USS Glover

USS Glover (FF-1098) was a Garcia-class frigate originally modified for research use and commissioned as (AGDE-1) on 3 November 1965. Glover was laid down 29 July 1963 by the Bath Iron Works, in Bath, Maine and launched on 17 April 1965 with sponsors Mrs. William S. Pederson, Sr., and Mrs. Claude V. Signer, great-great-great-granddaughters of General John Glover.

USS Glover underway in 1982.
History
United States
Name	USS Glover
Namesake	John Glover
Awarded	28 June 1961
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Laid down	29 July 1963
Launched	17 April 1965
Commissioned	13 November 1965
Decommissioned	15 June 1990 Ship transferred to Military Sealift Command as a research vessel
Stricken	20 November 1992
Identification	FF-1098
Fate	Sold for scrap 15 April 1994
Badge
General characteristics as (AGDE-1)
Class and type	Garcia-class frigate
Displacement	3,426 tons
Length	414 ft 6 in (126.34 m)
Beam	44 ft 1 in (13.44 m)
Draft	24 ft 2 in (7.37 m)
Speed	27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph)
Complement	239+12 FAST Company Marines for security detail
Sensors and processing systems	Sonar AN/SQS-26AXR, AN/SQS-35 IVDS. Test platform for LFAS and RMASS Sonars
Armament	2 x triple Mk 32 SVTT torpedo tubes 1 x Mk 30 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal gun 1 x Mk 16 ASROC anti-submarine rocket launcher

Fitted out with advanced sonar and antisubmarine weapons, Glover was designed to serve as an experimental research escort for developing and testing the latest antisubmarine weapons systems. A pump-jet propulsion reduces underwater noise and gyroscopically controlled fin stabilizers reduce ocean rolling. As a research ship, she tested equipment designed to more readily detect and track enemy submarines, and evaluated tactics and procedures which were used on future classes of escorts. Capable of participating in offensive operations against submarines, she provided support for hunter killer groups, amphibious forces, and ocean convoys.

History

Glover joined the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in 1966 as a unit of Cruiser-Destroyer Forces and operated along the Atlantic Coast and in the Caribbean.

1966–1974

In 1966 Glover (AGDE-1) was modified in the Boston Naval Shipyard with electronic testing and data recording hardware. In 1968 she re-entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for more modifications and the addition of a variable depth sonar device. In 1970, she made her first Atlantic crossing and Mediterranean cruise visiting ports in Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. While conducting sonar tests in the Mediterranean, she was observed very closely by Soviet Navy vessels. One almost rear ended the ship while attempting to obtain a close look at the variable depth sonar. In September 1974 she entered Boston Naval Shipyard for modifications.

United States Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) was a radar operator on the USS Glover from 1971 to 1974.

1974–1994

Glover was redesignated (AGFF-1) in 1975, and redesignated a frigate (FF-1098) in 1979. Glover went through a major overhaul at South Boston Shipyard in 1988, getting a boiler refit and new sonar overhaul. She was decommissioned on 15 June 1990, transferred to Military Sealift Command (MSC) as a research vessel for EDO Corp and NUSC and reclassified as USNS Glover (T-AGFF 1). She was scrapped at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1994.

Awards

• Coast Guard Unit Commendation
• Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation
• Navy Expeditionary Medal
• National Defense Service Medal

In addition to the above, Glover received a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

• USS Glover – Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive