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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books About the Name "Wadsworth" About the Coat of Arms History Homeports of USS Wadsworth Image Gallery to end of page
USS WADSWORTH was the third OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class frigate and the second "short hull" version in that class. USS WADSWORTH was last homeported in San Diego, Ca. Decommissioned on June 28, 2002, WADSWORTH was transfered to the Polish Navy where she was recommissioned as GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: February 27, 1976 |
| Keel laid: July 13, 1977 | |
| Launched: July 29, 1978 | |
| Commissioned: February 28, 1980 | |
| Decommissioned: June 28, 2002 | |
| Builder: Todd Pacific Shipyards Co., Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, Ca. | |
| Propulsion system: two General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines, two 350 Horsepower Electric Drive Auxiliary Propulsion Units | |
| Propellers: one | |
| Blades on each Propeller: five | |
| Length: 445 feet (133.5 meters) | |
| Beam: 45 feet (13.5 meters) | |
| Draft: 24,6 feet (7.5 meters) | |
| Displacement: 4,100 tons | |
| Speed: 28+ knots | |
| Aircraft: one | |
| Armament: one Mk 13 guided missile launcher (36 Standard (MR) and 4 | |
| Crew: 17 Officers and 198 Enlisted |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS WADSWORTH. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS WADSWORTH Cruise Books:
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Frigate’s Name, about Commodore Alexander Scammel Wadsworth:
USS WADSWORTH is the third ship of the fleet to carry the name; a name which bears a long history, filled with courage, heroics and patriotism dating back to the early years of this country's Navy and continuing through two World Wars to the present. The ship is named in honor of Commodore Alexander Scammel Wadsworth, famous for his heroic actions while serving aboard the USS CONSTITUTION ("OLD IRONSIDE") during the engagement with HMS GUERRIERE in the War of 1812, for which he received a silver medal for heroism and the thanks of Congress. While continuing his brilliant service in the Navy, Commodore Wadsworth was promoted to Master Commandant for gallant services while aboard the USS ADAMS in 1814; commanded two ships in the Mediterranean Squadron (and USS CONSTELLATION); was commander of the Pacific Squadron; and then served as Navy Commissioner until 1840.
The first ship to be named WADSWORTH (DD 60) was a Tucker Class destroyer commissioned in July 1915. She served to honor the name admirably. Her squadron's record for escorting numerous convoys laden with food, munitions, and troops of the American Expeditionary Force bound for Europe during the First World War is beyond compare. Not one man out of the two million "doughboys" of General Pershing's Army was lost en route while under her convoy protection. This feat notwithstanding, however, the WADSWORTH will always be remembered as the flagship of the first division of American destroyers to arrive in Europe to break the German U-boat blockade surrounding the British Isles. This sailing of WADSWORTH and her squadron to Britain is etched forever in the pages of history as the "Return of the Mayflower".
WADSWORTH (DD 516), a Fletcher Class destroyer commissioned in March 1943, was the second ship to proudly bear the name. Her World War II log of combat actions, submarine sinkings, aircraft kills and devastatingly accurate bombardments of enemy shore installations was outstanding. She received the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism while successfully repelling literally hundreds of enemy aircraft while off the coast of Okinawa. This fine ship also earned seven battle stars and other awards for operations which included; the Treasury-Bougainville Operation; the Consolidation of the Solomon Island; the Bismarck Archipelago Operation; the Marianas Operation; the Okinawa Gunto Operation; and the Third Fleet Operation against Japan.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Frigate’s Coat of Arms:
Blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Naval service, and are symbolic of the Navy's element, the sea, and ever-present goal of excellence. The color red symbolizes action and courage. The observer sees the oncoming prow of WADSWORTH in red, as it cuts the blue sea, the home of the modern frigate. The three seagulls remind the observer that three Naval Ships have borne the proud name of "WADSWORTH". It recalls the ancient sailor's belief that seagulls are the souls of departed sailors and bring good fortune by their presence. The crest represents the USS CONSTITUTION under full sail and comemmorates the fact that Commodore Alexander Scammel Wadsworth (then second Lieutenant of CONSTITUTION) received a Silver Medal for Heroism, and the thanks of Congress, for his part in CONSTITUTION's engagement with the british frigate "GUERRIERE".
This engagement, in which CONSTITUTION defeated GUERRIERE in a brief but violent action, was the first American victory over the heretofore omnipotent Royal Navy. The act captured the heart of the American people and gave a much needed boost to the morale and confidence of our young nation. In this action, CONSTITUTION won her familiar title, "Old Ironside", when GUERRIERE's shots were seen to bounce off her sides.
