STATUS:
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Awarded:
May 24, 1963
Laid
down: July 12, 1965 (as
DEG 6)
Launched: July 22, 1966 (as DEG 6)
Commissioned: November 11, 1967 (as DEG 6)
reclassified to
FFG 6: June 30, 1975
Decommissioned:
January 31,
1989
Fate: leased to Pakistan on January 31,
1989; renamed PNS Badr (D-161)
returned
to US Navy on March 29, 1994; sold for scrap;
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Julius Augustus
Furer, Naval Constructor, inventor, administrator, and author, was born 9
October 1880 at Mosel, Wisconsin.
Appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1897, he graduated at the
head of his class in 1901.
After sea duty in INDIANA (Battleship No. 1) and SHUBRICK (Torpedo Boat No.
31), he acquired a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in 1905.
In the era of great naval expansion after the Spanish- American War, Furer
established a reputation for professional competence in his remarkably
expeditious outfitting of the Navy Base at Charleston, South Carolina, which
at that time lacked a physical plant, natural resources, and a skilled
shipbuilding labor force.
While serving in the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1911, he applied new theories
of scientific management. His advanced thinking and methods of procurement
brought him the added task of purchasing all tools, machinery, and dock
facilities for the Navy’s new base for the Pacific Fleet - Pearl Harbor.
Furer installed the equipment in 18 months, but delayed his departure when
submarine F-4 (Submarine No. 23) sank in 50 fathoms off Honolulu. He insisted
on salvaging her, and invented a submersible pontoon which raised the boat
and enabled her to be moved to drydock. An investigation of her hull revealed
a design error which was corrected to avoid similar accidents.
Furer returned to Washington late in 1915 and took charge of the Supply
Division, Bureau of Construction and Repair. Against some opposition by
advocates of smaller vessels, he proposed the construction of 110-foot
submarine chasers to meet the threat of the German U-boat. Furer’s arguments
persuaded the Navy’s General Board to order 450 vessels constructed on
Furer’s basic design. These contributions to the American war effort earned
Furer the Navy Cross.
Following the war, he reported to the staff of the Commander in Chief,
Pacific Fleet, and tirelessly devoted his talent to the improvement of damage
control, ship design, and crew comfort. From December 1922 to April 1927, he
was a member of the U.S. Naval Mission to Brazil.
Furer next was assigned to the Asiatic Station, where he developed
extensively the aircraft facilities at Cavite, Philippine Islands. In 1928,
he became Manager of the Industrial Department of the Philadelphia Navy Yard,
and supervised the modernization of battleships PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) and NEW
MEXICO (BB-40). Under his management, the yard set records for low costs and
speed of construction. Between July 1935 and December 1937, Furer was Naval
Attache at embassies in London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome. His technical advice
aided the American delegation to the London Naval Conference in 1936.
A Rear Admiral at the outbreak of World War II, he became the Coordinator of
Research and Development, and the senior member of the National Research and
Development Board. He coordinated widespread research that speeded
development of modern weapons systems for the Navy. These services won Furer
the Legion of Merit 30 June 1945.
Julius Furer retired from active service in 1945, but was recalled to duty in
the Navy’s History Division in 1951.
During a second retirement, he wrote the widely acclaimed study,
“Administration of the Navy Department in World War II,” published in 1960.
Rear Admiral Julius A. Furer died 6 June 1963 and is buried at Arlington
National Cemetery.
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JULIUS A. FURER
was launched 22 July 1966 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; and sponsored
by Mrs. Julius A. Furer, widow of Rear Admiral Julius A. Furer. Commissioned
11 November 1967. After receiving a LAMPS helicopter flight deck in 1973,
JULIUS A. FURER was redesignated a guided missile frigate on 30 June 1975 and
became FFG-6. Decommissioned on 10 November 1988, she was leased to Pakistan
on 31 January 1989 and became guided missile frigate BADR (D-161). Returned
to U.S. custody at Singapore on 11 December 1993, she was stricken from the
Navy Register the same day. Transferred to the Maritime Administration on 29
March 1994, former JULIUS A. FURER was sold for scrap the same day to Trusha
Investments Pte. Ltd., c/o Jacques Peirot, Jr. & Sons, of New York City
for $660,600.
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