Osprey 55 class gunboat HS Navmachos (Κ/Φ Ναυμάχος) at Faliron Bay.

The gunboat class Osprey 55 is a Danish-designed class of naval ship currently in service in the Hellenic Navy and Royal Moroccan Navy. Two ships were ordered by Grece 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-mm guns replaced the Bofors 40-mm in 1995, after being taken from decommissioned Gearing-class destroyers. Options on more of the class were shelved in favour of the Gunboats Class HSY-55.

4 other ships were ordered by the Royal Moroccan Navy all received between 1987 and 1990.^[1] Built in Frederikshavn, Denmark, they were only armed with 1 Bofors 40 mm and 2 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. El Lahiq is equipped with a cartographic sonar and North American navigation systems for Hydrographic researchs.^[2]

Ships []

• Armatolos (P 18), commissioned 27 March 1990
• Navmachos (P 19), commissioned 15 July 1990
• El Lahiq (P 308), commissioned November 1987
• El Tawfiq (P 309), commissioned February 1988
• El Hamiss (P 316), commissioned August 1990
• El Karib (P 317), commissioned December 1990

Specifications []

• Displacement, full load: 563.8 tonnes
• Length: 54.8 m
• Beam: 10.5 m
• Draught: 2.6 m
• Range: 500 NM
• Speed: 25 kn
• Main machinery: 2 MTU 16V 1163 TB63 diesels; 10,000 hp(m) (7.3 MW) sustained; 2 shafts; Kamewa cp props.
• Speed: 25 kn
• Range: 500 NM at 25 kn; 2,800 NM at 12 kn
• Crew: 36, plus 25 troops.
• Missiles: SSM: 4 Boeing Harpoon (can be fitted).
• Guns: 1 Oto Melara 76 mm/62 compact, 1 Bofors 40 mm/70.
• Mines: Rails.
• Countermeasures: Decoys: 2 chaff launchers.
• ESM: Thomson-CSF DR 2000S; intercept.
• Weapons control: Selenia Elsag NA 21.
• Radars: Surface search: Thomson-CSF Triton; G-band.
• Fire control: Selenia RTNX; I/J-band.

References []

• Helenic Navy website