View source for ORP Gen. K. Pułaski

{{redirect|USS Clark (FFG-11)|ships with a similar name|USS Clark}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = [[File:OPR Gen K Pułaski.JPG|300px]]
| Ship caption = ORP ''Generał Kazimierz Pułaski'' moored in Gdynia
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|2000}}
| Ship name = USS ''Clark''
| Ship namesake = [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[Joseph James Clark|Joseph James "Jocko" Clark]] (1893–1971)
| Ship ordered = 27 February 1976
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[Bath Iron Works]], [[Bath, Maine]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 17 July 1978
| Ship launched = 24 March 1979
| Ship sponsor = Mrs. Olga Clark, widow of Admiral Clark
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 9 May 1980
| Ship decommissioned = 15 March 2000
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| Ship reclassified = 
| Ship refit = 
| Ship struck = 15 March 2000
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = [[Norfolk, Virginia]] (former)
| Ship identification = *[[Hull classification symbol#Surface combatant type|Hull symbol]]:FFG-11
* [[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]:NJJC
* {{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Charlie}}
| Ship motto = "Determined Warrior"
| Ship nickname = 
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| Ship captured = 
| Ship fate = Disposed of through the [[Security Assistance Program]] (SAP)
Sold to [[Polish Navy]]
| Ship notes = 
| Ship badge = {{Dodseal|FFG-11|149}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics <!--as USS Clark-->
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| Header caption = 
| Ship complement = {{OHP frigate complement}}
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| Ship sensors = {{OHP frigate sensors}}
| Ship EW = [[AN/SLQ-32]]
| Ship armament = {{OHP frigate armament}}
| Ship armor = 
| Ship aircraft = 1 × [[SH-60 Seahawk|SH-60 LAMPS III]] helicopter
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}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = title
| Ship country = Poland
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Poland|navy}}
| Ship name = ORP ''Generał Kazimierz Pułaski''
| Ship namesake = [[Casimir Pulaski]]
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| Ship acquired = 15 March 2000
| Ship commissioned = 25 June 2000
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| Ship identification = *[[Pennant number]]: 272
*{{MMSI Number|261268000}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: SNWR
| Ship fate = 
| Ship status = Active
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}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics <!--as ORP Pulaski-->
| Hide header = yes
| Header caption = As ORP Gen. K. Pułaski
| Ship complement = 17 officers and 198 enlisted
| Ship time to activate = 
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| Ship armament = *2 × double tube anti-submarine torpedo mounts
*1 × {{convert|76|mm|in|abbr=on}} Rapid Fire Dual Purpose Gun
*1 × Vulcan Phalanx system
*1 × Guided missile launching system with Standard [[surface-to-air missile]]s
*[[Boeing Harpoon]] surface-to-surface missiles
| Ship armour = 
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| Ship aircraft = ASW [[Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite]] helicopter
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Ship class = {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate}}
| Ship displacement = {{OHP frigate displacement}}
| Ship length = {{OHP frigate length short hull}}
| Ship beam = {{OHP frigate beam}}
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| Ship draft = {{OHP frigate draft}}
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'''ORP ''Generał Kazimierz Pułaski''''' is one of two [[Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate|''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class]] guided-missile frigates of the [[Polish Navy]]. Formerly serving in the [[United States Navy]] as the '''USS ''Clark'' (FFG-11)''', after her transfer to Poland she was named for [[Kazimierz Pułaski]], who fought in both the [[War of the Bar Confederation]] in Poland and later the [[American Revolutionary War]]. As the USS ''Clark'', she was the US Navy's fifth ship of the ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' class, and was named for Admiral [[Joseph James Clark|Joseph James "Jocko" Clark]] (1893–1971). The ship is propelled by two [[General Electric]] LM-2500 gas [[turbines]] and two 350 horsepower (261&nbsp;kW) electric drive auxiliary propulsion units. The ''Gen K. Pułaski'' is currently homeported at [[Gdynia]] ([[Oksywie]]).

==History==
===US service===
Ordered by the US Navy from [[Bath Iron Works]] on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY76 program, ''Clark'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] on 17 July 1978 and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 24 March 1979. The frigate [[ship commisisoning|commissioned]] on 9 May 1980. She was the second US Navy ship commissioned with the name USS ''Clark''. The [[ship sponsor]] was Mrs. [[Olga Clark]], the widow of the ship's namesake.

