Gen. K. Pułaski (ship, 1979).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.