USS ''Garcia'' (FF-1040) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer escort ships, later reclassified as

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 ...

s, in the United States Navy. She was named for U.S. Marine Private First Class

Fernando Luis Garcia Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

, the first Puerto Rican Medal of Honor Recipient. Laid down on 16 October 1962 by Bethlehem Steel of San Francisco, California, ''Garcia'' was launched on 31 October 1963 and commissioned on 21 December 1964. Originally designated DE-1040, she was redesignated FF-1040 in 1975 as part of the Navy's 1975 ship reclassification. She served in the Atlantic Fleet and was homeported in Newport, Rhode Island, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Pakistan service

Following her decommissioning on 31 January 1989, she was transferred to Pakistan on the same day. Renamed ''Saif'', she was returned to the United States on 13 January 1994 and was then sold for scrap on 29 March 1994.

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

References

* K. Jack Bauer and Stephen S. Roberts, "Register of Ships of the U. S. Navy, 1775-1990," p. 243. * Naval Institute "Proceedings," May 1995, pp. 219, 220. * *

External links

USS Garcia
on NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive
Photo of ''Garcia''
Garcia-class frigates Ships built in San Francisco 1963 ships Cold War frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Pakistan Navy Garcia-class frigates of the Pakistan Navy Bethlehem Steel {{US-mil-ship-stub