USS Taurus (PHM-3)

USS Taurus (PHM-3) was the third ship of her class of hydrofoils operated by the United States Navy. Pegasus class vessels were designed for high speed and mobility, and carried a powerful (for their size) armament. The ship was named for the constellation Taurus.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Taurus.
USS Taurus
History
United States
Name: USS Taurus
Awarded: 20 October 1977
Builder: Boeing Marine Systems, Renton, Washington
Laid down: 30 January 1979
Launched: 8 May 1981
Commissioned: 10 October 1981
Decommissioned: 30 July 1993
Homeport: Key West, Fl
Motto: Ad Astra (Latin) "To the stars"[1]
Fate: Sold for scrapping, 19 August 1996
General characteristics
Class and type: Pegasus-class hydrofoil
Displacement: 255 long tons (259 t) full
Length: 133 ft (41 m)
Beam: 28 ft (8.5 m)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) hullborne
  • 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph) foilborne
Complement: 4 officers, 17 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems:
Armament:
  • 2 × quad RGM-84 Harpoon
  • 1 × Mk.75 76 mm OTO Melara, 62 cal. gun

In November 1972, The United States, Germany and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to share the cost of the development of a Patrol Missile Hydrofoil. This brought about the building of the Pegasus class . The Taurus was the first production model.[2]

See also

References
  1. http://www.foils.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Decommissioning-Ceremony-USS-PEGASUS-USS-TAURUS-USS-ARIES-USS-HERCULES-USS-AQUILA-USS-GEMINI-71252.pdf
  2. Taurus Commissioning book
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Rear Admiral James D. Williams, Commander, Naval Base Seattle, delivers his address as the keynote speaker during the commissioning for Taurus on 10 October 1981.
A sailor aboard the patrol combatant missile hydrofoil USS Taurus (PHM 3) stands beside an M60 machine gun as he keeps an eye on a small craft that was stopped after being spotted unusually far from shore
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