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USS Kidd (DDG 993)

The demands of national security and NATO participation inspired an expensive modernization program in the Hellenic Navy in the 1990s. Given fiscal restrictions, planners have concentrated on acquisition of modern naval platforms to replace outmoded Fletcher-class and Gearing FRAM I/Il-class destroyers.

The KIDD class were the world's largest destroyers and, after the Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke class, the most powerful multi-purpose destroyers in the fleet. The four ships of this class, originally designed for sale to the then-friendly Iranian Navy, were unique among US Warships, in that it combined the combat systems capability of the former VIRGINIA-class cruisers with the proven anti-submarine warfare qualities of a SPRUANCE-class destroyer.

In September 1998, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Security Assistance Act of 1998 Section 202(b)(1) authorized the lease-sale transfer to Greece of four Guided Missile Destroyers: the KIDD (DDG 993), CALLAGHAN (DDG 994), SCOTT (DDG 995), and CHANDLER (DDG 996). These vessels ranged between 15 and 16 years in age, and had a remaining service life of 23 years. The original acquisition value of these four vessels totals $1,241,644,000. Greece will purchase these vessels for $474,410,000, (over the life of the leases). This assumes that DDG 995 is transferred in `hot' condition with Congressional notification no later than November 1998.

Greece was in the midst of a force modernization program to which KIDD-class DDGs would be a major addition. The Greek Navy had recently purchased MEKO-class and KORTENAER-class FFGs and had expressed a strong interest in obtaining Flight III and IV PERRY-class FFGs from the United States. In addition, the Hellenic Navy had stated a plan to decommission its older ex-USN KNOX and ADAMS-class FFs and DDGs, as well as six corvettes in order to afford and man these larger warships. Greece had also tied these acquisitions to the purchase of four new construction corvettes from Ingalls Shipbuilding.

KIDD-class DDGs would provide a formidable capability to the Hellenic Navy because of their recent combat direction system threat upgrades and other state-of-the-art systems. Although these vessels are manpower intensive, Greece was willing to make this trade-off in return for the additional combat capabilities a DDG would provide. KIDD-class DDGs will also provide the Hellenic Navy increased capabilities in supporting U.S.-led operations in the Mediterranean region. However, this transfer will present the Hellenic Navy with the problem of possessing fewer assets to cover the same geographic region.

Greece's on-again/off-again plans to purchase the four Kidd-class guided-missile destroyers appeared on with the 01 December 1998 announcement by the US Department of Defense the Government of Greece had requested a possible combined lease/sale arrangement of four KIDD Class Guided Missile Destroyers and related munition items and services. The four ex-US Navy Charles F. Adams (DDG-2)-class destroyers were to be retired from the Hellenic Navy to provide crews for the Kidds. The announcement came at a time when tensions between Greece and Turkey were rising over Cyprus. The deal called for the "hot ship" turnover of one KIDD Class destroyer, "cold ship" transfer reactivations for three KIDD Class destroyers [USS Kidd (DDG-993), USS Callaghan (DDG-994), and USS Scott (DDG-995)] from the US Navy. These ships have been withdrawn from active US Navy service, and are scheduled for transfer under the Security Assistance Program (SAP).

In November 1999, Greece finally turned down the US offer of the four Kidd-class destroyers. Initially, it appeared that Greece might order two additional MEKO 200 frigates, stretched to accommodate Mk 41 vertical-launch missile cells, along with a class of four 1,200-ton corvettes. Greece sought instead to purchase a pair of retiring Dutch Kortenaer-class frigates, adding to the six that already serve the Greek Navy.

Taiwan announced in early 2001 that it was seeking to buy the four Kidd-class DDGs, and a price of $732 million was reportedly established. Although the ships will require extensive re-work, they would provide the Republic of China Navy with a significant air-defense capability.