Destroyers: Gearing Class

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Herbert J. Thomas pictured undergoing an inclining experiment,at the start of her FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) program with Baltimore Class Heavy Cruiser USS Bremerton in mothballs in the background, at Mare Island,June 15th 1964.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Forrest Royal pictured from Essex Class Carrier USS Tarawa,April 24th 1959.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Noa pictured c1968..She was sold to Spain and renamed ESPS Blas de Lezo in May 1978,she was scrapped in 1991.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Agerholm....On May 11th 1962, Agerholm participated in nuclear weapon testing in the Pacific in the 'Swordfish' test, part of Operation Dominic. During this exercise she became the first surface ship to fire an antisubmarine nuclear weapon; the nuclear explosion occurring only about 4,000 yards from the ship. The Balao Class Submarine USS Razorback participated in the test, at the same distance as Agerholm.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Bordelon pictured at Charleston in December 1963,post her FRAM conversion refit.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Rich (post FRAM refit) pictured on approach to USS Wasp to conduct a RAS procedure,March 2nd 1961.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Kenneth D Bailey pictured during a RAS procedure with Midway Class Carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt, while operating off the coast of the Dominican Republic on October 20th 1961.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Johnston pictured underway off Oahu, on December 13th 1967...On February 27th 1981, Johnston was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and transferred to the Republic of Taiwan, serving with the Taiwanese Navy as the Chen Yang. Chen Yang was subject to a major modification and complete rearmament to a Guided Missile Destroyer with the pennant number DDG-928 under the Wu Chin III program, with the upgrade completed by 1998. All 5 inch guns were removed, with 10 box launchers for SM-1 Standard surface to air missiles fitted, four ahead of the bridge and six right aft on the ship's stern. A single Otobreda 76 mm gun was mounted forward, with two Bofors 40 mm/L70 guns amidships and a Phalanx 20 mm Close-in weapon system aft. The ships ASROC launcher was retained, although the reload capability was removed. The ship's sensors were also refurbished, with the radar suite changed to a HSA DA-08 air search radar and an AN/SPS-58 air/sea search radar, with HSA STIR-18 and Westinghouse HW-160 fire control radars. The sonar was upgraded to the Raytheon DE-1191, a digital upgrade of the SQS-23 sonar installed as part of the FRAM upgrade. A quadruple mounting for the Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missile was added amidships by 1995.She was decommissioned on December 16th 2003.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Vogelgesang pictured in July 1954.

[Brian James]

Gearing Class Destroyer USS Eugene A Greene...1951.