Osprey class (1991)
| Osprey- class | |
|---|---|
 The mine-hunter USS Raven (MHC-61), 2004 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Mine hunting boat |
| units | 12 built; 4? active |
| period of service |
1993–2007 United States since 2007 Egypt since 2007 Greece |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
907 tons |
| length |
57.25 meters |
| width |
10.54 meters |
| Draft |
3 meter |
| crew |
5 officers, 46 sailors |
| drive |
2 Voith-Schneider drives, driven by 2 Isotta Fraschini ID 36 SS 8V AM diesel units; 1600 hp |
| speed |
10 knots |
| Armament |
2 12.7mm machine guns , mine hunting equipment |
The ships of the Osprey class were mine hunters of the United States Navy , whose job it was to track down, classify and neutralize all types of sea mines . This class also has the AN / SLQ-48 mine defense system and various underwater location systems ( sonar and video sensors).
Twelve units of this class were built by Northop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans and Intermarine in Savannah and entered service between 1993 and 1999. The design is based on the Italian Lerici class , which was built by Intermarine in Sarzana . In order to keep the magnetic signature of the ship as low as possible, the hull is made entirely of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) , which can withstand the pressure wave of an underwater explosion.
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According to the original plans, the Osprey-class boats were intended to protect the US coasts from mines in a Cold War conflict scenario. After this threat disappeared, the boats became superfluous and mostly mothballed. Any other use of the boats and use in maneuvers and international exercises turned out to be difficult, as the boats are only suitable for the oceans to a limited extent and, due to their low speed, cannot keep up with other ships within an association. Even so, it was decided to move two of the boats, the Cardinal and the Raven, to Bahrain in 2000. The boats secured the international shipping routes in the Persian Gulf there. Ultimately, however, due to the limited operational capability, the decision was made to decommission all boats of the Osprey class by the end of 2008. Since the boats were still very young, they were not scrapped, but sold or given to friendly navies. The two boats stationed in Bahrain went to the Egyptian Navy in January 2007 and two other boats to the Greek Navy in March 2007 . The last four boats were decommissioned at the end of 2007.
According to current plans, the US Navy will not commission any new minehunters. The tasks of this warship class are to be taken over by the new Littoral Combat Ships in the future.
units
The Osprey class was named after birds , except for the USS Black Hawk , a hawk is also a bird, but the Black Hawk was an Indian chief . The home port of the USS Cardinal and the USS Raven was Bahrain , the rest was in Ingleside, Texas .
| Identifier | Surname | Shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MHC-51 | USS Osprey | Intermarine, USA | June 16, 1988 | March 23, 1991 | November 20, 1993 | June 15, 2006 | should be scrapped |
| MHC-52 | USS Heron | Intermarine, USA | October 11, 1989 | March 21, 1992 | August 6, 1994 | March 16, 2007 | to Greece, Kalypso (M 64) in service 2011 |
| MHC-53 | USS Pelican | Avondale Shipyard , Westwego | June 6, 1991 | February 27, 1993 | November 18, 1995 | March 16, 2007 | to Greece, Evniki (M 61) in service March 16, 2007 |
| MHC-54 | USS Robin | Avondale Shipyard, Westwego | 2nd June 1992 | September 11, 1993 | May 11, 1996 | June 15, 2006 | reserve |
| MHC-55 | USS Oriole | Intermarine, USA | August 3, 1991 | May 22, 1993 | September 16, 1995 | June 30, 2006 | adopted by Taiwan on August 10, 2012 as "YUNG YIN" |
| MHC-56 | USS Kingfisher | Avondale Shipyard, Gulfport | February 12, 1993 | June 18, 1994 | October 26, 1996 | December 1, 2007 | is to be sold to India |
| MHC-57 | USS Cormorant | Avondale Shipyard, Gulfport | 4th October 1993 | October 21, 1995 | April 12, 1997 | December 1, 2007 | is to be sold to India |
| MHC-58 | USS Black Hawk | Intermarine, USA | 3rd September 1992 | August 27, 1994 | May 11, 1996 | December 1, 2007 | goes to Turkey |
| MHC-59 | USS Falcon | Intermarine, USA | July 1, 1993 | June 3, 1995 | February 8, 1997 | June 30, 2006 | adopted by Taiwan on August 10, 2012 as "YUNG AN" |
| MHC-60 | USS Cardinal | Intermarine, USA | April 13, 1994 | March 9, 1996 | October 18, 1997 | December 30, 2006 | to Egypt, Al Siddiq (M 521), in service October 28, 2007 |
| MHC-61 | USS Raven | Intermarine, USA | April 1, 1995 | September 28, 1996 | 5th September 1998 | January 1, 2007 | to Egypt, Al Farouk (M 524), in service October 28, 2007 |
| MHC-62 | USS Shrike | Intermarine, USA | September 12, 1995 | May 24, 1997 | May 31, 1999 | December 1, 2007 | goes to Turkey |
