About this Unit
USS Knox (FF-1052) was the lead ship of the Knox-class frigates in the United States Navy, commissioned on April 12, 1969. Designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, she served extensively during the Cold War, conducting patrols, exercises, and escort missions in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The vessel participated in numerous NATO operations and goodwill visits, enhancing U.S. naval presence worldwide. After more than two decades of service, USS Knox was decommissioned on February 14, 1992, and later transferred to Taiwan, where she served as ROCS Chi Yang (FFG-932).
Historical Facts
• Namesake: USS Knox (FF-1052) was named in honor of Commodore Dudley Wright Knox, a distinguished naval officer and naval historian.
• Class Leader: She was the lead ship of the Knox-class frigates, originally designated as a destroyer escort (DE-1052) before being reclassified as a frigate (FF-1052) in 1975.
• Commissioning: USS Knox was commissioned on 12 April 1969 at Long Beach, California, after being launched on 19 November 1966 by Todd Shipyards in Seattle.
• Vietnam War Service: The ship saw action off the coast of Vietnam, providing naval gunfire support and anti-submarine operations during the Vietnam War.
• Anti-Submarine Warfare Focus: USS Knox was designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), equipped with SQS-26 sonar, ASROC launcher, and torpedo tubes, as well as a DASH drone helicopter (later replaced by the LAMPS SH-2 Seasprite).
• Rescue Operations: In October 1972, USS Knox rescued 11 South Vietnamese sailors after their vessel was sunk by North Vietnamese shore batteries.
• Pacific Deployments: Throughout its service, USS Knox participated in numerous Pacific Fleet exercises and deployments, including visits to Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Australia.
• Modernization: During the late 1970s, the ship was upgraded with newer electronics and weapons systems to keep pace with evolving naval threats.
• Decommissioning: USS Knox was decommissioned on 14 February 1992 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day, after over two decades of service.
• Final Fate: After decommissioning, USS Knox was sunk as a target during a fleet training exercise off the coast of Southern California in August 2007.
