The U.S. Navy entered gas-turbine propulsion more slowly than some counterparts. The Coast Guard's Point Thatcher provided operational experience before wider naval adoption. The Oliver Hazard Perry and Spruance classes then established gas turbines as a major American warship choice. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers show how thoroughly that propulsion family subsequently entered U.S. service. Coast Guard experience carried some of the technical risk before the Navy placed similar machinery in large combatants.
Notable Point · 31:14-32:13
How the Coast Guard de-risked U.S. Navy gas turbines
American gas-turbine adoption accelerated after the Coast Guard gained operational experience, reducing the risk before the U.S. Navy committed major classes to the machinery.