Tripartite class

Tripartite class
	; Céphée (M652) of the Marine National
Overview
Type	Anti-mine vehicle
units	40
Shipyard	Beliard, Ostend ; DCN , Lorient ; Giessen-de Noord , Krimpen; PN Dockyard Karatschi
Namesake	various
period of service	since 1983 Netherlands since 1984 France since 1985 Belgium since 1988 Indonesia since 1992 Pakistan since 2007 Latvia since 2009 Bulgaria ; ; ; ; ; ;
Technical specifications
displacement	536-605 tons
length	51.50 m
width	8.96 m
Draft	3.60 m
crew	29-49 men
drive	Werkspoor RUB 215X V12 diesel engine to 1370 kW (not IDN); 2 MTU 12V 396 TC82 diesel engines with a total of 1920 kW (IDN); 2 × ACEC active rudders (auxiliary drive) of 180 kW each; HOLEC bow propeller;
speed	15 kn (auxiliary drive 7 kn)
Range	3000 nm at 12 kn
Armament	1 20 mm Giat F2 MK (not IDN); 2 (opt. 3) 20 mm Rheinmetall S20 MK (IDN); 1 (FRA, PAK) or 3 12.7 mm MG (BEL, NLD); 2 7.62 mm MG (FRA); 1 optional Matra Simbad SAM starter (IDN);
Sensors	Consilium Selesmar MM950 Navigation Radar (I-Band) (NLD); Decca 1229 / DRBN-38A navigation radar (BEL, FRA, IDN); Thompson Sintra DUBM 21E or TSM 2022 Mk.III high-frequency mine hunting sonar;
Drones ( ROV )	2 Atlas Seafox (BEL, NLD); 2 SAAB Bofors Double Eagle Mk 2 (FRA); 2 ECA PAP 104 (LAT, IDN, PAK);
other mine defense (search gear)	Mechanical (BEL, IDN, PAK); Fiskars F-82 magnetic (IDN); SA Marine AS 203 acoustic (IDN);

The anti-mine vehicles used in a number of countries since the 1980s were referred to as the Tripartite class . It is a class of minehunters originally developed jointly by the three navies of Belgium , France and the Netherlands . Pakistan and Indonesia also purchased new boats of this class, and both Pakistan and several other countries took over used boats from the three original program partners.

history

In 1974, Belgium, France and the Netherlands began a joint venture to develop a new class of minehunter, which was built and put into service in the three countries in the 1980s. France and the Netherlands originally commissioned 15 boats each, Belgium 10. A total of 40 boats were ultimately built, see the “Units” section for details.

The three program nations regularly submit boats to the Standing Maritime MCM Capability Groups ( SNMCMG1 or SNMCMG2 ) of NATO , the former formerly known as STANAVFORCHAN, the anti-mine flotilla for canal access .

technology

General

The main task of the class is mine hunting. In addition to mine hunting, the boats are also used for other tasks by some navies. If required, a 5 ton container can be installed for this purpose, which can be used both as a storage load and for drone control during mine hunting. The remaining tasks include search, patrol, special diving or coast guard tasks. For self-defense, the boats are armed with a machine gun located on the foredeck .

The construction of the Indonesian boats differ from the other sub-classes in terms of propulsion, superstructures and, in general, layout, as they were built for mine hunting, mine detection and patrol purposes.

Mine hunting

The hull is made of fiber composite material , glass fibers and polyester (GRP) and aluminum was used for the superstructure . In addition to a low weight, this design also leads to a low magnetic signature . In order to maintain maneuverability at low speeds during mine hunting operations , the boats have two active rudders , each with a propeller with a fixed pitch, which is driven by an electric motor. They also have an autopilot and automatic position control for this purpose. For mine search , the boats had a hull-mounted Thomson Sintra DUBM 21B sonar .

On each boat there were originally two ROV PAP-104 B (Poisson Autopropulse), with which objects at a depth between 10 and 120 m can be identified and fought between 10 and 100 m. These underwater drones are 2.7 m long, 1.2 m wide, weigh 700 kg and can carry a mine destruction charge of 100 kg. They are driven and controlled by two screws with an electric drive, the speed that can be achieved is 5 kn. The drones are controlled via a cable connection with a length of up to 500 m from the boat. With their own sensors , the drones have a camera with searchlight and a close-range sonar.

For the use of mine divers , the boats can be equipped with a decompression chamber , which is housed in the container.

modernization

Most of the boats were modernized during their use. The boats of the Belgian Navy received a modernization of the drive in the late 1990s. A capability improvement was later made on six more boats, which should guarantee their service life by 2020. The boats of the Royal Navy of the Netherlands received the same modernization. The changes concern the mine hunting command and control system and an integrated mine defense system, consisting of the permanently installed and an autonomous variable depth sonar, as well as a new mine identification and control system (English, abbreviation: MIDS) based on the Atlas Seafox drone. The connection to the ship is made by 3,000 m long fiber optic cables, one variant for fighting (Seafox-C) and one for identifying (Seafox-I) the mines. The first converted boat was the Mr. Ms. Hellevoetsluis .

