Osprey 55-class gunboat

The Osprey 55-class gunboat is a Danish-designed class of naval ship currently in service in the Hellenic Navy and Royal Moroccan Navy. Two ships were ordered by Greece in March 1988 and built by Hellenic Shipyards. The first one was laid down on 8 May 1989 and launched on 19 December 1989. The second ship was laid down on 9 November 1989 and launched on 16 May 1990. Armament is of modular design and therefore can be changed. 76-millimetre (3 in) guns replaced the Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) guns in 1995, after being taken from decommissioned Gearing-class destroyers. Options on more of the class were shelved in favour of the slightly larger HSY-55 class.

Osprey 55-class gunboat P-19 HS Navmachos at Faliron Bay, Greece.
Class overview
Builders:
  • Hellenic Shipyards, Scarmanga (Greek ships)
  • Danyard A/S, Frederikshaven, Denmark
Operators:
Built: 1986–1990
Completed: 7
Active: 7
General characteristics Armatolos class (after re-arming)[1]
Type: Patrol boat
Displacement: 555 long tons (564 t) full load
Length: 54.8 m (179 ft 9 in)
Beam: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
Draught: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:
  • 2× MTU 16V 1163 TB63 diesels
  • 10,000 hp (7,500 kW)
  • 2 shafts
Speed: 25 kn (29 mph; 46 km/h)
Range:
  • 500 mi (430 nmi; 800 km) at 25 kn (29 mph; 46 km/h)
  • 2,800 mi (2,400 nmi; 4,500 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Troops: 25
Complement: 36
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Thomson-CSF Triton Surface search radar
  • Selenia RTNX fire control radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 Thomson-CSF DR 2000S ESM
Armament:

Four other ships were ordered by the Royal Moroccan Navy all received between 1987 and 1990.[2] Built in Frederikshavn, Denmark, they were only armed with one Bofors 40 mm and two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. El Lahiq is equipped with a cartographic sonar and North American navigation systems for hydrographic research.[3]

Incidents at sea

On 4 May 2018 a Turkish-flagged cargo ship named Karmate (IMO: 8135461, MMSI: 271002030)[4] collided with HS Armatolos P-18 off the coast of the island of Lesbos, while the gunboat was participating in a NATO mission (called Aegean Activity for controlling migrant flows into the Aegean) in the Aegean Sea[5][6][7]. According to available information, before the collision the captain of the gunboat sounded warning horns and sent repeated radio messages but there was no response from the Turkish ship while the Turkish ship violated maritime safety rules (like giving priority to a military vessel). The damage to the Greek gunboat was very small according to the available information from the Greek minister of defence.

Ships
Pennant
number		 Name Navy Builder Launched Commissioned Status
Greece
P 18Armatolos[8] Hellenic NavyHellenic Shipyards Co.19 December 1989[1]27 March 1990In service (2020)[1]
P 19Navmachos[9] Hellenic NavyHellenic Shipyards Co.16 May 1990[1]15 July 1990In service (2020) [1]
Morocco
308El Lahiq Royal Moroccan NavyDanyard A/S FrederickhavenJuly 198711 November 1987In service (2018)
309El Tawfiq Royal Moroccan NavyDanyard A/S FrederickhavenOctober 198731 January 1988In service (2018)
316El Hamiss Royal Moroccan NavyDanyard A/S FrederickhavenApril 19909 August 1990In service (2018)
317El Karib Royal Moroccan NavyDanyard A/S FrederickhavenJuly 199023 September 1990In service (2018)
Senegal
Without numberFouta Senegal NavyDanyard A/S FrederickhavenMarch 19871 June 1987In service (2018)
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References
  1. Saunders 2002, p. 282.
  4. Vessel details for KARMATE, marrinetraffic.com
  5. Turkish cargo vessel collides with Greek warship, article in thetimes.co.uk (04/05/2018)
  6. pTurkish trading vessel collides with Greek navy patrol boat, ekatimerini.com (04/05/2018)
  7. Turkish Cargo Ship, Greek Warship Collide in Aegean, nytimes.com (04/05/2018)
  8. Ship's characteristics, Hellenic Navy official website
  9. Ship's characteristics, Hellenic Navy official website

Sources
  • Baker, A.D. (1998). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1998–1999. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-111-4.
  • Saunders, Stephen (2002). Jane's Fighting Ships 2002–2003. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0710624328.
  • Hellenic Navy website
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