In July 1982, ''Clark'' recovered three sailors that were washed overboard from the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CV-67|2}} in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain.<ref>{{cite news |agency= Associated Press|title= Sailor Missing from Carrier |location= [[Harrisonburg, Virginia]] |newspaper= Daily News Record |date= 7 July 1982}}</ref> A fourth sailor was not recovered and was lost at sea.<ref>{{cite news |title= Man Overboard: Sailor Recalls Ordeal |newspaper= The [[Winchester Star]] |location= [[Winchester, Virginia]] |date= 15 July 1982 }}</ref>

In December 1992, ''Clark'' was nearby when the crew of an [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] was forced to eject during training operations off the coast of Virginia. ''Clark''{{'}}s helicopter rescued the radar intercept officer and a [[United States Coast Guard]] helicopter rescued the pilot.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.dailypress.com/1992/12/16/navy-jet-crashes-into-ocean-oceana-pilots-safely-eject/ |title= Navy Jet Crashes into Ocean |newspaper= [[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]] |location= [[Hampton Roads]], [[Virginia]] |date= 1992-12-16 }}</ref>

In April 1994, ''Clark'' changed homeports from [[Newport, Rhode Island]], to [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Underway for Good |newspaper= Pacific Stars And Stripes |date= 18 April 1994}}</ref> The ship had previously been homeported in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the mid-1980s to 1992 and [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport, Florida]] before that. Decommissioned and stricken from the US Navy list on 15 March 2000, she was transferred to the [[Polish Navy]] that same day.

===Polish service===
The ship was commissioned as ORP ''Generał Kazimierz Pułaski'' (after [[Casimir Pulaski|Kazimierz Pułaski]]) on 25 June 2000, at a ceremony attended by US Secretary of State [[Madeleine Albright]]. Commander Marian Ambroziak was the first Polish commanding officer. Since her transfer to Poland, ''Generał Kazimierz Pułaski'' has participated in numerous [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]] exercises in the [[Baltic Sea]].

==Awards as USS ''Clark''==
[[File:USS Clark (FFG-11) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 1 October 1981.jpg|thumb|left|A starboard bow view of the guided missile frigate USS ''Clark'' underway.]]

USS ''Clark'' and her crew received the following unit awards, according to the US Navy unit awards website:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://awards.navy.mil |title=Unit Awards |website=US Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041014224730/https://awards.navy.mil/ |archive-date=14 October 2004}}</ref>

* [[Humanitarian Service Medal]] for the evacuation of [[Lebanon]], 23 to 25 June 1982
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] for Lebanon from 11 December 1983 to 21 January 1984
* US [[Coast Guard Unit Commendation]], 31 October 1984 to 31 December 1984
* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]], 1 February 1984 to 21 April 1984
* US Coast Guard [[Special Operations Service Ribbon]], three awards, for April to June 1989, July to September 1989 and 19 January 1990 to 24 February 1990.
* [[Navy E Ribbon]], two awards, for the years of 1992 and 1995
* [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] for the year of 1997.

USS ''Clark'' was also nominated for the [[United States Public Health Service]] Outstanding Unit Citation for operations from 24 June 1994 to 12 July 1994, but did not receive the award. The ship was reported near Haiti in mid-July 1994<ref>{{cite news |agency= Associated Press|title=Haitian Crisis Deepens |newspaper= European Stars And Stripes. |date= 16 July 1994}}</ref> around the time many [[Refugee#Boat people|refugees]] were fleeing Haiti in small boats.<ref>{{cite news |agency= Associated Press|title= Haitians to go to Guantanamo |newspaper= [[Syracuse Herald-Journal]] |location= [[Syracuse, New York]] |date= 29 June 1994}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{USS|Pulaski}} for [[US Navy]] ships of a similar name.

==References==
{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=FFG11}}}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category multi|USS Clark (FFG-11) (ship, 1979)|ORP Gen. K. Pułaski (ship, 1979)||align=left}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050119104242/http://navy.mw.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=oliver Polish Navy official site about Perry class in English]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171001123237/http://www.mw.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=oliver Polish Navy official web about ORP ''Pulaski'' in Polish]

{{Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:General Kazimierz Pulaski}}
[[Category:1979 ships]]
[[Category:Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the Polish Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Polish Navy]]