The motto selected for WADSWORTH is taken from the words Captain Isaac Hull, then Commanding CONSTITUTION, addressed to his men just prior to engaging Guerriere. "Men," he said, "now do your duty. Your officers cannot have entire comand over you now. Each man must do all in his power for his country." The naval service of both Commodore WADSWORTH and USS CONSTITUTION would continue for many years, but they both won their place in history on that day in August, 1812 when they began the United States Navy's winning tradition of giving everything "for one's country".
back to top go to the end of the pageShip's History:
USS WADSWORTH entered service at the start of the 1980s Pacific Fleet growth and spent the next two decades shuttling between deployments, large-scale exercises, and periodic upkeep on the US West Coast. Commissioned at Long Beach on 2 April 1980, the frigate quickly completed a short Pacific Northwest cruise in August 1980 - calling at San Francisco, Seattle, Port Townsend and Hood Canal in Washington, and Victoria and Esquimalt in British Columbia - before settling into her initial training cycle. On 20 August 1981 she took part in a presidential fleet review, then in late 1983 sailed west again for a combined WestPac/SouthPac deployment. Departing Long Beach on 4 October 1983, WADSWORTH's itinerary reflected the breadth of Cold War partner engagement: Pearl Harbor and Guam en route, extended port visits in Subic Bay (Philippines), Chinhae and Pusan (Republic of Korea), and Hong Kong, followed by a Southern Hemisphere swing through Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) and Cairns, Mackay, Sydney, and Brisbane (Australia), then Napier and Auckland (New Zealand), and calls at Vava'u (Kingdom of Tonga) and Pago Pago (American Samoa) during the return transit in early 1984.
On 30 June 1985 the ship shifted to the Naval Reserve Force, Pacific, remaining based in Southern California while supporting fleet readiness with embarked reservists during underway periods. Between drills and local operations, WADSWORTH occasionally stepped into pop culture: on 25 March 1989 she spent a day portraying a later-generation sister ship during filming work connected to The Hunt for Red October. That autumn she moved from the screen to one of the decade's largest maneuvers, joining PACEX '89 from 9 September to 9 November 1989 - a two-month series of North Pacific evolutions that massed US and allied units for blue-water antisubmarine, air defense, and replenishment training.
The early 1990s brought steady fleet exercises and transits centered on Hawaii and the eastern Pacific. In June 1991, WADSWORTH operated in company with cruiser and destroyer consorts en route to Pearl Harbor, mooring 7-14 June and then spending 14-26 June in the Hawaiian operating areas for weapons calibrations, gunnery, and range work before returning to the West Coast. The following year she turned again to group operations as part of a task unit alongside USS ANTIETAM (CG 54) during Pacific Fleet training events. Throughout this period, the ship alternated underway time with routine maintenance and short Selected Restricted Availabilities at Southern California yards to keep hull, propulsion, and combat systems in line with class standards.
Mid-decade through the turn of the century, WADSWORTH continued the Naval Reserve Force pattern: local and regional underway periods from San Diego, periodic detachments to support carrier and cruiser-destroyer workups, and interagency missions typical of the era. Readiness results were consistently strong; the frigate earned Battle Effectiveness Awards in 1993, 1998, and 2001, bookending a long run of inspections, certifications, and at-sea events. Port visits in these years skewed practical - Pearl Harbor during Hawaii phases, San Diego between upkeep and training, and occasional community relations calls tied to West Coast fleet activities.
The end of US service came in summer 2002. After final inspections and turnover preparations in San Diego, WADSWORTH decommissioned on 28 June 2002 at Naval Base San Diego and, the same day, transferred to Poland under a foreign military assistance arrangement. Stricken from the US Navy's register on 23 July 2002, she was commissioned into the Polish Navy as ORP GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO (273) the same day as her US retirement - closing a 22-year American career that had begun with Cold War WestPac and SouthPac diplomacy, shifted to reserve-augmented fleet training after 1985, and finished with well-documented contributions to Pacific exercises and readiness through 2001–2002.
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Homeports of USS WADSWORTH:
| Period | Homeport |
|---|---|
| commissioned at Long Beach, Calif. | |
| 1980 - 1994 | Long Beach, Calif. |
| 1994 - 2002 | San Diego, Calif. |
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back to top go to the end of the pageUSS WADSWORTH Image Gallery:
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On June 28, 2002, USS WADSWORTH was decommissioned and transferred to the Polish Navy where she was renamed GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO. In June 2003, ORP KOSCIUSZKO participated in BALTOPS 2003. The photos below were taken by me and show the guided missile frigate at Naval Base Kiel, Germany. The port visit marked the end of the exercise and was conducted from June 20-23, 2003.
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The photos below were taken by me and show ORP GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO arriving at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, after participating in BALTOPS 2023 on June 16, 2023.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the ORP GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 17, 2023, after her participation in BALTOPS 2023. The ship is already serving in the Polish Navy for 21 years.
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The photos below were taken by me and show ORP GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO at Rostock, Germany, on June 4, 2025, prior to the at-sea phase of BALTOPS 2025.
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The photos below were taken by me and show ORP GENERAL TADEUSZ KOSCIUSZKO departing Rostock, Germany, on June 5, 2025, for the at-sea phase of BALTOPS 2025.
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