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Hey Noel,

    Just got your e-mail regarding Hopewell being a Fletcher 2100 class  Destroyer and the Agerholm, the DD 826, a Gearing Class and 2250 Class Destroyer Fram II Destroyer!  The USS Edwards DD 950 was a Forest Sherman Class!!!  There is quite a difference when it comes to the Fram Class Destroyers.  In fact, the entire superstructure was removed on these 2250's [and some 2100 class like Hopewell] and replaced with Aluminum superstructure!  The 2250 Class Destroyer such as Agerholm had dual 5' 35 Gun mounts, 3" 50" anti-aircraft guns.  Their main fire control system was the GFCS Mk 37  [same as Hopewell] for the main batteries and GFCS Mk 63Directors for the Anti-aircraft batteries. 

    However, the boilers in Agerholm were 600 lb. Babcock & Wilcock's.  She had two sets of evaporators with the 12,000 GPD set in Main Control and the 8,000 GPD set in the after engine room.  When underway, Agerholm wallowed in the swells because she was so heavily burdened with the new Flight Deck and Hangar back on the stern!  The latter stuff was for the AntiSubmarine ware fare DASH system.  She also held more than 244,000 gallons of Bunker "C" black oil which was 100,000 more than Hopewell or the 2100 Fletcher Class Destroyers.  None of the 2100's were ever Frammed!!!

    The 1200 lb. plants could be found in the DL's and DDG's and one was the #3 or the McCormick DDG-3.  She was called Building #3 because she couldn't get underway!  At one time, this class was called a Destroyer Leader or DL, but there were many problems with the B & W or CE 1200 lb. boilers. 

    The engines; turbines and reduction gears in Agerholm were the same as Hopewell and Porterfield.  Same horsepower and same props or screws!  The hull was much longer and Sonar was the SQS 23 system.

    As for my thoughts about ships of the future, the gas turbines and reduction gears???  I am very familiar with the Oliver Hazard Perry FFG-7 Class Frigate or Destroyer.  These ships had two GE gas turbines and one reduction gear set manufactured by Western Gear, but only one screw and only one rudder!  Not a very good design.  Hmmm... just like the DE 1052 Class which was later retyped as a Frigate Class [1200 lb. plant.  This FFG-7 class also had what was called a "come home" propulsion system which consisted of two 700 HP electric drive propellers which dropped down out of the bottom of the hull and would propel the ship along at a maximum of 3 knots.  Not fast, but enough to get the ship out of harms way!  This ship also had the latest in Missile Systems, plus they were outfitted with the CIWS or C-whiz 20mm lead spitting rapid fire gatling gun system.  Also, known as the Close in Weapons Systems...!!!   Lots of trouble with this system built by General Dynamics.  I knew all of the Tech Reps for all of the manufactures of Ordnance and Engineering equipment for this class of ship. 

    These ships engine rooms were unmanned and all engines controlled from Main Engine Control located on the main deck just a bit aft of amidships.  These ships also had three Diesel Steward Stevenson 1000 KW Generator sets.  They could really make some power and actually too much power for this class of ship!

    The FFG-7 Class also had a gyro controlled anti-roll stabilizer fins on the port and starboard side forward!  Without these fin stabilizers these ships would roll hard to port to starboard in a bathtub!  ha...  However, with the fin stabilizer system, they were a very nice ride!   There was no big wheel for a helm like in other earlier built ships.  The helmsman had only to turn a little knob in order to maneuver the ship.  Didn't need a lee helmsman either!  Am I familiar with all of this as I was a qualified Officer of the Deck [Underway] on a number of US Navy ships.

    At one time, I was the Local Engineering Systems Test Development Director for the US Navy at the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro, California!  I was responsible for all of the test procedures for all of the 60 some-odd FFG-7 class ships built by Todd Shipyard on the West Coast!  When Todd shipyard went under, then I moved on and went to work for Fluor Engineering out of Irvine, California.  Yeah, I only worked for big companies, besides the US Navy, you know, companies like Goodyear, Hunt Wesson Foods, Fluor, and
United Technologies and Carrier Corporation in my civilian lifetime.

    Don't get me wrong, but there is not much that I do not know about the old 2100's, 2250's, Gearing or Forest Sherman Class ships and the DDG's FFG's and even the aircraft carriers.  In fact, when I was assigned to Naval Ships Engineering in Washington D.C., I was responsible as the Program Manager for developing the Engineering Operational Sequencing System [EOSS] and the Engineering Operational Casualty Control System [EOCC] for the entire Navy's 600 ship fleet.  Of course there are approximately only 400 ships including submarines nowadays.

    I've had some dammed good duty over my 22 1/2 years in the US Navy!   I first had Staff Duty as Assistant Staff Engineer for COMDESFLOT FIVE in Pearl Harbor, then to NAVSEC Washington DC, then to the USS Piedmont AD 17 [repair ship] and then to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard where I was a Ships Superintendent for two years before retiring out of the Navy.  After I finished my one year tour in Vietnam [68-69], I was ordered to Washington, DC to NAVSEC and from there sent back as a team leader in a Mobile Training Team 11-70 to meet up with Vice Admiral Zumwalt [CNO US Navy] and Commodore Tran Van Chon [CNO of the South Vietnamese Navy] to deal with the so-called Activlog Maintenance Training Program.  This was the Turn-over of all Military assets to the South Vietnamese in the early 70's.  Yes, a very dangerous assignment.   I was appointed for promotion to CWO-4 and given orders to the USS Constellation before I retired!

Those are just some of my thoughts...!!!

>         Bob Freeman