These Are the Entirely Crappy Warships Iran Says It’s Sending to the U.S. Coast

War is Boring ^ | February 9, 2014 | By David Axe

[Afterguard]

Sorry, can’t do that because we are signatories to the freedom of the seas treaty(s). I would be pretty fun to do though.

[VerySadAmerican]

They could be coal powered and it won’t make a difference if they’re never fired on.

[VeniVidiVici]

And her companion on the supposed trip to American waters, the tanker Kharg, is no more impressive.

Ah! A Klingon ship!

[smoothsailing]

LOL!

[MasterGunner01]

Let's take a closer look at these Iranian ships. From “Combat Fleets: 2005-2006”:

1 large replenishment oiler [AOR] - 431 Kharg

Bldr: Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne

Laid down: 1-76

Launched: 3-2-77

In service: 25-4-80

Displacement: 33,014 tons (fl) Speed: 21.5 kts Dimensions: 207.15 (195.00 pp) × 25.50 × 9.14 meters

Armament: 1 76 mm/62 caliber OTO Melara Compact DP; 6 twin 23 mm/87 caliber ZU-23-2 AA

Electronics: Radar: 2 Decca 1229 nav.—TACAN: URN-20

Machinery: 1 set Westinghouse geared steam turbines; 1 prop; 26,870 shp

Boilers: 2 Babcock & Wilcox 2-drum Electric: 7,000 kw Crew: 248 total.

Remarks: Ordered 10-74. 21,100 grt/20,000 dwt. Carries fuel and ammunition and acts as the flagship of the Iranian Navy. Design is greatly modified version of the Royal Navy’s Olwen class. Ran initial trials 11-78, but delays in fitting out made delivery before the revolution impossible; remained at builder’s until released 5-10-84. Delivered without armament. Has Inmarsat SATCOM equipment. Can accommodate three Sea King–sized helicopters. Completed refit 16-10-93.

3 Vosper Mk 5 class - 73 Sabalan (ex-Rastam)

Bldr: Vickers, Barrow

Laid down: 10-12-67

Launched: 4-3-69

In service: 28-2-72

Displacement: 1,250 tons (1,540 fl) Speed: 39 kts (17.5 on diesels) Dimensions: 94.5 (88.4 pp) × 11.07 × 3.25 meters

Armament: 4 C-802 SSM; 1 114 mm/55 caliber Vickers Mk 8 DP; 1 twin 35 mm/90 caliber Oerlikon AA; 3 single 20 mm/90 caliber Oerlikon GAM-B01 AA; 2 single 12.7 mm mg; 2 single 81 mm mortar; 2 triple 324 mm ASW TT

Electronics: Radar: 1 Decca 1226 nav.; 1 Plessey AWS-1 air search; 2 Oerlikon-Contraves Sea Hunter RTN-10X fire control; 1 Type 352C missile target-detection and tracking

Sonar: Graseby Type 174 hull-mounted search (7–9 kHz); Type 170 hull-mounted attack (15 kHz)

Electronic Warfare: Decca RDL-2AC intercept; FH-5 HFD/F

Machinery: CODOG: 2 Rolls-Royce Olympus TM-3A gas turbines; 2 Paxman 16-cyl. Ventura diesels for cruising; 2 CP props; 46,000 shp (turbines), 3,800 bhp (diesels)

Range: 5,000/15 Fuel: 150 tons (250 with overload) Crew: 135 total.

Remarks: Ordered 25-8-66. All renamed 1985. Sister Sahand (ex-Faramarz), hit by three Harpoon missiles and cluster bombs, was lost to U.S. forces 19-4-88. Sabalan, severely damaged the same date, was declared repaired by the Iranian Navy during 1989; although operational, the ship appears to have severe speed restrictions. All three were active during a 6-01 exercise.

Hull systems: Air-conditioned. Retractable fin stabilizers. Aluminum superstructure.

