Posted on 03/28/2011 8:14:30 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Former U.S. Naval Ship Sails to its New Homeport in Pakistan
(Source: US Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued March 25, 2011)
The Pakistani warship, the PNS Alamgir, officially departed from Naval Station Mayport after several months of refurbishment and the training of its personnel on 21 March. It is scheduled to arrive at its home port in Karachi, Pakistan 53 days from now.
The PNS Alamgir started its life as the USS McInerney (FFG-8), an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate. Pakistan acquired it from the U.S. under the Department of Defense Excess Defense Articles program because the U.S. Navy planned to decommission it after 31 years of service. Pakistan signed the transfer deal on 21 April 2010 and it was formally transferred during a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport on 31 August 2010.
The frigate underwent dry docking and pier-side refurbishment at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards from September 2010 to March 2011 using $58.7 million of Foreign Military Financing funds.
The frigate is equipped with anti-ship missiles, a 76-mm naval gun, and torpedo launchers. It can also carry two SH-60 Seahawk multi-purpose helicopters.
There was an additional $6.5 million spent on specialized training on the ship’s engineering, navigation and combat systems for the crew of 240 Pakistani sailors during the overhaul.
The PNS Alamgir will join the Pakistan Navy Maritime Patrol (MARPAT) mission which is a critical piece in Coalition Maritime Forces counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations (CTF-150) as well as counter-piracy efforts around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea (CTF-151).
LCDR Raja Hussain, the Pakistan Foreign Military Sales Country Program Director for the Navy International Programs Office -- the organization responsible for brokering the deal -- said that the transfer is tactically crucial. “Pakistan is already an active partner in each taskforce and has even taken command of CTF 150 four times,” said Hussain. “This transfer not only strengthens the partnership between the two nations, but it will also pave the way for future military-to-military exchanges.”
The Pakistan Navy can also use the frigate to monitor its country’s coastline for illegal narcotics trafficking. “Over half of the heroin coming from Afghanistan is smuggled through Pakistan. There is a relationship as narcotics trafficking sometimes serves as a financial base for terrorist operations,” he said. “Therefore, missions on the coastline serve to increase stability in the region and enhance the national security of the United States.”
-ends-
I wonder what this ship will look like in five or ten years?
“I wonder what this ship will look like in five or ten years?”
With any luck it will be at the bottom of the Indian Ocean with a hole in its side...future “artificial reef.”
What a riot - "we bought this warship to enforce the War on Drugs!" bwahahaha They just want to be sure thier guys get a cut of the booty.
Sad to say I would not blink an eye if the Indian Navy tried out one of their new harpoon missiles on it... Ehhhh....
Sad end for a once proud ship, her heart must be breaking .... ships have souls ....
Does it have shrimp at the buffet? Is beer part of the cruise package, or do you have to pay extra for it? Do they have those stingray swim excursions?
Old picture. The Standard SAM launched forward of the superstructure was removed years ago from all the ships in this class.
so we’ve moved on from giving the plans to our war fighting equipment and are now just giving them the big stuff.
brilliant
what’s next? just start shipping them titans and aircraft carriers?
/facepalm
you are missing a very important tactical reason for selling them our obsolete stuff....we built it, we know it’s weak points.....we can destroy it quite easily
Why are giving anything to this terrorist filled Anti-American chithole?
i’d rather give them nothing and blow their row boats out of the water ... then giving them a chance to inflict some real damage before we take them out
of course, taking them out would mean the poser in chief would want to protect Americans before they got killed... not after
and Obama talking about Indo US strategic partnership.. In the name of WOT ,it’s US who making distant from india . We shouldn’t be surprised if wikileaks releases something like That how India distrust USA even after 1971 fiasco. . .
“and Obama talking about Indo US strategic partnership.. In the name of WOT ,it’s US who making distant from india . We shouldn’t be surprised if wikileaks releases something like That how India distrust USA even after 1971 fiasco. . .”
The US Government is Overflowing with incompetency.
this is no incompetency but a so called diplomacy and balancing of powers by US gov. You tell me what is the use of free goodies like AMRAAM ,TOW 2 ATGM,WARSHIPS ETC ETC in WOT?? Do TALIBS have flying carpet ,which needed to shoot down by Pakiz with AMRAAM ??or do talibs have flottila waiting to be shunk by pakiz navy ?? Ans is NO ,it’s all against India ..
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