USS Moinester

USS Moinester (FF-1097) was a Knox-class frigate. The ship was named for LTJG Robert W. Moinester who was killed in action during the Battle of Huế on 31 January 1968 and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.[2] Moinester was christened by Mrs. Gertrude Mahoney Moinester, the mother of the ship's namesake and ship sponsor.[3]

USS Moinster (FF-1097) alongside USS Concord (AFS-5) in the Med 1983

USS Moinester (FF-1097)
History
United States
NameMoinester
NamesakeLTJG Robert William Moinester
Ordered25 August 1966
BuilderAvondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana
Yard number1165
Laid down25 August 1972
Launched12 May 1973
Sponsored byMrs. Gertrude Mahoney Moinester, mother of namesake
Acquired17 October 1974
Commissioned2 November 1974
Decommissioned28 July 1994
IdentificationFF-1097
Motto
  • Mare est vita Mea
  • The Sea is My Life
FateTransferred to Egypt, 28 June 1994
Badge
Egypt
NameRasheed
Leased: 28 June 1994
Purchased: 25 March 1998
IdentificationF966
Statusin active service, as of 2017[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeKnox-class frigate
Displacement3,011 tons (3,877 full load)
Length438 ft (134 m)
Beam46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
Draft24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × CE 1200psi boilers
  • 1 Westinghouse geared turbine
  • 1 shaft, 35,000 shp (26,000 kW)
Speedover 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Complement18 officers, 267 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
  • AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
  • AN/SQS-26 Sonar
  • AN/SQR-18 Towed array sonar system
  • Mk68 Gun Fire Control System
Electronic warfare
& decoys		AN/SLQ-32 Electronics Warfare System
Armament
Aircraft carriedone SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter

Design and description

The Knox-class design was derived from the Brooke-class frigate modified to extend range and without a long-range missile system. The ships had an overall length of 438 feet (133.5 m), a beam of 47 feet (14.3 m) and a draft of 25 feet (7.6 m). They displaced 4,066 long tons (4,131 t) at full load. Their crew consisted of 13 officers and 211 enlisted men.[4]

The ships were equipped with one Westinghouse geared steam turbine that drove the single propeller shaft. The turbine was designed to produce 35,000 shaft horsepower (26,000 kW), using steam provided by 2 C-E boilers, to reach the designed speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). The Knox class had a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[5]

The Knox-class ships were armed with a 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward and a single 3-inch/50-caliber gun aft. They mounted an eight-round RUR-5 ASROC launcher between the 5-inch (127 mm) gun and the bridge. Close-range anti-submarine defense was provided by two twin 12.75-inch (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes. The ships were equipped with a torpedo-carrying DASH drone helicopter; its telescoping hangar and landing pad were positioned amidships aft of the MACK. Beginning in the 1970s, the DASH was replaced by a SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I helicopter and the hangar and landing deck were accordingly enlarged. Most ships also had the 3-inch (76 mm) gun replaced by an eight-cell BPDMS missile launcher in the early 1970s.[6]

Construction and career

Moinester was decommissioned and sold to the Egyptian Navy and became the Egyptian frigate Rasheed (F966).

Awards, citations and campaign ribbons
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
Navy "E" Ribbon (4)
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Ribbon
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon

Notes
  1. Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2017). "Egypt". The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2. OCLC 140283156.
  2. "Robert William Moinester". Militarytimes.com. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. Maritime Reporter. June 1973. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Friedman, pp. 357–60, 425
  5. Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598
  6. Friedman, pp. 360–61; Gardiner, Chumley & Budzbon, p. 598

References
  • Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-733-X.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • USS Moinester on NavSource.org
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