Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization
Encyclopedia
The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program of the United States Navy
extended the lives of World War II
-era destroyer
s by shifting their mission from a surface attack role to that of a submarine
hunter. The FRAM program also covered cruiser
s, aircraft carrier
s, submarine
s, amphibious ships, and auxiliaries.
as a response to estimates that the Soviets would have a force of about 300 modern fast-attack submarines by 1957. The US Navy was unable to produce enough frigates to counter this threat, given other priorities such as new cruiser
s and aircraft carrier
s, so Burke instead looked for ways to modify the existing destroyer fleet which were rapidly becoming outdated anyway.
Burke oversaw preparation of a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees entitled "The Aging Fleet." The idea that became FRAM was only one of six recommendations of a special committee to address the poor material conditions of ships built during World War II
. Those recommendations were, in order of preference: 1) build new ships, 2) give more time to maintenance, 3) accomplish more extensive overhauls, 4) provide more money for maintenance, 5) institute better training for maintenance personnel, or 6) create a large-scale modernization and rehabilitation program to fill the gap until new ships can be built. United States Secretary of the Navy
Thomas S. Gates embraced the last recommendation in a meeting with United States Secretary of Defense
Neil Hosler McElroy on 11 November 1958.
and Sumner
classes would take precedence over the Fletcher
and Benson
classes. Destroyer conversions relied on experience with Fletcher class destroyers modernized for transfer to Spain
and Germany
in 1957. The first two destroyers began FRAM in Boston, Massachusetts and Long Beach, California
shipyards in March 1959.
In order to provide the ships with a credible anti-submarine weapon, the FRAM upgrade centered on the addition of AN/SQS-23 SONAR
and two new weapon systems, the ASROC
rocket-assisted torpedo
launcher with a range of 1–5 miles, and the DASH antisubmarine helicopter with a range of up to 22 miles (35 km). Both were armed with the new Mark 44 torpedo
, which was also carried in torpedo tubes on the ships.
There were three different sets of FRAM upgrades. During refitting in the early 1950s, FRAM I destroyers gave up No. 2, 3 and 4 5"/38 caliber gun mounts. A trainable Mark 15 Hedgehog
mount took the place of No. 2 gun, connected to a new, enlarged sonar suite. All topside 21" torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with 2 tubes mounted in the after deckhouse. One twin 3"/50 caliber gun mounts were placed aft, atop the after deckhouse. FRAM II changes saw the replacement of the Hedgehog mount with a Mark 108 ASW rocket launcher, the addition of 2 x 3 12.75" Mark 44 ASW Torpedo tubes and the removal of the 3-in guns for DASH hangar and flight deck. Only , and received the FRAM for Fletcher class destroyers.
Ships from the were completely torn down and rebuilt from the hull up, including new engines, a much larger combat information center
, and new sonar and radar systems. The 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tubes between the funnels were removed, and the 8-round ASROC battery placed there instead. The aft 3-inch/50 cal twin gun mount was removed, and that space used for the DASH's hangar
and flight deck
, with two new triple-tube launchers for the 12.75-inch Mk.44 torpedo's placed just behind the rear funnel. This modernization was designed to extend the life of the destroyer by at least eight years.
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Ships in the Sumner class
received only armament modifications under FRAM II, and not all ships of the class received the FRAM upgrades. Although the rear deck was also converted as a flight deck, the new torpedo tubes were placed where the older 21" ones had been, and ASROC was not installed. The converted Sumners were designed for another five years of service .
All classes came in for FRAM II refits starting about 1959, being rotated out of service in order to keep as many ships at sea as possible. The upgrades were complete in the early 1960s, and most of the ships involved continued to serve until the late 1960s.
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...
extended the lives of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s by shifting their mission from a surface attack role to that of a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
hunter. The FRAM program also covered cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s, aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s, amphibious ships, and auxiliaries.
Background
The program was started by Admiral Arleigh BurkeArleigh Burke
Admiral Arleigh Albert '31-knot' Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.-Early life and naval career:Burke was born in Boulder,...
as a response to estimates that the Soviets would have a force of about 300 modern fast-attack submarines by 1957. The US Navy was unable to produce enough frigates to counter this threat, given other priorities such as new cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, so Burke instead looked for ways to modify the existing destroyer fleet which were rapidly becoming outdated anyway.