Combat systems: Vickers Mk 8 automatic guns replaced the originally fitted semi-automatic Mk 6 during refits in the 1970s. Twin 23 mm/87 caliber ZU-23-2 Soviet AA mounts replaced the original Sea Cat SAM launcher and were in turn later replaced by single 20 mm mounts. The original quintuple-mount, trainable Sea Killer antiship missile system aft was replaced by fixed racks for Chinese-supplied C-802 missiles during 1996–98, and the associated target detection and tracking radar (which can also operate in the passive mode) has been stepped on a new lattice mast integrated into the forward edge of the original pylon mainmast. The origin of the torpedo tubes and the type of torpedoes are unknown.

[Blueflag]

Here ya go - E1, E2, E3 EMP sorta explained ...

E1 is the 21st century technology killer/ disruptor
The E1 pulse is the very fast component of nuclear EMP; fast really meaning the voltages rise REALLY fast – in the nanosecond range, so normal pulse/surge protectors cannot response in time. In theory E1 kills 99% of the deployed surge protectors leaving the technology open to MORE damage from the E2 pulse that follows shortly after E1 in a HEMP event.

E1 induces very high voltages in electrical conductors and components, so high it ‘fries’ them. Solid state electronics are NOT considered repairable except by replacing the damaged components. E1 is produced when gamma radiation from the nuclear detonation ionizes (strips electrons from) atoms in the upper atmosphere. This is known as the Compton effect and the resulting current is called the “Compton current”.

E2 – the super lightning
Gamma rays from the nuclear explosion also induce the E2 pulse– which is analogous to how lightning damages electronics. This E2 component is an “intermediate time” pulse that, is projected to persist from about 1 microsecond to 1 second after the explosion. E2 has many similarities to lightning, although lightning-induced E2 may be considerably larger than a nuclear E2. Because of the similarities and the widespread use of lightning protection technology, E2 is generally considered to be the easiest to protect against.

According to the United States EMP Commission, the main problem with E2 is the fact that it immediately follows E1, which may have damaged the devices that would normally protect against E2.

E3

The E3 component is very different from E1 and E2. E3 is a very slow pulse, lasting tens to hundreds of seconds. It is caused by the nuclear detonation’s temporary distortion of the Earth’s magnetic field. The E3 component has similarities to a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar flare.[23][24] Like a geomagnetic storm, E3 can produce geomagnetically induced currents in long electrical conductors, damaging components such as power line transformers.

Because of the similarity between solar-induced geomagnetic storms and nuclear E3, it has become common to refer to solar-induced geomagnetic storms as “solar EMP.” “Solar EMP”, however, does not include an E1 or E2 component.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_electromagnetic_pulse

http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/emp.htm

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32544.pdf

[Oatka]

In return they would be obliterated from the face of the earth.

We might be up against this kind of mentality: "We are willing to have our nation glow in the dark for the next thousand years for the glory of Allah - are you willing to have (fill in ANY U.S. city) do the same for your Christ?"

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

Whoa - Iran has a navy? Something more than a string of rubber duckies?

[NonValueAdded]

Well played

[Former Proud Canadian]

Thanks.

[elcid1970]

If we had the national will at the WH level, we would vaporize just one Iranian city and then watch as the `mad mullahs’’ Armageddon mentality evaporated as they recovered their sanity with astonishing speed, just as fast as the private jets whisking them to safety in Switzerland, Allah be d@mned.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Yep. They can count on “no response” from this administration. Well, we would apologize for upsetting them, before Obama surrendered and sent them reparations to the applauds of his ABCNNBCBS media and the world’s dictators. .

What do you think Kerry was doing in Paris negotiating with the communists before that loss? Working for our side?

[RinaseaofDs]

You are assuming we’d retaliate. I don’t see that happening.

[ArmyTeach]

The sub actually pulled out under fire. It was under maintenance the red paint is a rust coat.

[smoothsailing]

Here's a shot of the film crew on location preparing for a scene...