View source for USS Sides

{{Short description|Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
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|Ship image=US Navy 021006-N-8590B-001 USS Sides passes under Golden Gate Bridge.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Sides'' entering San Francisco Bay in 2002
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|2003}}
|Ship name=''Sides''
|Ship namesake=Admiral [[John H. Sides]]
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|Ship ordered=27 February 1976
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|Ship builder=[[Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division]], [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]], [[California]]
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|Ship laid down=7 August 1978
|Ship launched=19 May 1979
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Joanne Sides Watson, daughter of Adm. Sides
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|Ship commissioned=30 May 1981
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|Ship decommissioned=28 February 2003
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|Ship struck=24 May 2004
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|Ship homeport=[[Naval Station San Diego|NS San Diego]], California (former)
|Ship identification=*[[Hull classification symbol#Surface combatant type|Hull symbol]]:FFG-14
*[[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]:NJHS
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Sierra}}
|Ship motto="Savvy"
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|Ship fate=Sold for scrapping 15 December 2014
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|Ship badge={{Dodseal|FFG-14|150}}
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/07/0714.htm | title=USS Sides (FFG 14) | publisher=Navesource.org | access-date=10 April 2015}}</ref>
|Ship class={{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate}}
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|Ship displacement={{OHP frigate displacement}}
|Ship length={{OHP frigate length short hull}}
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|Ship sensors={{OHP frigate sensors}}
|Ship EW=[[AN/SLQ-32]]
|Ship armament={{OHP frigate armament}}
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|Ship aircraft=1 × [[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite|SH-2F LAMPS I]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.navysite.de/ffg/FFG14.HTM | title=USS Sides (FFG 14) | publisher=Navysite.de | access-date=10 April 2015}}</ref>
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'''USS ''Sides'' (FFG-14)''' was an {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate|0}} [[guided-missile frigate]] that served in the [[US Navy]].

== History ==
The eighth ship in the class, it was named for Admiral [[John H. Sides]] (died 1978).  Ordered from [[Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division]], [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]], [[California]], on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY76 program, ''Sides'' was laid down on 7 August 1978, launched on 19 May 1979, and commissioned on 30 May 1981. ''Sides'' [[ship sponsor]] was Mrs. Joanne Sides Watson, daughter of Admiral Sides.

''Sides'' escorted tankers through the [[Straits of Hormuz]] during the [[Iran–Iraq War#Attacks on shipping|Tanker War]] and participated in [[Operation Praying Mantis]], the retaliation for Iranian mining operations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/ffg-14.htm|title=FFG 14 Sides}}</ref> ''Sides'' was also part of the Surface Action Group under {{USS|Vincennes|CG-49|6}} when [[Iran Air 655]] was shot down. ''Sides'' and her crew received a [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] for the time period 13 April 1988 to 25 July 1988.<ref name="awards">{{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> The following year, Commander David R. Carlson authored an article in ''U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings'' in which Carlson called into question Vincennes' self-defense justification for the use of force and wrote, "Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down for no good reason."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/9b2db6379867d9735e3ad8083399c6db|title=Commander Says Vincennes Tragedy Was Avoidable|author=Bryna Brennan|date=1 September 1989|access-date=22 December 2020|publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> Capt. Will Rogers of ''Vincennes'' and David L. Dillon, speaking on behalf of the US Navy, challenged Carlson's account of events.

''Sides'' and her crew received [[Navy E Ribbon]]s for the 18-month period, July 1983 to December 1984, and for the years 1995, 1999 and 2000.<ref name="awards"/>

''Sides'' was decommissioned on 28 February 2003 and as of 2014 was laid up in reserve at Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility Bremerton, Washington.

''Sides'' was expected to join the [[Portuguese Navy]] in 2006, together with her sister ship {{USS|George Philip|FFG-12|2}}, but the Portuguese Navy dropped the offer and chose two Dutch {{sclass|Karel Doorman|frigate|1}}s instead. ''Sides'' was expected to join the [[Turkish Navy]] in the summer of 2008, together with her sister ship ''George Philip'', but the Turkish Navy dropped the offer.

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book
|author=Wise, Harold Lee
|title=Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987–88
|url=http://www.insidethedangerzone.com
|location=Annapolis | publisher=Naval Institute Press
|year=2007
|isbn=978-1-59114-970-5}}

== References ==
{{Naval Vessel Register|hull=FFG-14}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|USS Sides (FFG-14)}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/68263790294/ Crew Group USS ''Sides'' FFG-14 pages]
* [https://www.facebook.com/FFG14/ Crew Page USS ''Sides'' FFG-14 pages]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/frigates/pages/sides_ffg14_page_1.htm MaritimeQuest USS ''Sides'' (FFG-14) pages]

{{Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}}
{{Los Angeles SB&DDC and Todd, Los Angeles ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sides (FFG-14)}}
[[Category:Ships built in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1979 ships]]
[[Category:Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy]]