Combat Fleets

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Two of the Pakistani Navy’s eventual total of eight former U. S. Navy Brooke (FFG-1)- and Garcia (FF-1040)-class frigates called at Cagliari, Italy, en route to their new home port. The Badr at left, formerly the USS Julius A. Furer (FFG-6), and the Saif, formerly the USS Garcia, were both transferred on a five-year lease on 21 January 1989 at Jacksonville, Florida. The Pakistani Navy rates the former FFGs as destroyers, while their half-sister Garcias have been given numbers in the frigate series.

The Italian Navy’s second ^an Giorgio-class dock land­ing ship, the San Marco, combines a stern well for landing craft, bow vehicle ^rarnp, and helicopter flight ^eck on a hull that displaces I 7,665 metric tons fully ®*kd. Ordered in 1985, she _r ¹. be available for disaster *-‘lief as well as naval duties ^nen completed in May 1989.

H.M.S. Invincible completed a nearly three-year moderni­zation in January 1989. Her original 7° ski-jump takeoff ramp was increased to 12°, three Dutch Goalkeeper 30-mm. close-in weapon sys­tems replaced the two U. S. Phalanx mounts installed after the Falklands Conflict, and her aircraft facilities were expanded to handle nine Sea Harrier fighters and 12 Sea King helicopters. A new hull sonar, new search radar, and enhanced countermea­sures systems added 250 tons to her original 19,960- metric-ton displacement.

The first of two improved versions of the Italian Nazario Sauro class, the Salvatore Pelosi, was completed on 23 July 1988. The 1,662-metric- ton (submerged) boat employs three 895-kilowatt GMT diesel generator sets to drive a twin 4,270-horsepower elec­tric motor turning a seven- bladed propeller, pushing the boat up to 19 knots (sub­merged). Six 21-inch torpedo tubes each have a reload weapon. Sister Giuliano Prini is scheduled to be delivered this year, and two slightly larger diesel boats were ordered in March 1988.

The Oste, first of three of the West German Navy’s new 2,375-metric-ton, 18-knot intelligence collection ships, has electronic intercept sys­tems intended to monitor the electromagnetic spectrum from 300 megahertz through 40 gigahertz and is equipped with Krupp-Atlas sonar equipment. Three earlier intelligence ships have been decommissioned, with Greece and Turkey each given one.

The prototype U. S. Coast Guard Heritage-class patrol boat was ordered from the U. S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay, Maryland, in February 1989. To be laid down in June 1990, she is scheduled to be delivered 1“ months later for trials. A series of 96 of the 160-ton boats is planned to be ordered during the 1990s t° replace the 83-foot Point class and the earliest units the Island class. Unlike the 15-year service life planned for the Islands, the more robust and versatile Heritage class will be expected to see' for 25 years.

The French Navy’s newly- completed survey vessel Borda displaces 917 tons and carries two hydrographic survey launches and a Thompson/ Sintra mapping sonar. The class’ lead ship, the Laperouse, is being used for trials with the DUBM-21C minehunting sonar, and a half-sister, Thetis, is config­ured solely for mine warfare research. Two more survey- configured units, Laplace and Arago, will be completed in 1989-90.

^0rdered on 17 June 1988 for delivery in November 1993, •he Harpers Ferry (LSD-49)

(Cv '^S ^^{rst s}'^x ^SD-41 ^l-class dock landing ships Programmed for authoriza- p°ⁿ through fiscal year 1994. J^ternally very similar to the X'dhey {_s/and (LSD-4 l)-class ^a^de from the lowered loca- ^l0n °f the forward Phalanx _c^^{Un a}nd the deletion of one rif*^ane’ ^t*^{le car}8° variant sac-

|_a ^as *^Wo ^^{our a}'^r cushion

ding craft positions to gain _c ^tariy 1,000 cubic meters of ^rR« capacity more than the earlier ships.

ministry of defense

u. s. NAVY

^GerMan