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USS Jarrett (FFG-33)
Encyclopedia
, was the twenty-fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate
The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie...
-class guided-missile frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, was named for Vice Admiral Harry B. Jarrett (1898–1974).
Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards
Todd Pacific Shipyards
Vigor Shipyards was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company of Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York, the Tietjen & Long Dry Dock Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company...
, San Pedro, California on 23 January 1978 as part of the FY78 program, Jarrett was laid down on 11 February 1981, launched on 17 October 1981, commissioned on 2 July 1983, and decommissioned on 21 April 2011.
Operation Desert Storm
During Desert Storm in 1991, Jarrett was involved in a friendly fire incident with the . Allegedly, Jarrett’s Phalanx engaged the chaff fired by Missouri as a countermeasure against two incoming IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Silkworm missile
Silkworm missile
The Shang Yo or SY-series , and the Hai Ying or HY-series were early Chinese anti-ship missiles. They were derived from the Soviet P-15 Termit missile.The HY-1 and HY-2 received the NATO reporting name Silkworm...
s (also known as a Seersucker). Some stray Phalanx rounds struck Missouri, one of which penetrated a bulkhead and embedded in an interior passageway of the ship. Another round struck the ship on the forward funnel passing completely through it. One sailor aboard Missouri was struck in the neck by some flying shrapnel and suffered minor injuries. Some are skeptical of this account, however, as Jarrett was reportedly over two miles away at the time and the characteristics of chaff are such that a Phalanx normally would not regard it as a threat and engage it. There is no dispute that the rounds that struck Missouri were fired by the Jarrett and that it was an accident. It is possible that a Phalanx operator on Jarrett may have accidentally fired some rounds manually. However, no evidence to support this theory has ever been discovered.
One of the Iraqi Silkworm missiles crashed into the sea without being intercepted. The other - heading towards USS Missouri - was successfully intercepted by a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Sea Dart missile
Sea Dart missile
Sea Dart or Guided Weapon System 30 is a British surface-to-air missile system designed by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and built by British Aerospace from 1977...
fired by .
Current status
On April 21, 2011, the Jarrett was decommissioned at Naval Base San Diego after 15 deployments, and will be transported to the Puget Sound Naval ShipyardPuget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
as its final destination, becoming part of the Mothball Fleet. Her most recent deployment was a six-month counter-illicit trafficking deployment, supporting U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.
Jarrett (FFG-33) is the first ship of that name in the US Navy. She was also the first US Navy warship to be commanded by a woman, Commander Kathleen A. McGrath
Kathleen A. McGrath
Kathleen Anne McGrath was the first woman to command a United States Navy warship.McGrath graduated from California State University at Sacramento in 1975. She worked in the United States Forestry Service until 1980 when she joined the US Navy...
, from 18 December 1998 until 4 September 2000. Possible Transfer under FMS.