FRAM I Upgrade
In the late 1950s forty-four of the Gearing-class destroyers underwent extensive modernization overhauls, known as FRAM I, which were designed to convert them from an AA destroyer to an anti-submarine warfare platform.
The FRAM MK I program was designed primarily for the Gearing-class destroyers. This upgrade included rebuilding the ship's superstructure, engines, electronic systems, radar, sonar, and weapons. The second twin 5" gun mount was removed. Upgraded systems include SQS-23 sonar, SPS-10 surface search radar, 2 × triple Mk 32 torpedo launchers, 8-cell ASROC box launcher, and QH-50C DASH ASW drone helicopter, with its own landing pad and hangar.
The Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH was an unmanned anti-submarine helicopter, controlled remotely from the ship. The drone could carry 2 × MK.44 homing ASW torpedoes. During this era the ASROC system had an effective range of only 5 nautical miles (9 km), but the DASH drone allowed the ship to deploy ASW attack to sonar contacts as far as 22 nautical miles (41 km) away.
An upgraded version of DASH, QH-50D, remained in use by the US Army until May, 2006.
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