The 45-knot patrol boat Achernar is one of 40 units of the Swedish-built Stridsbat-90H class delivered to the Mexican Navy during 2000 and 2001. Typed "Patrulla Interceptora," the 18.7-ton full load displacement, aluminum-construction craft are intended to intercept smugglers and also can be employed to transport and beach 21 troops each over a range of more than 200 nautical miles. Since 1990, some 250 of these highly maneuverable and seaworthy craft have been ordered: 172 by the Swedish Navy's Coastal Artillery Service, 21 by Norway, 17 by Malaysia, and the 40 for the Mexican Navy. Another, modified unit serves as an official yacht for the Swedish Navy. Six of the Swedish boats are equipped as battalion command centers, with additional communications facilities fitted in the troop compartment. The Malaysian craft are being fitted with U.S.-made stabilized machine gun mountings, and while most of the craft carry a single 12.7-mm machine gun on a ring mounting amidships, the Swedish units also have two fixed machine guns forward to rake beaches during landings. Powered by two 628-brake-horsepower diesels driving waterjets, the craft have crews of four.
The 1,250-ton Bartin, fifth of six former French Navy D'Estienne d'Orves-class (A-69) corvettes to be transferred to Turkey, is seen here departing Brest on 6 May. The final unit, the Bafra, was to be handed over on 26 June after decommissioning as the Second Maitre le Bihan. The nine sisters remaining in French service are scheduled to be retired between 2009 and 2014. All six Turkish units are equipped with two MM 38 Exocet antiship missiles, a 100-mm dual-purpose gun, two 20-mm cannon, four fixed 550-mm antisubmarine torpedo tubes, and a six-round antisubmarine rocket launcher; their French counterparts can carry four MM 40 Exocets and have had the rocket launcher replaced by a twin launcher for Mistral infrared-seeking point-defense missiles. The Turkish sextet is replacing a larger number of outdated patrol ships and craft. Also recently transferred to Turkey was its seventh U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7)-class guided missile frigate, the Samuel Eliot Morison (FFG-13), which became the Gokova on 10 April. Foreign transfers are taking the place of currently unaffordable new-construction programs for the Turkish surface fleet.
The 22,900-gross-registered-ton roll-on/roll-off vehicle cargo ship Hurst Point was launched on 19 April by Flensburger Schiffsbau Gesellschaft, Germany, for charter by the British Ministry of Defence in what has become a politically contentious program to provide sealift for Britain's new Joint Rapid Deployment Force. Of the six sister ships ordered, two are being built at Belfast, Northern Ireland; the European Union mandated that the others be constructed in Europe. Even after the launch of the Hurst Point, British Labour Party politicians were demanding cancellation of the contract in favor of building all six at home, and a key provision in the $1.8-billion, 25-year operating contract—that the crews would be British when the ships are operating for the Ministry of Defence—was unilaterally abrogated by their owner. When not carrying military equipment, the ships are to be available for commercial cargoes, and they are not being given NATO pennant numbers. With a range of 9,200 nautical miles at 21.5 knots, each will be able to carry 130 armored vehicles, 60 trucks, and various helicopters and munitions containers in 2,640 lane-meters of cargo space. All are to be available by 2004.