Eight Dutch boats were modernized by 2008, the last two should be converted by 2011. However, in 2011 it was decided to reduce the number to six boats.

The converted Belgian units were the Primula , Aster , Lobelia Bellis , Narcis and Crocus , which were again available to the Belgian naval component between February 2006 and February 2009.

The French National Navy had its boats modernized between 2001 and 2005. This included the replacement of the old sonar with the TUS 2022 Mk III series, the procurement of Bofors Double Eagle Mk II drones and a new tactical data system as well as the modernization of radar and communication systems.

units

Program nations

Belgium Belgium

The originally ten Belgian boats are named after flowers and are therefore also referred to as the flower class . The remaining units are based in the Flemish Zeebrugge . The boats were all built by the Beliard shipyard, with the hulls being built in the Ostend plant and then being fitted out in the Rupelmonde plant .

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
M915	aster		June 6, 1985	December 16, 1985		active
M916	Bellis	February 9, 1984	February 14, 1986	August 13, 1986		active
M917	Crocus	October 9, 1984	2nd October 1985	5th February 1987		active
M918	Dianthus	April 4th 1985	April 16, 1986	August 18, 1987	1993	to France, Capricorne (M653)
M919	Fuchsia	October 31, 1985	November 21, 1986	20th of February 1988	1993	to France, Céphée (M652)
M920	iris	May 23, 1986	June 18, 1987	October 6, 1988	1993	to France, Verseau (M651)
M921	Lobelia		3rd February 1988	May 9, 1989		active
M922	Myosotis	July 6, 1987	4th August 1988	December 14, 1989	2004	to Bulgaria, Tsibar (32)
M923	Narcis		March 30, 1990	September 27, 1990		active
M924	Primula		December 20, 1990	May 29, 1991		active

The three boats that were later procured by France had only been in reserve since 1990. Myosotis, which was later sold to Bulgaria, was converted into an ammunition transporter after it was put into service.

BNS Primula
BNS Bellis

France France

The French boats are named after stars and are known as the Éridan class . France, like the Netherlands, originally planned to build 15 boats, but this number was later reduced to ten. Due to the early transfer of the 10th unit to Pakistan, another boat was ordered in January 1992. All 11 boats were built for the Navy National at the DCN shipyard in Lorient . The remaining units are based in Brest , Brittany , with the exception of two, which are located in Toulon in the south of France .

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
M641	Éridan	20th December 1977	March 7, 1981	April 14, 1984		active, Brest
M642	Cassiopée	March 26, 1979	September 26, 1981	5th May 1984		active, Brest
M643	Andromède	March 5, 1980	May 22, 1982	October 19, 1984		active, Brest
M644	Pégase	October 22, 1986	April 23, 1983	May 30, 1985		active, Brest
M645	Orion	July 29, 1981	February 6, 1985	January 14, 1986		active, Toulon (since 2003)
M646	Croix du Sud	April 21, 1982	February 6, 1985	November 14, 1986		active, Brest
M647	Aigle	1st December 1982	March 8, 1986	July 1, 1987		active, Brest
M648	Lyre	October 15, 1983	November 15, 1986	December 16, 1987		active, Brest (since 2003)
M649	Persée	May 23, 1986	June 18, 1987	October 6, 1988	July 8, 2009	demilitarized, Brest (2010)
M650	Sagittaire (I)			July 27, 1989	September 24, 1992	to Pakistan, Munsif (M166)
M650	Sagittaire (II)	February 1, 1993	January 14, 1995	April 2, 1996		active, Brest

Between March and August 1997, France took over the three former Belgian boats that had only been kept in reserve since 1990.

Identifier	Surname	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
M651	Verseau	1997	February 12, 2010	demilitarized, Brest (2010)
M652	Céphée	1997		active, Brest
M653	Capricorns	1997		active, Toulon

Netherlands Netherlands

The fifteen Dutch boats are named after localities and were built at the Van der Giessen-de Noord shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel . They are known as the Alkmaar class . Since the last two of the boats originally intended for the Netherlands were already given to Indonesia during construction, a 16th and 17th boat were launched for the Dutch Navy . The remaining units are in Den Helder home

