Minerva-class corvette
The Minerva class is a series of corvettes of the Italian Navy. They were built in two batches of four units during the 1980s and 1990s. The ships have fairly good speed and armament, including a 76 mm general-purpose gun, but, due to their emphasis on anti-submarine warfare, they lack anti-ship missile capabilities. These units are designed to operate in coastal areas. Their main missions include sea policing, patrol, fisheries protection, and naval commando training.
Urania at Málaga in 2001 | |
Class overview | |
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Name: | Minerva class |
Builders: | Fincantieri |
Operators: | |
In commission: | 1987 |
Completed: | 8 |
Active: | 4 (as OPV) |
Laid up: | 4 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Corvette |
Displacement: | 1.285 t (1.265 long tons) full load |
Length: | 87 m (285 ft) LOA |
Beam: | 10.5 m (34 ft) |
Draught: | 3.2–4.8 m (10–16 ft) |
Depth: | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
Propulsion: |
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Speed: | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
Range: | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
Complement: | 7 officers, 113 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems: |
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Electronic warfare & decoys: | |
Armament: |
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Ships of the class
Italian Navy – Minerva class | ||||||||||
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Name | Pennant number |
Builder[1] | Hull number |
Laid Down[1] | Launched[1] | Commissioned[1] | Decommissioned[1] | Status | ||
Minerva | F 551 | Fincantieri Riva Trigoso (La Spezia) |
923[2] | 11 March 1985 | 3 April 1986 | 10 June 1987 | 14 May 2015 | Sold to Bangladesh Coast Guard Serving as CGS Syed Nazrul (PL71) since 3 August 2016 | ||
Urania | F 552 | 924 | 4 April 1985 | 21 June 1986 | 1 June 1987 | 10 March 2016 | Sold to Bangladesh Coast Guard Serving as CGS Mansoor Ali (PL73) since June 2017 | |||
Danaide | F 553 | Fincantieri Muggiano (La Spezia) |
925 | 26 June 1985 | 18 October 1986 | 9 September 1987 | 10 March 2016 | Sold to Bangladesh Coast Guard Serving as CGS Kamruzzaman (PL74) since June 2017 | ||
Sfinge | F 554 | 926 | 2 September 1986 | 16 May 1987 | 13 February 1988 | 29 May 2017 | Stricken, awaiting disposal | |||
Driade | F 555 | Fincantieri Riva Trigoso (La Spezia) |
5850 | 18 March 1988 | 11 March 1989 | 19 April 1990 | 25 September 2019 | Stricken awaiting disposal | ||
Chimera | F 556 | Fincantieri Muggiano (La Spezia) |
5851 | 21 December 1988 | 7 April 1990 | 15 January 1991 | 25 September 2019 | Stricken, awaiting disposal | ||
Fenice | F 557 | 5852 | 6 September 1988 | 9 September 1989 | 11 September 1990 | 29 May 2017 | Stricken, awaiting disposal | |||
Sibilla | F 558 | Fincantieri Riva Trigoso (La Spezia) |
5853 | 16 October 1989 | 15 September 1990 | 16 May 1991 | 14 May 2015 | Sold to Bangladesh Coast Guard Serving as CGS Tajuddin (PL72) since 3 August 2016 |
Leader-class offshore patrol vessel
Four ships of this class, namely Minerva, Urania, Danaide and Sibilla, were sold to Bangladesh Coast Guard. These ships were reclassified as Leader-class offshore patrol vessels. Before delivery, each ship's weapons and sensor systems were removed and replaced with one Oerlikon KBA 25 mm gun and modern sensors appropriate to coast guard roles. A helipad was added at the stern of each ship to accommodate a search and rescue helicopter.
Citations
- Saunders 2002, p. 362.
- http://www.gaioni.com/navy-ships/
References
- Saunders, Stephen (2002). Jane's Fighting Ships 2002–2003. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0710624328.
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