BIDEC 2019: The Bahraini organizers showcase 4 warships in Mina Salman Port.

Today, Navy Recognition joined the "warship display event" held in Mina Salman Port for BIDEC 2019, October 29. For this edition four frigates were presented: the corvette RBNS Al-Muharraq of Bahraini Navy, the minehunter HMS Shoreham of United Kingdom Navy, the patrol ship USS Tempest of United States Navy and the mine countermeasures PNS Muhafiz of Pakistan Navy.

Al Muharraq corvette of Bahraini Navy (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

Al Manama-class Guided-Missile Patrol Combatants are based on the Lürssen FPB 62-class corvettes. They are designed to perform anti-surface warfare with self-defence anti-air warfare capability and secondary anti-submarine warfare using a helicopter.

RNBS Al-Muharraq corvette displaces 650 meters and has a complement of 40 meters. The vessels have a length of 63 meters, a beam of 9.3 meters and a full load displacement of 632 tons. The ships are powered by four MTU diesel engines. They have a maximum speed of 34.5 knots and a range of 4000 nautical miles at 16 knots. The vessels are armed with one 76mm OTO Melara main gun, one twin 40 mm Leonardo, two 12.7mm machine guns (MG) and four Exocet MM40 SSM anti-ship missiles. The ship can embark two Bo-105 helicopters, one the front deck and one.

The Royal Bahrain Naval Forces corvette RBNS Al-Muharraq is one of two MGB 62-class vessels recently modernised by Leonardo under a contract signed in 2015. In November 2018, the company announced that it re-delivered RNBS Al-Muharraq to the Royal Bahrain Naval Forces.

Upgrades include new surveillance and fire control radars, and an electro-optical director.

The Minehunter HMS Shoreham of British Navy (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

HMS Shoreham is a minehunter, crewed by a dedicated team of 41. From specially-trained divers to remote mine disposal system experts, this courageous unit detects and destroys hidden dangers all over the globe.

As a minehunter, HMS Shoreham is specialised in detecting and destroying dangers under the water. For that, it is using the guided mine disposal – Seafox, a remotely operated mine disposal system, which identity and remotely detonate underwater explosives.

The Seafox Mine Disposal System is the remotely operated submersible used to identify the threat of underwater explosives via fibre optic cables from the parent ship. Once a mine has been found the unit is guided to the target and will detonate a shaped charge. Four independent reversible motors provide high manoeuvrability, allowing for exact placement prior to detonation.

The ship can be accurately positioned for minehunting through the use of two Voith Schneider cycloidal propeller units mounted port and starboard near the stern. In addition, two powerful Schottel electric Bow Thrusters are fitted in the bow. The Voith propeller units consist of five blades hanging down from rotating carousel. By altering the pitch of the five blades thrust can be applied in any direction, enabling the ship to turn 360° within its own length and even to "walk" sideways.

Patrol ship USS Tempest (PC-2)of United States Navy (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

USS Tempest is the second Cyclone-class patrol coastal boat. From November 2001 on, the Cyclone-class ships were temporarily operated under US Coast Guard control for homeland defence. On October 1, 2004, the Tempest was decommissioned and officially transferred to the US Coast Guard where she was recommissioned as USCGC Tempest (WPC 2). Transferred back to the Navy and recommissioned as USS Tempest on August 22, 2008, the USS Tempest is presently homeported in Manama, Bahrain.

The primary mission of Patrol Coastal ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's maritime strategy. Cyclone class PCs are particularly suited for the maritime homeland security mission and have been employed jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard to help protect our nation's coastline, ports and waterways from terrorist attack. In addition, the ships have been forward deployed to the Gulf region in support of the war on terrorism.

The USS Tempest PC-2 has a maximum speed of 35 knots and a maximum range of 2000 Nautical Miles. It can accommodate 4 officers, 24 Enlisted during a maximum period of 10 days. The length of the ship is 55 meters and the beam is 8 meters long with a displacement of approximately 375 tons. The cyclone class patrol is propulsed by four Paxman Valenta Diesels Engines for 14,400 brake horsepower with four fixed pitch propellers. It is equipped with two Caterpillar diesel generators and one rigid Inflatable boat (RIB) of 7.5 meters. The ship is fitted with two 25 mm guns, three .50 calibre machine guns, four 7.62 mm machine guns, two 40 mm grenade launching machine guns and griffin missile system.

PNS Muhafiz MCM of the Pakistan Navy (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

Three states of the art Eridan class MCMVs form a potent Mine-hunting force. One of the three ships was built in Pakistan, while the first two were built and commissioned in France. Their capabilities and characteristics are as follows.

The PNS Muhafiz ship is an ERIDAN class TRIPARTITE Mine Hunter, the second of three Mine Hunters purchased from France. The ship was completely built in France. Her keel was laid on 8 July 1995 and commissioned at Lorient, France on 15 April 1996. On arrival in Pakistan, the ship was formally inducted in the fleet on 18 September 1996. PNS MUHAFIZ is fitted with state of the art Mine Hunting System. The ship can detect and neutralize all types of underwater mines with her highly accurate detection and intervention system.

The Tripartite class is a class of mine warfare vessel used by the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia, and Bulgaria.