Burke oversaw preparation of a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees entitled "The Aging Fleet." The idea that became FRAM was only one of six recommendations of a special committee to address the poor material conditions of ships built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Those recommendations were, in order of preference: 1) build new ships, 2) give more time to maintenance, 3) accomplish more extensive overhauls, 4) provide more money for maintenance, 5) institute better training for maintenance personnel, or 6) create a large-scale modernization and rehabilitation program to fill the gap until new ships can be built. United States Secretary of the Navy
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
Thomas S. Gates embraced the last recommendation in a meeting with United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Neil Hosler McElroy on 11 November 1958.
FRAM Destroyers
Among the destroyers, GearingGearing class destroyer
The Gearing class was a group of 98 destroyers built for the US Navy during and shortly after World War II. The Gearing design was a minor modification of the immediately preceding Allen M. Sumner class...
and Sumner
Allen M. Sumner class destroyer
The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Another twelve ships were completed as destroyer minelayers...
classes would take precedence over the Fletcher
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
and Benson
Benson class destroyer
The Benson class was a class of 30 destroyers of the U.S. Navy built 1939–1943. The first ship of the class was the . The U.S. Navy customarily names a class of ships after the first ship of the class; hence the Benson class....
classes. Destroyer conversions relied on experience with Fletcher class destroyers modernized for transfer to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1957. The first two destroyers began FRAM in Boston, Massachusetts and Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
shipyards in March 1959.
In order to provide the ships with a credible anti-submarine weapon, the FRAM upgrade centered on the addition of AN/SQS-23 SONAR
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
and two new weapon systems, the ASROC
ASROC
ASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates...
rocket-assisted torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
launcher with a range of 1–5 miles, and the DASH antisubmarine helicopter with a range of up to 22 miles (35 km). Both were armed with the new Mark 44 torpedo
Mark 44 torpedo
The Mark 44 torpedo is an obsolete air-launched and ship-launched lightweight torpedo manufactured in the U.S., and under licence in Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom with 10,500 being produced for U.S. service. It was superseded by the Mark 46 torpedo...
, which was also carried in torpedo tubes on the ships.
There were three different sets of FRAM upgrades. During refitting in the early 1950s, FRAM I destroyers gave up No. 2, 3 and 4 5"/38 caliber gun mounts. A trainable Mark 15 Hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
mount took the place of No. 2 gun, connected to a new, enlarged sonar suite. All topside 21" torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with 2 tubes mounted in the after deckhouse. One twin 3"/50 caliber gun mounts were placed aft, atop the after deckhouse. FRAM II changes saw the replacement of the Hedgehog mount with a Mark 108 ASW rocket launcher, the addition of 2 x 3 12.75" Mark 44 ASW Torpedo tubes and the removal of the 3-in guns for DASH hangar and flight deck. Only , and received the FRAM for Fletcher class destroyers.
Combat Information Center
The Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...
, and new sonar and radar systems. The 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tubes between the funnels were removed, and the 8-round ASROC battery placed there instead. The aft 3-inch/50 cal twin gun mount was removed, and that space used for the DASH's hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
and flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
, with two new triple-tube launchers for the 12.75-inch Mk.44 torpedo's placed just behind the rear funnel. This modernization was designed to extend the life of the destroyer by at least eight years.
FRAM II
Allen M. Sumner class destroyer
The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Another twelve ships were completed as destroyer minelayers...
received only armament modifications under FRAM II, and not all ships of the class received the FRAM upgrades. Although the rear deck was also converted as a flight deck, the new torpedo tubes were placed where the older 21" ones had been, and ASROC was not installed. The converted Sumners were designed for another five years of service .
All classes came in for FRAM II refits starting about 1959, being rotated out of service in order to keep as many ships at sea as possible. The upgrades were complete in the early 1960s, and most of the ships involved continued to serve until the late 1960s.
External links
- FRAM-Fleet Rehabilitation And Modernization Photos circa 1960's