KIDD CLASS DESTROYER

The '''Kidd'' class destroyers' (often called the "Dead Admiral" class or the "Ayatollah" class) are a series of vessels based upon the hull of the ''Spruance'' class destroyers. These ships were originally ordered by the Shah of Iran for service in the Persian Gulf in an air defense role.

★ The "Dead Admirals" nickname came about because of the USN admirals for whom they are named, all of whom died in combat in the Pacific in World War II.

★
★ USS ''Kidd'' was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship, the ''Arizona'', during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

★
★ USS ''Callaghan'' was named after Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan who died at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13, 1942, aboard the ''San Francisco''.

★
★ USS ''Scott'' was named after Rear Admiral Norman Scott, who also died at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, aboard the ''Atlanta''.

★
★ USS ''Chandler'' was named after Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler, who died on January 7, 1945, as a result of burns received from a kamikaze crashing into his flagship, the ''Louisville'', the previous day.
These vessels were not able to be delivered before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, so they were instead commissioned in the U.S. Navy. Because they were equipped with heavy-duty air conditioning and other features that made them suitable in hot climates, they tended to be used in the Middle East, specifically the Persian Gulf itself. They were all decommissioned from the U.S. Navy in the late 1990s.

Contents

''Kee Lung'' class destroyer

List of ships

External links

''Kee Lung'' class destroyer

In 2001, the US authorized their reactivation and sale to Taiwan. All four have been transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy. They were sold for a total price of US$732 million.[1]
The first two ships, 995 and 994, arrived at Suao, a military port in eastern Taiwan, in December 2005, and were named '''Kee Lung'' (DDG-1801)' and '''Su Ao'' (DDG-1802)' in a commissioning ceremony on December 17, 2005. Therefore, following the tradition of ship class naming, ROCN has referred these vessels as '''Kee Lung'' class destroyers'. Ships 993 and 996 were delivered in 2006, and named '''Tso Ying'' (DDG-1803)' and '''Ma Kong'' (DDG-1805)', respectively.
The opposition-led Legislature Yuan originally allocated only enough money to purchase half of the SM-2 missiles that the destroyers can carry; a further purchase of 100 supplemental SM-2MRs was included in the 2007 annual budget to ensure all four ships had a full load.

List of ships

★ ''Kidd'' (DDG-993)

★
★ Tentative Iranian name: ''Kouroush''

★
★ Current name in ROCN service: ''Tso Ying'' (左營, DDG-1803); was to be ''Tong Teh'' (同德); ''Commissioned on November 3, 2006''

★ ''Callaghan'' (DDG-994)

★
★ Tentative Iranian name: ''Daryush''

★
★ Current name in ROCN service: ''Su Ao'' (蘇澳, DDG-1802); was to be ''Ming Teh'' (明德); ''Commissioned on December 17, 2005''

★ ''Scott'' (DDG-995)

★
★ Tentative Iranian name: ''Nader''

★
★ Current name in ROCN service: ''Kee Lung'' (基隆, DDG-1801) ; was to be ''Chi Teh'' (紀德); ''Commissioned on December 17, 2005''

★ ''Chandler'' (DDG-996)

★
★ Tentative Iranian name: ''Anoshirvan''

★
★ Current name in ROCN service: ''Ma Kong'' (馬公, DDG-1805); was to be ''Wu Teh'' (武德); ''Commissioned on November 3, 2006''

External links

★ ''Kidd''-class guided missile destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation

★ "World Navies Today: Taiwan (Republic of China)," Haze Gray & Underway.

★ "DDG-993 KIDD-class," Globalsecurity.org.