USS Simpson (FFG-56)

Career
Ordered:
Laid down:	27 February 1984
Launched:	31 August 1984
Commissioned:	9 November 1985
Status:	Template:Ship fate box active in service
Homeport:	NS Mayport, Florida
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,100 tons (4,170 t) full load
Length:	453 ft (138.1 m), overall
Beam:	45 ft (13.7 m)
Draft:	22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and variable-pitch propeller
Speed:	29+ knots (54+ km/h)
Range:	5,000 nm (9,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement:	15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Armament:	One OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun; one Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine); two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes; one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS; four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
Aircraft:	2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Motto:	"Attaquer en Vigueur" (Attack with Vigor)
Nickname:	Detect First Attack First

USS Simpson (FFG-56) is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Rodger W. Simpson. She was laid down at Bath Iron Works, Maine, on 27 February 1984, launched on 31 August 1984 and commissioned on 9 November 1985.

Service history

Simpson was deployed to the Persian Gulf in January 1988, as an escort to reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. On 18 April 1988, Simpson took part in Operation Praying Mantis, the US response to the mining of the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts, which hit an Iranian M-08 mine on 14 April 1988.

Simpson, with Seaman Frederick Wheeler at the helm, together with other warships and military assets destroyed Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the Persian Gulf, and sent at least six armed speedboats to the bottom. Simpson was attacked by an RGM-84 Harpoon missile from the Iranian frigate Joshan, and hit back with four missiles. Joshan was then sunk by gunfire. Another Iranian frigate was damaged. The frigate Sabalan was a special target; it had repeatedly fired machine guns into the bridges of neutral commercial ships. It was heavily damaged minutes before the Americans halted their operation.

Simpson was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award and the Combat Action Ribbon for this operation, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the deployment.

In the Gulf War of 1991, Simpson served as an escort to the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66).

In August 1993, Simpson again escorted USS America and took part in Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise during the Yugoslav wars.

In May 1994, Simpson took part in Operation Support Democracy and Operation Able Manner off the coast of Haiti in support of the United Nations embargo. During this time, Simpson officially changed homeports to Norfolk, Virginia.

After returning to Newport, Rhode Island for a three week port visit, Simpson made to transit to Norfolk Virginia in May. Enroute, it was tasked to return to the Caribbean to participate in operation Restore Democracy. Returning home in June, Simpson then entered drydock for a schedule availability.

Upon completion of the availability and a Light Off Examination, Simpson returned to the Caribbean once again to partcipate in Counter Drug Operations with the Coast Guard. Simpson returned to homeport in December and redeployed to the Caribbean in February to continue Counter Drug Operations. Arriving home in April 1995, Simpson completed many engineering, Combat Systems, and Logistics inspections prior to deployment with the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic in November of 1995 enforcing the Dayton Peace Accord with NATO naval forces in the Adriatic Sea as part of Operation Joint Endeaver [1]. The mission was to query ships to determine their origin and cargo during and after the Yugoslav Wars and Bosnian War. Two War criminals are wanted by the international Community for their involvement with the Srebrenica Massacre.

Important actions

The USS Simpson FFG-56 is one of only two currently-commissioned vessels in the Navy to have sunk an enemy ship. The other is the USS Constitution [2]

Rescue of a Russian Merchant Sailer from the Ekaterina Belashova, due to a medical emergency in December 1995 [3]

Current assignment

As of 2006, Simpson is homeported at NS Mayport, Florida, and is part of Destroyer Squadron 14

See also

• USS Simpson for other ships of the same name.
• List of ship launches in 1984
• List of ship commissionings in 1985
• List of United States Navy ships

External links

• USS Simpson official website
• navsource.org: USS Simpson
• navysite.de: USS Simpson
• MaritimeQuest USS Simpson FFG-56 pages