Retired USN frigates' weapons systems harvested for US Coast Guard use

[CougarKing]

For those wondering what happens to the weapons systems of a number of recently retired Perry class frigates upon decommissioning:

Military.com

Navy Harvests Decommissioned Frigates' Weapon Systems for Coast Guard

Navy News | Oct 27, 2014 | by Joseph Battista

PHILADELPHIA -- Engineers at Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station (NAVSSES), Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division are harvesting weapon system components from decommissioned U.S. Navy frigates (FFGs) for re-use on Coast Guard cutters.

The harvesting of components from four decommissioned frigates will result in more than $24 million in cost avoidance, with more expected from a fifth ship. The Navy's leveraging of decommissioned ships' assets shows a judicious use of resources and collaboration between services.

"The Navy's FFGs will all be decommissioned by the end of fiscal year 2015, but the Coast Guard cutters have the same gun weapons systems," said Abe Boughner, with Auxiliary Ships/Acquisition Support Branch at NAVSSES.

The equipment includes MK 75, 76mm/62 caliber gun mounts, as well as gun control panels, barrels, launchers, junction boxes and other components. The Coast Guard can use all of this equipment on cutters during the course of the ships' expected service life, which spans into the 2030s.

The harvesting effort began in December 2012 when Roger Raber of Naval Sea System Command's Surface Warfare Readiness Directorate proposed a plan to harvest equipment from five decommissioned FFGs docked at the Navy's inactive ship maintenance facility in Philadelphia. Raber coordinated with NAVSSES engineers E. Alan Karpovitch, the Navy's propulsion program manager, and Ashley Ferguson, mechanical engineer, to oversee the daily operations of removing items from the frigates. The Coast Guard also provided a team to assist with removal of components from the FFGs.

"If I get a request for a part and it's feasible for me to pull it off a ship, I will," said Karpovitch. "Many of the pieces of hardware on these ships are still serviceable and can be recycled."

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[Colin Parkinson]

It will be interesting to see the long time costs, mind you many of the ships in WWII used WWI guns

 

[Edward Campbell]

Well, we use the Bofors 40 mm L/60 on our Kingston class ships.  As nearly as I can tell the 40 mm L/60 entered naval service in the 1930s; I think armies had them even earlier. (I'll be happy to hear that our 40 mm L/60 guns are new, improved, modern versions, but ...)

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Off the Bonaventure, then to AD regiment and then to the Kingston if I remember the story correctly.

We found a complete brand new boxed 40mm Bofers at the Pat Bay Fisheries facility, which made it's way to the regimental museum.

 

[jollyjacktar]

My dad was a bird gunner in Italy etc.  He said the Bofors were considered obsolete in 44 and were taken from them in exchange for 20mm Oerlikons.  Mind you he also said that if you turned (Bofors) against ground troops you had the biggest machine gun in the world.

I did see a video of an European ack ack battery with radar controlled Bofors doing a shoot, looks to be more or less the same gun of my dads war.  Great against really big model airplanes...  at least the Elvis sound track is a good choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlfLwQEBU-I