They were formed in 1976 or so.
Posted on 02/10/2014 12:43:31 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee
A senior admiral of the Iranian navy said on Feb. 8 that Tehran is sending two warships near American waters in retaliation for U.S. naval deployments around Iran.
“Iran’s military fleet is approaching the United States’ maritime borders, and this move has a message,” Adm. Afshin Rezayee Haddad told Iranian state media, according to U.S. news reports.
Haddad called the deployment “Iran’s response to Washington’s beefed up naval presence in the Persian Gulf.”
Never mind that the U.S. Navy has actually reduced its forces in the Persian Gulf. Today the Navy has just one nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, in the Gulf along with the amphibious assault ship Boxer. Two years ago the Americans had two carriers near Iran, but budget cuts ended that that practice.
They’re pretty crappy ships by anybody’s standards. Sabalan is a British-built Vosper Mk. V frigate launched in 1969, making her 45 years old today. Displacing just 1,500 tons—around 15 percent the weight of the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers—Sabalan has a crew of around 125 and is armed with four anti-ship missiles and some guns. A far cry from the 100 or so missiles that most American surface warships carry. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
But forget the copters. Kharg’s real utility is her ability to refuel and resupply smaller ships such as Sabalan. It’s doubtful the 29th Flotilla will make it very far across the Atlantic, but whatever distance it does achieve will be thanks to Kharg’s supplies.
It’s for that reason that Kharg with her 250 sailors is among Iran’s busiest warships. In 2010, I sailed with the destroyer USS Donald Cook on a counter-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden. One quiet evening we ran into Kharg in international waters, presumably accompanying a destroyer or frigate that was somewhere over the horizon.
It would be a shame if it sank mysteriously.
It would be a shame if something were to “happen” to either ship while in transit.
Real shame.
*tsk tsk*
/ mock sincerity
This idea of theirs to send these rust buckets is so ridiculous that it makes me wonder if there is more to it................?
The Kharg looks like on of those mass-production WW2 tankers.
They were formed in 1976 or so.
Well, the game probably isn’t worth the candle but I’m sure the Coast Guard will enjoy the practice.
Like a suicide mission of some sort?
This move by Iran’s navy has two audiences. First, the people of Iran and second, the Islamic world are targeted in that order. They could care less what we say.
Anyone know anything about salvage rights?
Something like The Mouse That Roared?
Of course there’s more to it.
On both sides of the Atlantic.
Look at how John Kerry and Obama have been bending over backwards for Iran.
http://www.iran.org/tib/krt/wt990505.htm The Iranians can just pull up a barge off the east coast and light off an EMP device, since about 1999....or simply pass off the device directly or indirectly while at open sea to another vessel for later deployment.
All together now...
"We will fight in a turquoise submarine, a turquoise submarine, a turquoise submarine..."
Considering Iran’s threats of attacking New York and their capabilities of producing nuclear material, I’d take the threat seriously. If they get to close, sink ‘em! Next?
And China seeing just how far Iran can push it.
A couple of nukes detonated about 140 miles above DC would wipe out its electrical for five to seven years.
We don’t have the industrial capacity to replace the generators and transformers anymore.
They aren’t stupid. Assuming they are is a mistake.
They better have a cracker jack missile defense system in place over the Eastern Seaboard.
We can laugh all we want.
It wouldn’t be so funny if one of these crappy little ships had a decent missile and nuclear warhead hidden in the hold.
Turquoise = Camouflage.
Everybody knows that. This way another sub won’t see them in the water.
(sarcasm)
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