USS Charles F. Adams DDG 2 / SECNAV Charles Francis Adams / Charles F. Adams class Guided Missile Destroyer – US Navy

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Guided Missile Destroyer
DDG 2 - USS Charles F. Adams
		USS Charles F. Adams (DDG 2)						US Navy photo
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Destroyer; Charles F. Adams - class; planned as DD 952; built as DDG 2;
Builder:		Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: March 28, 1957 Laid down: June 16, 1958 Launched: September 8, 1959 Commissioned: September 10, 1960 Decommissioned: August 1, 1990 Fate: DDG 2 was stricken from the navy list on November 20, 1992, and is currently berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Philadelphia, PA. She was placed on donation hold but is in poor shape as of November 2002 and unlikely to become a museum.
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		named after and in honor of Charles F. Adams (1866 – 1954); > see history, below;
Ship’s Motto:		> FIRST IN CLASS – SECOND TO NONE <
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO >> Guided Missile Destroyer / Charles F. Adams – Class
Pictures, photos & more ...
DDG 2 on trials - © BiW				DDG 2 and DDG 3 under construction at Bath Iron Works – © BiW
Charles Francis Adams
Charles F. Adams (1866 – 1954)
Photo credits: US Navy, Bath Iron Works,
Namesake & History:
Charles Francis Adams (August 2, 1866 – June 10, 1954):
Charles Francis Adams, born 2 August 1866 in Quincy, Mass., graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1888 and from Harvard Law School in 1892. A successful lawyer, business man, outstanding civic leader, and well-known yachtsman and ocean racer, he served as Secretary of the Navy from 1929 to 1933. He vigorously promoted public understanding of the Navy's indispensable role in international affairs, and worked strenuously to maintain naval strength and efficiency during a period of severe economic depression. He served at the London Naval Conference in 1930 where he successfully maintained the principle of United States naval parity with Great Britain. He died in 1954 and is buried in Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, Mass., where the two Presidents, who were his ancestors, lie with other members of this distinguished American family. Charles F. Adams (1866-1954) - Also known as "Deacon" Great-great-grandson of John Adams Great-grandson of John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) and Benjamin Williams Crowninshield Great-grandnephew of Jacob Crowninshield Grandson of Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886) Son of John Quincy Adams (1833-1894) Son-in-law of William Croad Lovering Nephew of Brooks Adams First cousin once removed of Thomas Boylston Adams Born in Quincy, Norfolk County, Mass., August 2, 1866 Mayor of Quincy, Mass., 1896-97 Delegate to Massachusetts state constitutional convention, 1917 U.S. Secretary of the Navy, 1929-33 Unitarian Alpha Delta Phi Delta Kappa Epsilon Died in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., June 10, 1954 Interment at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, Mass Namesake Heritage: John Adams (1735-1826) 2nd President of US John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) 6th President of US Charles F. Adams (1807-1886) Public Official John Quincy Adams II (1833-1894) Lawyer Charles F. Adams (1866-1954) Secretary of the Navy & Namesake Charles F. Adams (1910-1999) Raytheon President & Chairman of Board
USS Charles F. Adams (DDG 2):
USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), named for Charles Francis Adams, III (Secretary of the Navy from 1929 to 1933), was the lead ship of the Charles F. Adams class of guided missile destroyers of the United States Navy. The ship was laid down by the Bath Iron Works at Bath, Maine on June 16, 1958, launched on September 8, 1959 by Mrs. R. Homans, sister of Mr. Adams, and commissioned on September 10, 1960 and stationed in its homeport of Charleston, South Carolina. Intended as a follow-on to the Forrest Sherman class destroyers the ship was originally designated as DD-952. Outwardly similar to the Sherman class, Charles F. Adams was the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up to launch anti-aircraft missiles. To reflect the increased capabilities of the ship and to distinguish it from previous destroyer designs, Charles F. Adams was re-designated DDG-2 prior to the ship's launching. Following commissioning Charles F. Adams took part in recovery operations for Walter M. Schirra's Mercury 8 mission. While engaged in this operation the Cuban Missile Crisis developed and Adams moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of the quarantine forces around the Island of Cuba. In July 1969, Charles F. Adams left its homeport of Charleston and relocated to Mayport, Florida. Although designed with cutting edge technology for the 1950’s, by the mid 1970’s it was clear to the Navy that the Charles F. Adams class was ill prepared to deal with modern air and missile threats. To reduce this vulnerability the Navy initiated the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) program, which consisted of a number of sensor, weapons and communications upgrades, intended to extend the service life of the ships. Under NTU the Adams class would receive improved electronic warfare capability through the installation of the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 EW Suite. The upgraded combat system would include the MK86 Gun Fire Control System and Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS). The ships would also have the ability to launch AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, to be housed in the Tartar missile magazine. During the 1980’s the Reagan Administration chose to accelerate production of the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers and build the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers as a replacement for the Adams Class. The result of this was that only one ship, USS Tattnall (DDG-19) received the full upgrade. Other ships of the class received only partial upgrades which included the SLQ-32 and Harpoon Missile upgrades intended to extend their service lives until the Burke class could reach operational capability. Charles F. Adams was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on November 20, 1992 and held for donation at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania. The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum Committee attempted to acquire the ship as a museum and memorial to be located in Bay City, Michigan; however, the cost of preparing the ship for movement through the Saint Lawrence Seaway proved too expensive and the project was abandoned.
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