USS Ramsey was laid down 4 February 1963 by Lockheed Shipbuilding & Construction Co., Seattle, Wash.; launched 15 October 1963; sponsored by Mrs. DeWitt Clinton Ramsey; and commissioned 3 June 1967, Cmdr. William D. Robertson, Jr., in command. The unusually long interval between her launch and her commissioning was due to a strike at the Lockheed shipyards. USS Ramsey was the second ship of the Brooke class, which were anti-air warfare variants of the anti-sub warfare Garcia class ships. Other class members include class leader USS Brooke (FFG-1), USS Schofield (FFG-3), USS Talbot (FFG-4), USS Richard L Page (FFG-5), and USS Jules A Furer (FFG-6).

USS Ramsey was powered (as were all Brooke and Garcia class frigates) by "P Fired" boilers which, at the time, were considered an important advance in boiler design. These were a turbocharged, high-pressure (1200 psi) boiler which were notoriously demanding in regards to maintenance and fuel usage. The main advantage to these were a high speed in relation to the size of the power plant. A cross benefit was that you always knew when it was time to get under way, because the turbines could be heard from miles away! Their high cost, developmental and operational difficulties, and the high fuel consumption of these units also contributed to the decision to revert to conventional boilers on the following Knox class frigates. It also contributed to the class's short service life. 

The Brookes primary mission was Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). As built they were to be equipped with twin stern mounted torpedo tubes, and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter), but the DASH program was cancelled before Ramsey ever went to sea, and the twin torpedo tubes were removed early in her career, replaced by two Mk 32 torpedo launchers on the main deck. In the mid 1970's the entire Brooke class was retrofitted with a hangar to accommodate the Kaman SH-2F Sea-Sprite LAMPS (Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helicopter. Sonar was the AN/SQS-26 in a large bow mounted sonar dome. 
All ships of this class were equipped with ASROC, with the last three of the class having auto reload capability. This was the Ramsey's sole nuclear weapons capability and the reason she was protested by Greenpeace when visiting Brisbane, Australia during WestPac '87.

For Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), they also carried the Tartar missile system, with a single arm launcher atop a 16 missile magazine. The Tartar system was later replaced with the SM-1 using the AN/SPG 51C/D tracker/illuminator. This gave her a powerful air defense capability, but the small size of her missile magazine limited her potential in this role.

For Surface Warfare, she carried the WWII vintage Mk.30 5" 38 gun using the Mk 56 GFCS. This system used for surface warfare purposes the Mk 1-A "Ford Range Keeper" analog computer! This complex machine was designed in 1939, with the Ramsey's copy built in 1942, and originally installed on USS Midway (CV-41). It required a crew of six to operate, but it offered an accuracy unequalled by digital computers. An error of not more than 6 feet at all ranges was not unheard of, and while the 5" 38 couldn't match the newer guns for range or rate of fire, it usually proved far more accurate. The Garcia class had two of these mounts, one in place of the Tartar Missile magazine, leaving the Garcias with very limited anti-air defense. The reason for putting such vintage equipment on what was otherwise a state of the art hull was financial. To use the then current Mk. 42, 5" 54 gun would have required procuring guns and fire control equipment for each ship built. At the time, circa 1962, when construction was underway but weapons procurement was still in progress, a percentage of the funds for building these ships were quietly being diverted to pay for the early stages of what became the Vietnam War. To make up the shortfall, the Navy instead provided the gun systems from other ships that had either been de-commissioned, or otherwise had their gun systems removed. Another contributor was the thinking in vogue at the time that missiles were the wave of the future for surface to surface, and surface to air warfare. This proved false for technical and economic reasons, but in the mean time the Brookes and Garcias were left with systems that while paid for, were only marginally effective.

Ramsey earned five battle stars for Vietnam service. She operated in the Pacific for her entire career, except for brief excursions into the Indian and Arctic oceans. Her home port was Naval Station San Diego. 

After de-commissioning, the Ramsey and Schofield were slated to be transferred to the Turkish Navy, but the Turks rejected the ships. They were then placed in the reserve fleet, while her four remaining sister ships went on to serve with the Pakistani Navy as the Khaibar (Brooke), Badr (Jules A Furer), Tabuk (Richard L Page), and the Hunian (Talbot). The Pakistani navy proved unable to adequately support the complex operational requirements of the weapons and engineering systems of these ships, a point vividly illustrated when the former Brooke was disabled in the Indian Ocean due to a boiler room fire. The ship was saved by a US Navy repair crew helo-ed out from Diego Garcia. In 1993 because of a failure to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation pact, rule changes instituted by Congress severely limited the levels of military assistance to be allowed to Pakistan. As a result in November of that year Brooke was returned to the US, with the other three to follow in early to mid 1994. All are awaiting the cutting torch. In the absence of their sisters, Ramsey and Schofield's presence in the reserve fleet during this period would lead to their next brief incarnation as power barges intended for third world countries. This scheme failed, and the remains of these ships were returned to the Navy.

At the time of Ramsey's participation in the SINKEX portion of RIMPAC 2000, she was almost unrecognizable having had all structure above the main deck removed, reducing her tonnage from 3446 tons to 2640 tons. Ramsey was sunk at 1:45 p.m. on June 15, 2000 by air and surface launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles. USS Worden (CG 18), USS Gen. Hugh J. Gaffey (IX 507), and USS Buchanan (DDG 14) were also expended during this exercise. She went down in 90 minutes.

USS Ramsey Namesake:

DeWitt Clinton Ramsey commanded Saratoga (CV-3) During World War II in the Battle of the Coral Sea, in the Battle of Midway, and during the landings against Guadalcanal. Ramsey received the Distinguished Service Medal as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics from 6 August 1943 to 1 June 1945, and a Gold Star as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 15 January 1946 to 3 January 1948.

After commanding the Pacific Fleet, he served as Commissioner of U.S. Trust Territory in the Pacific, until retiring 1 May 1949. Admiral Ramsey died 7 September 1961 in Philadelphia.

Disclaimer (AKA Lawyers Litany for the Humor Impaired):

This page was created by Bill Bradley (FC-2), a Ramsey crewmember and WCS in Gun Plot (WF01) from 1983 to her decommissioning in1988, and is entirely the work of a lone nut. It is not in any way affiliated with any government or private organization. Links on this page may take you to sites not controlled by this sites creator, including U.S. Government owned sites which can and will subject viewers to monitoring of their activities on these sites. Users will follow these links entirely at their own risk. This sites owner claims no responsibility for any content not hosted on this site. Links are strictly for entertainment and information purposes.

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All text and pictures unless otherwise noted, were created by and are property of Bill Bradley. The USS Ramsey profile drawing was created by Bill Bradley based on dimensions and specifications found in U.S. Navy plans and diagrams, contemporary photos, and other publications. It represents the Ramsey as she appeared during her 1987 deployment.