On 23 December the Indian warship Godavari, lead ship of her class, was retired from naval service. The 4,000-ton vessel was the first frigate to be designed and constructed in India, and had been operational for more than 30 years. Built at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai, the Godavari was launched in May 1980 and entered service in December 1983. Based on the smaller British Leander-class frigates, the 412-foot Indian warship and her sisters were considerably larger and included a diverse mix of Russian as well as Western electronics and weapon systems. Fitted with a dual helicopter hangar, the Godavari was armed with Russian-designed SS-N-2 Styx antiship missiles, an Israeli Barak 1 surface-to-air missile system, and an Italian 3-inch main gun. Two sister ships remain in Indian service, but are expected to be retired in the near future. Once all of her useful equipment is removed, the retired Godavari is expected to be sunk as a target.
Late last year the first of four Type 209/1400 submarines being built for the Egyptian Navy was launched in Kiel, Germany, by Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems. The new submarines are roughly 210 feet long and displace some 1,500 tons when submerged. Two of the units were ordered by Egypt in 2011 and two more in 2014, with deliveries expected to commence by the end of this year. The launching ceremony for the new submarine, named S 41, was attended by a number of senior Egyptian officials, including Rear Admiral Osama Mounir Rabie, Commander of Egypt’s naval forces. Acquisition of modern Type 209/1400 submarines marks a major enhancement for Egypt’s oft-neglected maritime and submarine capabilities. Prior to this, the nation’s sole undersea-warfare capability has been provided by four aging Chinese-built Romeo-class submarines, each of which is over 30 years old. In addition to orders for Egypt, the Type 209/1400 submarine design also serves with the navies of Brazil, Chile, South Africa, and Turkey.
In December Argentina took delivery of four Arctic-capable maritime-transport and supply tugs. The secondhand vessels were built during the early 1990s and had previously been owned and operated by a Russian commercial firm. Sailing from the ports of Murmansk and Archangel to Buenos Aires in late October, the four ships, renamed the Puerto Argentino, Estrecho de San Carlos, Bahía Agradable (pictured here), and Islas Malvinas, will replace several older Argentine naval vessels that had previously conducted similar roles. Ordered in 2014 for a reported cost of $8.2 million, the transport and supply tugs displace 14 tons each and measure some 267 feet long with a 52-foot beam. One of the vessels will be based at Puerto Belgrano naval base, another at Mar del Plata, and the two others out of Ushuaia. Each of the four vessels is expected to remain active through at least 2030.
Mr. Wertheim, a defense consultant in the Washington, D.C., area, is the author of the 16th edition of The Naval Institute Gu-ide to Combat Fleets of the World, available from the Naval Institute Press (see www.usni.org).