Helsinki-class missile boat (Finnish: Helsinki-luokan ohjusvene) is a class of four fast attack craft built for the Finnish Navy. All the ships were constructed at the Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland, and had Pansio as their homeport.
Service
The vessels were designed as fast attack crafts, but designated "missile boats" in the Finnish Navy, as to tone down their offensive capabilities. They were armed with up to eight RBS-15 SSMs, one dual-purpose Bofors 57 mm gun, two SAKO 23 mm double-barreled anti-aircraft guns and two depth charge racks.
During the late 1990s, the class was due to undergo a mid-life upgrade through 2006–2008 but this was rejected because of budget constraints. The ships were decommissioned from Finnish service, and Helsinki and Turku were used for testing purposes before they were scrapped in 2011.
Two of the vessels were sold to the Croatian Navy for a price of €9 million (65 million kuna)[2] as a part of an off-set deal for the previous Croatian purchase of 126 Patria AMV vehicles.
The ships arrived in Croatia on 2 November 2008. They underwent a basic refit and repainting, and entered service in January 2009. According to current plans the ships are scheduled to stay active until 2020–2022.
Ships
| Name (original) |
Pennant number (original) |
Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helsinki | 60
|
1 September 1981. | Decommissioned in 2002; scrapped. |
| Turku | 61
|
3 June 1985. | Decommissioned in 2002; scrapped. |
| Oulu | 62
|
1 October 1985. | Decommissioned in 2008 and sold to Croatia as RTOP-41 Vukovar. |
| Kotka | 63
|
16 June 1986. | Decommissioned in 2008 and sold to Croatia as RTOP-42 Dubrovnik. |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Ukrcaj budućih brodova HRM-a". hrvatski-vojnik.hr. October 2008. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Dvije finske raketne topovnjače vrijedne devet milijuna eura stižu u Hrvatsku". index.hr. October 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
External links
- "Finnish Defence Forces". Retrieved 29 August 2005.
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