Descubierta class
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Infanta Elena (P76), ex F33
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The Descubierta-class , also known as the F30-class , is a 1233 tonne displacement class of former corvettes of the Spanish Armada , most of which are still in service today, reclassified as ocean patrol boats . Some corvettes were exported to Morocco and Egypt .
history
The origin of the F30 project goes back to the second phase of the naval plan of the 1960s, which provided for a class of twelve coastal escort vehicles. After various problems, the number was reduced in favor of initially four frigates of the later Santa María class to eight ships, plus one for Morocco . In addition, the last two were never put into service by the Armada, but sold to Egypt beforehand . Instead of these two not in service, a second construction lot of the Santa María class frigates was procured.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the ships as part of the 21st escort flotilla, despite their smaller size than frigates, formed an important part of the Spanish fleet and were regularly involved in NATO maneuvers or were part of the SRANAVFORMED . All active units of the class were in action in the Second Gulf War , they mostly patrolled the Red Sea .
After being reclassified as deep-sea patrol boats between 2000 and 2004, the units continued to be involved in international missions such as the UNIFIL mission off Lebanon, and the Infanta Cristina was attacked in vain by pirates in the autumn of 2010 as part of Operation Atalanta in the Horn of Africa . In contrast to her sister ships, the Diana was converted into the lead ship of the mine forces .
technology
Original state of construction
The corvettes were designed in cooperation with Blohm + Voss in Hamburg and were based on the Portuguese João Coutinho class designed for convoid services in coastal waters .
modification
After their reclassification, the boats were modernized in the 1st decade of the 21st century according to their changed range of tasks.
The patrol boats now have a 20/120 and two 12.7 mm MG as well as four CHAFF decoys instead of the 40 mm anti-aircraft gun . The torpedo tubes were also removed. Since the conversion, the sensors consisted of a DA-05 air radar (not F75), ZW-06 surface radar, DT WM-25 radar (not F75), MD-3721 navigation radar, KH-1007 navigation radar, MK-1600 -Early warning system and a DOA system DM-76.
In addition to the 76 mm gun, the Diana only has a 20/100 mm MG, its sensors essentially consist of two Furuno and one Koden radar.
The maximum speed of the ships is given as 25 knots. Its range is 4,000 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.
units
Spain
The naming is not entirely uniform. The name of the type ship is the Spanish translation of "exploration". The second ship is named after the Roman goddess of the hunt, and ships three and four bear the names of the daughters of King Juan Carlos . The other names are, in a broader sense, job titles associated with bravery or the like. As corvettes, the ships were all based in Cartagena. Today there are two units in Las Palmas .
| Identifier | Surname | Shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | In service | Reclassification | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F31 / P75 | Descubierta | Bazan, Cartagena | November 16, 1974 | July 8, 1975 | November 18, 1978 | June 5, 2000 | June 30, 2009 | scrapped |
| F32 / M11 | Diana | Bazan, Cartagena | July 8, 1975 | January 26, 1976 | June 30, 1979 | 2000 | May 28, 2015 | off-duty |
| F33 / P76 | Infanta Elena | Bazan, Cartagena | January 26, 1976 | September 14, 1976 | April 12, 1980 | January 13, 2004 | active, Cartagena | |
| F34 / P77 | Infanta Cristina | Bazan, Cartagena | September 11, 1974 | July 8, 1976 | November 24, 1980 | January 13, 2004 | active, Cartagena | |
| F35 / P78 | Cazadora | Bazan, Ferrol | December 14, 1976 | 17th October 1978 | July 20, 1982 | January 13, 2004 | April 26, 2018 | off-duty |
| F36 / P79 | Vencedora | Bazan, Ferrol | January 1, 1978 | April 27, 1979 | March 27, 1982 | January 13, 2004 | January 1, 2017 | off-duty |
| F37 | Centinela | Bazan, Ferrol | to Egypt as El Suez (F-941) | |||||
| F38 | Serviola | Bazan, Ferrol | to Egypt as El Aboukir (F-946) |
With the arrival of the multi-purpose boats of the Meteoro class , the majority of the ships were decommissioned from 2009.
The two Egyptian ships were named after places on the Mediterranean.
| Identifier | Surname | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F941 | El Suez | August 21, 1984 | unknown | |
| F946 | El Aboukir | October 27, 1984 | unknown |
On February 26, 1982, the Royal Moroccan Navy commissioned the Errhamani , ID 501, named after an officer . The ship, which is still in active service at Bazan in Ferrol, has the Italian Aspide missile instead of the American Harpoon marine target missile .
