History
In the late 1960s, NATO developed a requirement for a small, fast warship to counter large numbers of Warsaw Pact missile boats, such as the Komar and Osa class missile boats, deciding that a hydrofoil would be the best way to meet this requirement. In 1970 Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, the new Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), keen to increase the Navy's number of surface vessels in a cost-effective manner, committed the United States to the NATO program for a hydrofoil. The US Navy proposed the PHM design as a NATO standard, with the program being led by the US Navy, and an order placed for two prototypes in 1972. The Italian Marina Militare and the German Bundesmarine signed letters of intent to participate in the programme, with other NATO navies, including the Royal Navy and Canadian Forces studying the project. The US Navy planned to buy up to 30 PHMs, with 10 to be purchased by Germany and four by Italy.
After Zumwalt's retirement, the Navy chose to funnel most of the money for the PHMs into larger vessels. This delayed the ongoing construction of Pegasus, and the other vessels were not started. Congress eventually forced the Navy to complete the vessels. The difficulties in project progression forced the other involved navies to abort their participation.
The Pegasus class ships were powered by two 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) Mercedes-Benz diesels when waterborne, giving them a speed of 12 knots. When foilborne, the ships were powered by a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine, giving them a speed of 48 knots.
Pegasus ships were well armed for their size, carrying two four-rack RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles and an Oto Melara 76 mm gun. The Harpoons, specifically, were capable of sinking far larger ships at distances in excess of 60 nautical miles (110 km). The German version would have carried the MM38 Exocet.
As Pegasus was constructed several years before the rest of the series, there are some slight differences, such as the fire-control system.
All six vessels were constructed by Boeing, in Seattle at the Renton plant at the south end of Lake Washington. They were stationed at NAS Key West.
The technology was first pioneered by the USS Tucumcari (PGH-2), where it successfully operated in Vietnam, but ultimately ran aground off Puerto Rico. It was judged to be more advanced than the Grumman Flagstaff which was built at the same time to the same requirements. The primary technology, also used in the Boeing Jetfoil ferries, used submerged flying foils with waterjet propulsion.
The ships were retired because they were not judged cost effective for their mission in a Navy with primarily offensive missions rather than coastal patrol. USS Aries PHM-5 Hydrofoil Memorial, Inc. obtained Aries for rehabilitation as a memorial located on the Grand River in Brunswick, Missouri at 39°25′15″N 93°7′47″W / 39.42083°N 93.12972°W / 39.42083; -93.12972. All other PHMs in the class were sold for scrap.
Read more about this topic: Pegasus Class Hydrofoil
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