Adams Class Destroyers

Adams Class DDG Information and Tributes Videos

<Click here for a complete condensed history of all Adams Class Ships

                   (Added 2021-01-27; compiled by John Helsley, BM3, 69-73)

The History of the USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2  (click on this line to view the history)

On June 16, 1958, the keel was laid for the USS Charles F. Adams. ADAMS was the first US Naval ship planned and built as a guided missile ship moving the US Navy from a gunship navy into the missile age. The Adams was built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and was the first in the class of 29 ships. The ship was named for Charles Francis Adams, Secretary of the Navy from 1929 to 1933. Secretary Adams was a world class yachtsman, winning the America’s Cup in 1921 as the master of the Resolute. The Adams was launched on September 8, 1959, and commissioned on September 10, 1960 at Charlestown/Boston, Massachusetts.

After commissioning and months of operation and technical evaluations, the Adams made an initial Northern Europe good will tour during early 1961 as the flagship for Commodore Raymond Calhoun, DesRon6. Stops were made at many cities not visited by the US Navy since the end of World War II. From Northern Europe Adams sailed through to Keil Canal to Keil, Germany and was assigned to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean on Mar. 3, 1962. The DDG-2 returned to her home port of Charleston, SC July, 28, 1961.

The Charles F. Adams was designed to meet the new challenges of the Cold War and bristled with more antenna and guidance systems then guns. Adams used new technology as well as conventional weapons. She was armed with two rapid firing, single barreled 5″ 54 caliber guns, one twin Tartar surface-to-air missile launcher, ESW gear, one ASROC 8-tube launcher and two triple torpedo tubes. The first active duty assignment was given the Adams Oct 25, 1962 to serve as the first ship sent to oversee the Cuban Blockade. She served as flagship during Cold War surveillance of Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic, patrolled the turbulent waters of Lebanon, Libya and the Persian Gulf when troubles brought the Navy to those regions in the late 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s and later performed drug interdiction duties. The USS Charles F. Adams was decommissioned Aug.1, 1990 and retired to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to await final disposition.

This is a VERY good tribute and worth a few minutes. Covers all the class ships, all the way to their eventual fate.

Adams Class tribute video created by Björn Westphal, GM1 on D185 Lütjens (DDG28)

Since the US Navy reneged on its promise to allow the USS Adams DDG-2 to be sent to Jacksonville,FL

and be a museum there, this will be the world's only DDG museum, in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.......

D-186 Mölders Museum (Germany)

Back when there was a long term vision of the USS Adams DDG-2 "The Charlie Deuce" being brought to Jacksonville, Florida, the city of Jacksonville had many local entities involved in the extensive city plans for the area surrounding the ship.

An impressive video was made........

Now that the Adams will no longer be a part of the city's museum plan, the Adams class will only have a memorial park.

Now that the Adams will no longer be a part of the city's museum plan, it has been replaced by the Jacksonville Naval Museum.

jaxnavalmuseum.org

(Will re-open at a new location once the DD-886 is relocated to Jacksonville,FL, in place of the DDG-2)

In preparation for the when the Adams was to be a museum in Jacksonville,FL (now cancelled), 

a set of plans were drawn up to identify the planned routes and spaces for the civilian tours.

Click here for the two files...... Deck Plans Folder

   Note: 1) You should be able to download the .pdf file (best choice) and open it with Acrobat Reader.

              2) There is also a .jpg version for anyone that can't open the original .pdf. 

                  This is a MUCH larger file, but the resolution isn't any better. 

                  Also, the colors were changed during the conversion, but it is still very readable.

39°53'45.2"N 75°10'48.9"W 

This was the last known static satellite location of the USS Adams DDG-2, prior to being towed to Brownsville, TX for scrap in 2020.

This is in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.

Click here for Google Maps -->>   https://tinyurl.com/USS-Adams 

                     (It's any guess what you will find in that specific spot now)