Garcia-class frigates were United States Navy warships. These frigates were originally ocean escorts bearing the hull classification DE until 1975. The ships were commissioned between 1964 and 1968 and decommissioned between 1988 and 1990.

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Quick Facts Class overview, General characteristics ...

USS Albert David underway in December 1975.
Class overview
Name	Garcia class
Builders	Various
Operators	United States Navy  Brazilian Navy  Pakistan Navy
Preceded by	Bronstein class (US) Marcílio Dias class (Brazil)
Succeeded by	Knox class
Subclasses	Brooke class
Built	1962–1968
In commission	1964–1990 (USN)
Completed	10 + Glover
Retired	10 + Glover
Preserved	0
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	2,624 tons (light)
Length	414 ft 6 in (126.34 m)
Beam	44 ft 1 in (13.44 m)
Draft	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 1 steam turbine, 35,000 shp (26,000 kW), single screw
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	16 officers 231 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-40 air search radar AN/SPS-10 surface search radar AN/SQS-26 bow mounted sonar[1] Mark 56 fire-control system
Armament	2 × single 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. Mk 30 guns 1 × 8-tube ASROC Mk16 launcher (16 missiles) 2 × triple 12.75 in (324 mm) Mk 32 torpedo tubes, Mk 46 torpedoes (18 torpedoes) 2 × Mk 25 twin torpedo tubes for MK 37 torpedo (fixed, stern) (removed later) (8 torpedoes)
Aircraft carried	Gyrodyne QH-50 (planned) / SH-2 LAMPS

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Frigates fulfill a Protection of Shipping (POS) mission as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups and merchant convoys.

The Garcia class was a larger version of the Bronstein class. The Garcias were followed by the similar Brooke class, which was given guided missile armament.

The Bronstein ocean escort was a response to the development of high speed nuclear submarines in the late 1950s. They were powered by steam turbines instead of diesel engines and incorporated a first class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon system: the SQS-26BX sonar, MK 112 ASROC rocket launcher, and MK 32 torpedo tubes. Gun (naval artillery) armament (MK 33 3 inch/50 caliber) was changed in the Garcia class to two MK 30 5 inch/38 caliber guns.

There were two distinct breeds of ships bearing the DE hull classification, the World War II destroyer escorts (some of which were converted to DERs) and the postwar DE/DEG classes, which were known as ocean escorts despite carrying the same type symbol as the World War II destroyer escorts. All DEs, DEGs, and DERs were reclassified as FFs, FFGs, or FFRs on 30 June 1975 by the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification.

After decommissioning, Bradley, Davidson, Sample, and Albert David were transferred to the Brazilian Navy, as Pernambuco (D 30), Paraíba (D 28), Paraná (D 29), and Pará (D 27), respectively. Pará (D 27) remained in reserve till 2015, but appears to have been scrapped since.^[2] Glover was a Garcia-class frigate modified for research use, commissioned as AGDE-1 in 1965, redesignated AGFF-1 in 1975, and redesignated FF-1098 in 1979.

• Davidson with vertical bridge structure
• Koelsch with angled lower bridge structure for automatic ASROC loading. All units Voge and later were similarly equipped
• Sample with two gun mounts
• Glover with only one gun mount
• Bradley with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow BPDMS installed. Installed and removed c.1967-1968.
• Stern view of Bradley, note torpedo tubes installed in the transom, later removed.

• List of frigates of the United States Navy
• List of frigates by country and by frigate class