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
M850	Alkmaar	January 30, 1979	May 18, 1982	May 28, 1983	May 15, 2000	to Latvia, Rūsiņš (M-08)
M851	Delfzijl	May 29, 1980	October 29, 1982	17th August 1983	June 19, 2000	to Latvia, Visvaldis (M-07)
M852	Dordrecht	5th January 1981	February 26, 1983	November 16, 1983	July 5, 2000	to Latvia, Talivaldis (M-06)
M853	Haarlem	November 30, 1981	July 9, 1983	April 12, 1984	2011	off-duty
M854	Harlingen	November 30, 1981	July 9, 1983	April 12, 1984	January 1, 2003	to Latvia, Imanta (M-04)
M855	Scheveningen	May 24, 1982	2nd December 1983	July 18, 1984	January 1, 2003	to Latvia, Viesturs (M-05)
M856	Maassluis	November 7, 1982	5th May 1984	December 12, 1984	2011	off-duty
M857	Makkum	February 28, 1983	February 23, 1985	May 13, 1985		active
M858	Middelburg	July 11, 1983	November 22, 1986	December 10, 1986	2011	off-duty
M859	Hellevoetsluis	December 12, 1983	November 22, 1986	February 20, 1987	2011	off-duty
M860	Schiedam	May 6, 1984	April 26, 1986	July 9, 1986		active
M861	Document	October 1, 1984	4th October 1986	December 10, 1986		active
M862	Zierikzee	February 25, 1985	4th October 1986	May 7, 1987		active
M863	Vlaardingen	May 6, 1986	December 10, 1988	March 15, 1989		active
M864	Willemstad	December 10, 1988	January 27, 1989	September 20, 1989		active

Other user states

Bulgaria Bulgaria

Bulgaria acquired the former Myosotis (32) from Belgium on December 7, 2007 . At the beginning of 2009 the boat was handed over to Bulgaria, where it was put into service by the Bulgarian Navy under the name Tsibar . Two more boats are to be acquired from the Netherlands.

Indonesia Indonesia

The former Dutch colony of Indonesia ordered two boats on March 29, 1985. In order to ensure quick delivery, Indonesia received the last two of the 15 boats already ordered for the Dutch Navy. For the Dutch Navy, on the other hand, two new ships were built in order to reach the number of 15 ships again. The boats called Pulau-Rengat-Class in Indonesia were also built by Van der Giessen-de Noord.

In February 2015, the Indonesian Navy began looking for replacements for the two boats as they were nearing the end of their service life.

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
711	Pulau Rengat	July 22, 1985	July 23, 1987	March 26, 1988		active
712	Pulau Rupat	December 15, 1985	August 27, 1987	March 26, 1988		active

Latvia Latvia

The government of Latvia also bought five boats that were no longer needed from the Netherlands. In the Navy of Latvia , these units replace the Nemejs (M-03), the former Völklingen of the Lindau class of the German Navy, and strengthen the Baltic Naval Squadron . In Latvia, the boats are called the Imanta class after the first one delivered . Before they were put back into service here, they were overhauled again.

Identifier	Surname	handing over	Whereabouts
M04	Imanta	March 6, 2007	active
M05	Viesturs	September 5, 2007	active
M06	Talivaldis	January 2008	active
M07	Visvaldis	October 2008	active
M08	Rūsiņš	August 2011	active

Pakistan Pakistan

Pakistan ordered three boats from France on January 17, 1992. The first of the boats destined for Pakistan was the first Sagittaire , a " Gulf War veteran " from 1991, which was commissioned as Munsif (M166) on October 26, 1992 by the Pakistani Navy. The other two boats were newbuildings that were built at the DCN in Lorient and at the PN Dockyard in Karachi .

Identifier	Surname	Keel laying	Launch	In service	Off-duty	Whereabouts
M167	Muhafiz		July 8, 1995	April 15, 1996		active
M168	Mujahid		?	July 9, 1998		active

literature

Eric Wertheim: The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems , US Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 1-59114-955-X

Web links

Commons : Tripartite class - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Alkmaarklasse mijnenjagers on marineschepen.nl, accessed on October 23, 2016.
↑ Bulgaria purchases two used Tripartite-class minehunters, Janes, November 18, 2019
↑ Publication on janes.com ( Memento of August 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) of February 9, 2015, accessed on February 14, 2015 (English)
↑ Mīnu kuģi ( Memento from March 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Information about the boats on the website of the Latvian Naval Forces (Latvian)

[1] Alkmaarklasse mijnenjagers on marineschepen.nl, accessed on October 23, 2016.

[2] Bulgaria purchases two used Tripartite-class minehunters, Janes, November 18, 2019

[3] Publication on janes.com ( Memento of August 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) of February 9, 2015, accessed on February 14, 2015 (English)

[4] Mīnu kuģi ( Memento from March 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Information about the boats on the website of the Latvian Naval Forces (Latvian)