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Albatros-class fast attack craft

{{Short description|Military ship in Tunisia and Ghana}}

{{Infobox ship begin}}

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image=S62 Falke.jpeg

|Ship image size=

|image alt=

|Ship caption=Falke in May 2002

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

|Name=Type 143 Albatros class

|Builders=*Lürssen

  • Kröger

|Operators=*{{navy|Germany}}

  • {{navy|Ghana}}
  • {{navy|Tunisia}}

|Class before={{sclass|Tiger|fast attack craft|4}}

|Class after={{sclass|Gepard|fast attack craft|4}}

|Subclasses=

|Cost=

|Built range=

|In service range=

|In commission range=1976–2005

|Total ships building=

|Total ships planned=

|Total ships completed=10

|Total ships cancelled=

|Total ships active=

|Total ships laid up=

|Total ships lost=

|Total ships retired=10

|Total ships preserved=

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

|Hide header=

|Header caption=

|Ship type= Fast attack craft

|Ship displacement={{convert|398|LT|abbr=on}}

|Ship length= {{convert|57.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship beam={{convert|7.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship height=

|Ship draught={{convert|2.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship power=

|Ship propulsion= 4 shafts, 4 MTU 16V 956 TB91 diesels {{convert|17700|hp|MW|abbr=on}}

|Ship speed= {{convert|40|kn}}

|Ship range= {{convert|1300|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|30|kn}}

|Ship endurance=

|Ship boats=

|Ship troops=

|Ship complement=40

|Ship sensors=*1 × SMA 3 RM 20 navigation radar

  • 1 × WM27 search and fire-control radar

|Ship EW=*Decoy launcher HOT DOG

  • Chaff launcher DAG 2200 Wolke

|Ship armament=*2 × OTO-Melara 76 mm guns

|Ship notes=

}}

The Type 143 Albatros class was a class of missile bearing fast attack craft. Each vessel is named after a bird of prey including the albatross, condor and cormorant. Constructed by German shipbuilders Lürssen and Kröger, the vessels were intended to replace the Type 141 {{sclass|Seeadler|fast attack craft|4}}.Gardiner & Chumbley, p.151 The German Navy retired the class in 2005 and sold the boats off to Tunisia and Ghana.

Design

=General characteristics=

The requirements for the design were finalized in October 1966 and the order placed in July 1972. The Type 143s were constructed of composite hulls, designed by Lürssen, displacing 398 tonnes. They were {{convert|57.80|m|ftin}} long with a beam of {{convert|7.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|2.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. They had a complement of 40.

The craft were powered by four MTU 16V 956 TB91 diesels creating {{convert|17700|hp|MW|lk=in}} driving four shafts. This gave the craft a maximum speed of {{convert|40|kn|lk=in}} and a range of {{convert|1300|nmi}} at {{convert|30|kn}}.Moore, p.267

=Armament and electronics=

The class was armed with two OTO-Melara 76 mm guns for anti-ship and anti-air warfare. They were placed in single mounts fore and aft. The vessels were also armed with four MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles situated in two dual mounts aft but forward of the rear 76 mm gun. The class was also equipped with two {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes that fired Seal wire-guided torpedoes. The tubes were aft-launching.

The class is equipped with SMA 3 RM 20 navigational radar and WM27 surface search and fire-control radar. For countermeasures, they are provided with a Buck-Wegmann Hot Dog decoy launcher and a DAG 2200 Wolke chaff launcher.

List of ships

class="wikitable"

!NATO
pennant
number

!German
pennant
number

!Name

!Call sign

!Com-
missioned

!Decom-
missioned

!Status

P6111S61AlbatrosDRBU1 November 197624 March 2005Sold to Ghana, Naa Gbewaa
P6112S62FalkeDRBV13 April 197616 December 2004
P6113S63GeierDRBW2 July 197629 September 2005Sold to Tunisia, 507 Himilcon
P6114S64BussardDRBX14 August 197624 March 2005Sold to Ghana, Yaa Asantewa
P6115S65SperberDRBY27 September 19764 July 2005Sold to Tunisia, 505 Hamilcar
P6116S66GreifDRBZ25 November 19764 July 2005Sold to Tunisia, 506 Hannon
P6117S67KondorDRCA17 December 197616 December 2004
P6118S68SeeadlerDRCB28 March 197729 September 2005Sold to Tunisia 508 Hannibal
P6119S69HabichtDRCC23 December 197713 December 2005Sold to Tunisia, 509 Hasdrubal{{cite web|url=http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKODwzwAsmB2d5mIfqRcNGglFR9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLciHJHR0VFABW2ZCA!/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjNfUVBK?yw_contentURL=%2F01DB070000000001%2FW26K3AHM579INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp

|title=S 69 HABICHT und S 70 KORMORAN jetzt unter tunesischer Flagge|publisher=Deutsche Marine|language=German|accessdate=4 August 2008}}

P6120S70KormoranDRCD18 July 197713 December 2005Sold to Tunisia, 510 Giscon

Service history

S61—S65 were part of the 2. Schnellboot Geschwader (Fast attack craft squadron), and S66—S70 belonged to the 7. Schnellbootgeschwader. Both squadrons were based in Warnemünde.

Export

Tunisia acquired six boats from Germany in 2005. The six craft had their Exocet missile launchers removed before transfer but retained their guns and torpedo launchers.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NkaG73ZfydoC&q=sale+of+albatros+to+Tunisia&pg=PA82 |title=The North African Military Balance: Force Developments in the Maghreb |last1=Cordesman |first1=Anthony H. |last2=Ierguizian |first2=Aram |publisher=Center for Strategic & International Studies |date=2009 |pages=82 |isbn=978-0892065523}}

In July 2010, it was reported that Ghana had purchased two vessels from Germany for €28 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=186997 |title=Ghana buys $37m Germany naval ships |publisher=GhanaWeb |date=28 July 2010 |accessdate=9 January 2015}}

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

{{Commons category}}

  • {{cite web |url=http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKOD_RxAcmB2d5mIfqRcNGglFR9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLciHJHR0VFAIJ8Bfw!/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjNfUVBK?yw_contentURL=%2F01DB070000000001%2FW2699FV5210INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp

|title=Schnellboot ALBATROS-Klasse|publisher=Deutsche Marine|accessdate=4 August 2008|language=German}}

  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN|1-55750-132-7}}.
  • {{cite book|editor=John Moore |title=Jane's Fighting Ships, 1981-1982 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=New York |date=1981 |isbn=0-531-03977-3}}

{{Ship classes of the Deutsche Marine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albatros Class Fast Attack Craft}}

Category:Cold War missile boats of Germany

Category:Missile boat classes

Category:Missile boats of the German Navy

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