USS ''Pegasus'' (PHM-1) was the
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
of
her class of
hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
s operated by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. ''Pegasus''-class vessels were designed for high speed and mobility, and carried a powerful armament for their size.
Naming
SECNAV Notice 5030 originally gave the ship the name ''
Delphinus
Delphinus (Pronounced or ) is a small constellation in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere, close to the celestial equator. Its name is the Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-Europea ...
'' after a small
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the e ...
in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere, on 15 February 1974. It was quickly realized in service that she could be nicknamed 'dull penis,' so
Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense.
By law, the se ...
J. William Middendorf issued a new notice on 1 April 1974, renaming her ''Pegasus'' for
the constellation Pegasus. In service it earned the nickname 'Pegasorous'. As this vessel was constructed several years before the rest of the class, there are some minor differences, notably in the
fire-control system
A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...
s of the respective craft.
Construction
''Pegasus'' was laid down on 10 May 1973, by
Boeing Marine Systems, in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington. She was launched on 9 November 1974, and commissioned on 9 July 1977.
Purpose
''Pegasus''-class hydrofoils were designed to operate offensively against hostile surface combatants (equipped with Harpoon anti-surface missiles) and conduct surveillance, screening and special operations in coastal waters. The six PHMs of the ''Pegasus'' class formed a single squadron which operated from
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
. They were the Navy's fastest ships when foil borne. Their most notable applications were participation in the 1988 invasion of Grenada and counter-narcotics; they were credited with about 30% of all seizures from 1982 to 1992. They never participated in a major naval mission and remained relegated to Caribbean deployments during their service life
Project
The PHM project was started in early 1970, by CNO Admiral
Elmo Zumwalt
Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. (November 29, 1920 – January 2, 2000) was a United States Navy officer and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Zumwalt played a m ...
, in an effort to increase the Navy's number of surface combatants. The project called for a cost-effective hydrofoil boat designed to operate in coastal waters and equipped to fulfill the missions of destroyers and frigates in those areas so that these larger ships could be deployed to areas where they are needed most. These missions included surface surveillance as well as immediate responses such as
surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...
s (SSM) to any hostile actions conducted by enemy navies.
The PHM project was not only a US project. Other countries involved included Italy, Germany, Canada and Great Britain. During the initial phase of the project it was planned to build up to 100 hydrofoil boats for the
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
navies.
Following the retirement of Admiral Zumwalt, the Navy reduced funding for the PHM project. Due to the lack of money it was decided to use available monies for larger fleet units instead. The increasing costs of the PHM project finally resulted in the completion of only one PHM, ''Pegasus'', although the construction of this ship had to be stopped for a while in 1974, again due to the lack of funds. At that time, the ship was only 20% completed.
Although PHM 3 - 6 had already been funded in
FY 74 (PHM 2 in FY 73), construction of these ships did not start until 6 April 1977, when Secretary of Defense
Harold Brown announced that the whole project, with the exception of ''Pegasus'', was suspended. Congress now insisted on the completion of the last five ships since they had already been funded. In August 1977, Secretary of Defense Brown reactivated the PHM project and construction of the ships resumed, but the four countries involved in the project had lost interest in the PHM program.
The last of the US Navy's hydrofoil boats was commissioned in 1982.
Collision
On 30 September 1981, ''Pegasus'' was involved in a collision with , but was later repaired.
See also
*
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
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USS PEGASUS PHM-1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pegasus (PHM-1)
Pegasus-class hydrofoils
Patrol vessels of the United States Navy
Ships built in Renton, Washington
1974 ships