Kharg (ship)
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_rear_by_Hossein_Zohrevand.jpg)
The Kharg (Persian: خارگ) was a tanker of the Iranian Navy converted into a supply ship , named after the island of Charg . On June 2, 2021, the Kharg caught fire and sank near the Iranian city of Bandar-e Jask and the Strait of Hormuz . The Kharg was the second largest at the time of the sinking Iranian Navy ship in service, the Makran beginning 2,021th
equipment
The normal crew consisted of 248 soldiers. The ship was armed with a 76/62 Compact cannon on the forecastle and also equipped with four SU-23 anti-aircraft machine guns in two twin mounts and two 12.7 mm machine guns. The Kharg had a helipad with twin hangars, which gave it enough space to carry three helicopters.
In 1994 and 2014 to 2016 there were modernizations.
A 2014 review by Stratfor mentions that the Kharg was essential for long-range operations by the Iranian Navy due to its ability to extend the range of Iranian warships, especially frigates .
history
The Kharg was built by the Swan Hunter shipyard in Great Britain. The keel was laid in 1976, and it was not put into service until 1984 after delivery of the ship was delayed during the First Gulf War . In the First Gulf War, the ship was in action for almost three years. It supported Iranian warships by refueling, transporting ammunition and supplies.
The Kharg carried out together with the frigate Sabalan from August 31, 2009 to November 17, 2009 a 73-day anti-piracy mission in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden . From March 17 to June 17, 2010, she carried out another 92 day anti-piracy mission with the Sabalan . A mission to combat piracy with the frigate Alvand followed from August 28 to November 15, 2010 . On the way back to Iran from a visit to Latakia from January 27 to March 21, 2011, they rescued a merchant ship from Hong Kong from Somali pirates in the Red Sea . In April the ships freed two merchant ships hijacked by Somali pirates. An anti-piracy, anti-training and secret service mission followed with the corvette Naghdi from January 22 to March 26, 2012. An anti-piracy mission followed with the same corvette from September 1 to November 14, 2012 August 2013 the ship was temporarily in action with the Sabalan on an anti-piracy and intelligence mission near Bab al-Mandab . A mission with the Alvand lasted from December 8, 2018 to January 20, 2019 on a secret service and escort mission in the Gulf of Aden. A mission lasted from August 26 to October 29, 2019 with the newly commissioned frigate Sahand on its first mission in the high seas. Tanker escorts and sea patrols in the Gulf of Aden and in the Red Sea were also performed.
On June 2, 2021 at 2:25 a.m., a fire broke out on the Kharg . The ship sank around 8:30 a.m. All 400 crew members were rescued, 33 were injured. The ship is said to have been on a training mission for several days. Reasons for the outbreak of fire were not disclosed.
It is speculated that Israel had something to do with the downfall. There have been repeated attacks on Iranian ships in the past, including attacks on the Iranian nuclear program, such as the attack on Mohsen Fachrisadeh , with which the Mossad is associated.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen Saunders, Tom Philpott: Jane's Fighting Ships , p. 394.
- ↑ The Iranian Navy: A Symbolic Show of Force in the Atlantic , Stratfor on February 11, 2014, accessed June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Kharg , Tyne Built Ships, accessed June 3, 2021.
- ↑ El-Shazly, Nadia El-Sayed (2016): The Gulf Tanker War: Iran and Iraq's Maritime Swordplay , Springer, Table 5.1, p. 175, ISBN 9781349263042 .
- ↑ Nadimi Farzin (2020): Iran's Evolving Approach to Asymmetric Naval Warfare: Strategy and Capabilities in the Persian Gulf The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (Policy Focus) (164), Appendix E: IRIN's Long-range Task Forces And Naval Visits Abroad , Pp. 64-74.
- ↑ Iran's biggest navy ship sinks after fire in Gulf of Oman , Reuters on June 2, 2021, accessed on June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Iran's biggest navy ship 'Kharg' catches fire and sinks in Gulf of Oman , South China Morning Post on June 2, 2021, accessed on June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Iran's Largest Naval Ship Burns and Sinks in the Gulf of Oman , The Maritime Executive on June 2, 2021, accessed June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Iran's largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman , AP on June 2, 2021, accessed June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Susanne Koelbl : What caused the sinking of the »Kharg«? , Spiegel Online on June 2, 2021, accessed on June 3, 2021.