ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko

	Underway as Wadsworth, 1983
History
United States
Name	Wadsworth
Namesake	Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth (1790–1851)
Ordered	27 February 1976
Builder	Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California
Laid down	13 July 1977
Launched	29 July 1978
Sponsored by	Mrs. Patricia P. Roberts, great-great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth
Commissioned	2 April 1980
Decommissioned	28 June 2002
Stricken	23 July 2002
Homeport	San Diego, California (former)
Identification	Hull symbol:FFG-9; Code letters:NASW; ;
Motto	"For One's Country"
Fate	Transferred to Poland
Badge
	As Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko, 2012
Poland
Name	Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko
Namesake	Tadeusz Kościuszko
Commissioned	28 June 2002
Homeport	Oksywie, Gdynia
Identification	Pennant number: 273; MMSI number: 261283000; Callsign: SNWS;
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement	4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length	445 feet (136 m), overall
Beam	45 feet (14 m)
Draft	22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and variable pitch propeller; 2 × Auxiliary Propulsion Units, 350 hp (260 kW) retractable electric azimuth thrusters for maneuvering and docking.;
Speed	over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range	5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement	15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers (US Service)
Sensors and ; processing systems	AN/SPS-49 air-search radar; AN/SPS-55 surface-search radar; CAS and STIR fire-control radar; AN/SQS-56 sonar.;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	AN/SLQ-32
Armament	As built:; 1 × OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun; 2 × Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes; 1 × Vulcan Phalanx CIWS; 4 × .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.; 1 × Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine); Note: As of 2004, Mk 13 systems removed from all active US vessels of this class.;
Aircraft carried	US Service: 1 × SH-2F LAMPS I helicopter; Polish Service: 1x SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopter;

ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko, formerly USS Wadsworth (FFG-9), is one of two Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates in the Polish Navy.^[1] She is the 2nd "short-hull" ship to be built and 3rd overall. She is named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, an American Revolutionary War hero as well as a hero of Poland's struggle for independence; in US Navy service she was named after Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth. Originally commissioned in 1980, she served in the US Navy until 2002, when she was decommissioned and immediately turned over to the Polish Navy.^[2] Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko has participated in numerous NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea.

History

Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY75 program, Wadsworth, originally classified PF-111, was laid down on 13 July 1977, launched on 29 July 1978, and commissioned on 28 February 1980. Wadsworth was sponsored by Mrs. Patricia P. Roberts, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Alexander S. Wadsworth.^[3]

Wadsworth portrayed USS Reuben James (FFG-57) in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October^[4] along with USS Gary (FFG-51).

The ship's motto in American service was "For One's Country" and originates from the words of Captain Isaac Hull, Commanding Officer of USS Constitution before her August 1812 battle with HMS Guerriere. Hull said, "Men, now do your duty. Your officers cannot have entire command over you now. Each man must do all in his power for his country."^[5].

Wadsworth and her crew received Battle Effectiveness Awards for operations in 1993, 1998 and 2001.^[6]

Decommissioned on 28 June 2002, Wadsworth was handed over to Poland the same day as part of the Foreign Military Sales programme and commissioned under her current name. She was formally stricken from the Navy list on 23 July 2002.^[2]

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

^ Saunders, p. 558
^ ^a ^b "Poland - Transfer of Second Frigate and Helicopters". US Department of State Archive. 17 July 2002. Retrieved 13 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "Wadsworth III (FFG-9)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
^ "History". Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
^ "Coat of Arms". Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
^ "Navy Unit Awards". Archived from the original on 14 October 2004.