Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
I can see the navy retaining the Adams class in reserve and not selling them to Greece with the original timeline even if they do try to speed up the Burke's - and with the losses they take early in the war pulling those out and getting them back up to speed would be a huge priority
Actually the whole V1 versus V2 and V2.2 really would change many nations orders of battle and not just for ships - the agreement to reduce forces that is part of V2.2. means a lot of equipment goes to countries that otherwise never would have got it - so the potential lineups of multiple countries really changes if you decide for the later timeline
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Source material is the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 14th Edition by Norman Polmar.
The major problem with the Adams-class is that they are outdated. The first ship, DDG-2 Charles F. Adams was launched 8 Sep 1959 and commissioned 10 Sep 1960. The "youngest" is DDG-24 Waddell, launched 26 Feb 1963 and commissioned 28 Aug 1964.
They were considered to be highly capable destroyers for their relatively small size, although the lack helicopter facilities. They are based on an improved FORREST SHERMAN arrangement, with a Tarter missile-launching system (later upgraded to Standard-MR) in place of the SHERMAN's aft-most 5-inch gun.
The Navy had planned to modernize the 23 ships of this class, adding an additional 15 years beyond their nominal 30 year life span. This modernization was planed for fiscal years 1980-1983. But, however, increasing costs and congressional interest in new destroyer construction lead to a cut back in the modernization program, first to the last ten ships, and then only to three ships (DDG-19, 20 and 22, upgraded 1981-1985).
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The primary weakness in the Adams-class lies in their electronics suites. Only the three modernized ships have 'modern' radars and fire control suites. These would have to be replaced, the problem being of having updated systems to replace the older units with. Time frame wise, some of my Navy buddies have 'guessmated' anywhere from 4 to 12 months depending upon how much rewiring would need to be completed.
Soooooo...
Realistically, if the USN brought the Adams back into regular service, IMHO they would have been regulated to convoy escort instead of fleet support, most likely paired with a Perry-class frigate to take advantage of their more modern systems.