Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:07:55-2:08:13

Why the US Navy needed Perrys

The Cold War Navy needed hulls in the water, and the Perry class supplied them for essential supporting missions.

Convoy EscortForce StructureFrigatesLive Q&AOliver Hazard Perry Class FrigatesUS Navy
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Question

What prompted the US Navy to need the Oliver Hazard Perry class to begin with?

Short answer

Numbers: the Cold War Navy needed ships and hulls in the water during the Reagan-era buildup and related force expansion.

Notes

The Perry class existed because the Navy needed numbers during the Cold War buildup. It supplied hulls for convoy, amphibious-group, logistics, ASW, and carrier-support tasks. Basic frigates could cover those supporting missions while high-end destroyers handled more demanding work. The same logic informs the later debate over whether a modernized or continuing Perry family could have covered a persistent small-combatant gap.