Iran’s newest warship could be out of service for 6 months

One of Iran’s newest warships capsized in port over the weekend while undergoing repairs, an incident that could damage key warfighting systems and put the ship out of commission for up to half a year, a naval analyst said.

The 311-foot-long frigate Sahand was at a dock in the port of Bandar Abbas when it “lost its balance” after water leaked into its tanks, according to a report from the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

A photo from the semi-official Tasnim News Agency showed the warship, with a displacement of about 2 000 tons, resting on its left side in the Bandar Abbas port.

The ship, which Tasnim said entered service in December 2018, is one of the bigger vessels in Iran’s fleet, equipped with antiship cruise missiles and an electronic warfare system.

Naval analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, said it would take Iran four to six months to repair the ship once it can be refloated.

“Seawater severely damages electronics and gets into everything. So, all electronics will have to be removed and chemically cleaned to remove the salt,” he said.

It also affects mechanical parts, which could lead to engine failure if the parts are not thoroughly cleaned, he added.

“Salt encrustation destroys piston linings and turbine blades and interferes with combustion so if they take short cuts to get that ship back into service, they will pay a heavy price for doing so,” Schuster said.

Ships like the Sahand tend to have a lot of “top hamper”, weight from electronics and weapons above their centre of gravity, Schuster said.

If lower fuel tanks are emptied, something prudent during a repair process, the higher up weight should have been removed to keep the ship in balance, he said.

“Otherwise, you risk capsizing the ship, particularly if there are high winds,” he said. (CNN)

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