Asheville class gunboat
Encyclopedia
The Asheville class gunboats were a class of small military
ships built for the United States Navy
in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis
. The class is named for a city
in western North Carolina
and the seat of Buncombe County
. Most Asheville-class gunboat
s have since been donated to museums, scheduled for scrapping, or transferred to the Greek
, Turkish
, Colombian
and South Korean
Navies. The exceptions are the and , which are operated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center
.
The Asheville-class gunboats were originally designated PGM motor gunboats, but were reclassified in 1967 as PG patrol combatant
ships.
Asheville class gunboats employed a Combined diesel or gas
turbine (CODOG) propulsion system; twin Cummins Diesels for endurance, and a GE LM1500 gas turbine for high-speed dash.
During the Third Cod War between Iceland
and Great Britain
in 1975-1976 the Icelandic Coast Guard
, through the Minister of Justice Ólafur Jóhannesson
(the political leader of the Coast Guard), requested the loan of one or more Asheville boats from the United States Navy
. With their high speed they were considered ideal for the Icelanders to counter the British frigates protecting trawlers on the Icelandic fishing banks. The U.S. Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger
categorically turned down the Icelandic request. This hardly came as a great surprise to the Icelanders, as the request for the Asheville boats was probably a political ploy, intended to show how serious Iceland was in overcoming the Royal Navy
in the struggle for the fishing banks. The seaworthiness of the Ashevilles in the rough seas of the North Atlantic around Iceland has to be considered doubtful, at best.
(PG93, PG95, PG97, PG99 & PG101 were built by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, WI; most of the remaining PG84 class were built by Tacoma Shipyard)
propulsion engine
s were removed prior to transfer and the ships were reclassified as coastal patrol craft
.
; renamed Yildirim (P-338), sunk in 1985. transferred to Turkey in 1973 under the Foreign Assistance Act; renamed Bora (P-339).
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
ships built for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. The class is named for a city
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
in western North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and the seat of Buncombe County
Buncombe County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 206,330 people, 85,776 households, and 55,668 families residing in the county. The population density was 314 people per square mile . There were 93,973 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile...
. Most Asheville-class gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s have since been donated to museums, scheduled for scrapping, or transferred to the Greek
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
, Turkish
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
, Colombian
Colombian National Armada
The Colombian Navy , also known as the "Armada Nacional" or just the "Armada" in Spanish, is the naval branch of the military forces of Colombia....
and South Korean
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
Navies. The exceptions are the and , which are operated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center
The Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers are composed of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . They operate in a seamless, integrated manner, and they collaborate with customers using a common work assignment process to get the right work to the right...
.
The Asheville-class gunboats were originally designated PGM motor gunboats, but were reclassified in 1967 as PG patrol combatant
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
ships.
Asheville class gunboats employed a Combined diesel or gas
Combined diesel or gas
Combined diesel or gas ' is a type of propulsion system for ships that need a maximum speed that is considerably faster than their cruise speed, particularly warships like modern frigates or corvettes....
turbine (CODOG) propulsion system; twin Cummins Diesels for endurance, and a GE LM1500 gas turbine for high-speed dash.
Ships
A total of 17 Asheville-class gunboats were built between 1966 and 1971.During the Third Cod War between Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1975-1976 the Icelandic Coast Guard
Icelandic Coast Guard
The Icelandic Coast Guard is the service responsible for Iceland's coastal defense and maritime and aeronautical search and rescue. Origins of the Icelandic Coast Guard can be traced to 1859, when the corvette Ørnen started patrolling Icelandic waters...
, through the Minister of Justice Ólafur Jóhannesson
Ólafur Jóhannesson
Ólafur Jóhannesson was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Iceland for the Progressive Party on two occasions. He was a member of the Progressive Party, serving as party chairman during the 1980s.-Career:...
(the political leader of the Coast Guard), requested the loan of one or more Asheville boats from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. With their high speed they were considered ideal for the Icelanders to counter the British frigates protecting trawlers on the Icelandic fishing banks. The U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
categorically turned down the Icelandic request. This hardly came as a great surprise to the Icelanders, as the request for the Asheville boats was probably a political ploy, intended to show how serious Iceland was in overcoming the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the struggle for the fishing banks. The seaworthiness of the Ashevilles in the rough seas of the North Atlantic around Iceland has to be considered doubtful, at best.
Original commission
The following Asheville-class gunboats were commissioned for the U.S. Navy. commissioned on 6 August 1966. It was struck from the Navy Register on 15 December 1976. commissioned on 22 October 1966. Struck 9 October 1984. commissioned on 4 November 1967. Struck 1 October 1977. commissioned on 6 January 1968. Struck on 1 October 1977. commissioned on 24 June 1967. Struck on 15 December 1976. commissioned on 11 May 1968. Struck on 15 December 1976. commissioned on 26 July 1968. Struck on 9 October 1984. Currently on donation hold.- PGM-91 was not an Asheville-class ship. commissioned on 14 July 1969. Struck on 12 April 1995. commissioned on 8 September 1969. Struck on 12 April 1995. commissioned on 8 November 1969. commissioned on 24 September 1969. Struck on 6 August 1987. commissioned on 25 April 1970. Struck on 30 August 1996.
- USS Surprise (PGM-97)USS Surprise (PG-97)The fourth USS Surprise and fifth American naval ship of the name was an Asheville class patrol gunboat that served in the United States Navy from 1969 to 1973.-Technical description:...
commissioned on 17 October 1969. Struck on 6 August 1987. commissioned on 5 September 1970. commissioned on 21 November 1969. Struck on 1 July 1975. commissioned on 7 February 1971. Struck on 1 October 1977. commissioned on 5 December 1969. Struck on 1 July 1975.
(PG93, PG95, PG97, PG99 & PG101 were built by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, WI; most of the remaining PG84 class were built by Tacoma Shipyard)
Hellenic Navy
Two of the ships were transferred to the navy of Greece; both ships were in reserve from April 1977 before being refitted and transferred. The gas-turbineGas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
propulsion engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
s were removed prior to transfer and the ships were reclassified as coastal patrol craft
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
.
- Tolmi (ex-) transferred 30 October 1989 recommissioned on 18 June 1991.
- Ormi (ex-) transferred 30 October 1989 recommissioned on 18 June 1991.
Colombian National Armada
officially released to Colombia on 20 September 1995, renamed Quita Suevo (P-111). officially released to Colombia on 20 September 1995, renamed Albuquerque (P-112).Turkish Navy
transferred to Turkey in 1973 under the Foreign Assistance ActForeign Assistance Act
The Foreign Assistance Act is a United States Act of Congress. The Act reorganized the structure of existing U.S. foreign assistance programs, separated military from non-military aid, and created a new agency, the United States Agency for International Development to administer those...
; renamed Yildirim (P-338), sunk in 1985. transferred to Turkey in 1973 under the Foreign Assistance Act; renamed Bora (P-339).
Republic of Korea Navy
transferred to Korea in 1973; renamed Paek Ku (PGM 351), scrapped in 1998.External links
- http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/
- http://www.hellas.org/military/navy/#ashville
- http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/patrol/pgm84.htm Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships online
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/11idx.htm NavSource photo archive