USS ''Kirk'' was a
destroyer escort, originally designated as DE-1087 and reclassified as a
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, FF-1087 (1975), in the
United States Navy. Her primary mission of
ASW remained unchanged. She was named for Admiral
Alan Goodrich Kirk
Admiral (United States), Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk (October 30, 1888 – October 15, 1963) was a senior officer in the United States Navy and a diplomat.
Biography
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1909 and served in the Unite ...
. She is in service with the
Taiwanese navy as the ROCN Fen Yang (FFG-934).
Her contract was awarded to
Avondale Marine Avondale may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Avondale, New South Wales, a village in New South Wales
* Avondale, Parramatta, a heritage-listed former residence and now offices at 25 O'Connell Street, Parramatta, New South Wales
* Avondale, Quee ...
on 25 August 1966. ''Kirk'' was laid down on 4 December 1970, launched on 25 September 1971 and commissioned on 9 September 1972.
Service history
In April 1975 ''Kirk'' participated in
Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
,
Cambodia, and
Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of
Saigon
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, population_demonym = Saigonese
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,
Vietnam.
As part of the U.S. fleet sent to facilitate the evacuation of Americans from South Vietnam, USS ''Kirk'' carried out one of the most significant humanitarian missions in U.S. military history. Commanded by Commander Paul H. (Jake) Jacobs and under the direction of a civilian,
Richard Armitage, ''Kirk'' rescued the remainder of the
South Vietnamese Navy
The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...
, consisting of 18 ships and tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees, leading and protecting the flotilla from Vietnamese waters to the
Philippines. From there, most of the refugees ultimately emigrated to the United States.
During the evacuation, the ''Kirk'' became a makeshift landing pad for a stream of fourteen helicopters flown by South Vietnamese airmen fleeing for their lives with their families and friends on board. Having only a small flight deck, ''Kirk'' had nowhere to store the helicopters so the crew pushed all but three overboard into the China Sea. Early one morning while on station, the crew of the ''Kirk'' rescued two Marine pilots after their USMC AH-1J Cobra gunship crashed into the ocean near the ship. This was the last helicopter-gunship to be lost in Vietnam. The final refugees the ''Kirk'' received were literally tossed out of a hovering
Boeing CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Ch ...
that was too large to land on ''Kirk''. Once the passengers were safely aboard, the pilot steered the craft about 50 yards aft of ''Kirk''s stern, and jumped from the hovering helicopter. The craft then crashed into the water over the submerged pilot. He successfully surfaced and, after rescue by ''Kirk'' sailors, joined his family on board the American frigate.
In 2010, under the direction of
VADM Adam Robinson, then
Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Navy created a documentary entitled ''The Lucky Few''. It has since been translated into Vietnamese as well.
Decommissioning and Taiwanese service
She served in the U.S. Navy up until 6 August 1993, when the ship was decommissioned and leased to
Republic of China Navy in
Taiwan. In Taiwanese service she was renamed ''Fen Yang'' () with the hull number changed to 934. On 29 September 1999, the ship was finally purchased by Taiwan.
See also
*
*
References
*
External links
Reunion organization siteUSS Kirk (FF1087) Operation Frequent Wind galleryForgotten Ship: A Lifesaving Mission As Saigon Fell– slideshow by ''
NPR''
"Last Days in Vietnam" NPR broadcast April, 29, 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk
1971 ships
Knox-class frigates
Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of China Navy
Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States