La Combattante III type fast attack craft

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The La Combattante III type patrol boat was a type of fast attack craft built in France for export during the late 1970s and 1980s. The design was a modification of the successful La Combattante II type fast attack craft. Nineteen ships of the design were built in various classes for several navies around the world.

Contents

Development

In 1975 Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) modified the La Combattante II design, adding nine metres to the length to improve seaworthiness and give more internal space; this gave a displacement of 359 tons and an overall length of 56 metres, though the armament remained the same. This design was designated La Combattante III.

Between 1975 and 1990 a further 19 were built for the navies of Greece, Tunisia, Qatar, and Nigeria. In addition were built for Israel (the Sa'ar 4 class), five in France and the remainder under licence in Israel. The Israelis also built, or assisted in building, nine vessels for South Africa, at the time under embargo for its Apartheid policy. [1]

Ship list

Between 1975 and 1990 nineteen vessels were built for the navies of Greece, Nigeria, Qatar and Tunisia.

Greece

In 1974 the Hellenic Navy ordered four vessels to be built by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), referred to as the Greek La Combattante IIIa class, and in 1978 a further six vessels to be built under licence in Greece (the La Combattante IIIb class); These were to the same design, but were armed with the Norwegian Penguin Surface-to-surface missile (SSM) instead of the French Exocet. [2] [3]

La Combattante IIIa
Pennant numberNameLaunchedStatus
P20Antiploiarchos Laskos20 April 1977Active
P21Plotarchis Blessas7 July 1977Active
P22Ypoploiarchos Mykonios10 February 1978Active
P23Ypoploiarchos Troupakis8 November 1977Active
La Combattante IIIb
Pennant numberNameLaunchedStatus
P24Simaioforos Kavaloudis14 July 1980Active
P25Ypoploiarchos Kostakos9 September 1980Accidental loss, November 1996
P26Ypoploiarchos Degiannis11 December 1980Active
P27Simaioforos Xenos31 March 1981Active
P28Simaioforos Simitzopoulos30 June 1981Active
P29Simaioforos Starakis12 October 1981Active

Nigeria

In November 1977 the Nigerian Navy ordered three vessels from CMN to the modified La Combattante IIIB design. This was slightly larger and faster than the standard La Combattante III design, but with a reduced armament. These were known as the Siri class. [4] [5]

Siri class
Pennant numberNameLaunchedStatus
P181Siri3 June 1980.
P182Ayah10 November 1980.
P183Ekun11 February 1981.

Qatar

In October 1980 the Qatari Emiri Navy ordered three vessels form CMN to the modified La Combattante IIIM design. This was slightly smaller than the standard La Combattante III design, with a reduced armament, but superior performance and electronics. [6] [7]

La Combattante III (Qatari Emiri Navy)
Pennant numberNameCommissionedStatus
Q 01Dansah10 November 1982Active
Q 02Al Gharijah10 February 1983Active
Q 03R'Biva11 May 1983Active

Tunisia

In June 1981 the Tunisian Navy ordered three vessels from CMN, also to the modified La Combattante IIIM design. [8] [9]

La Combattante III (Tunisian Navy)
Pennant numberNameCommissionedStatus
P501La Galik27 February 1985.
P502Tunis27 March 1985.
P503Carthage29 April 1985.

See also

Notes

  1. Preston p179-180
  2. Conway p.59
  3. Jane p.259
  4. Conway p.316
  5. Jane p.445
  6. Conway p.445
  7. Jane, p.508
  8. Conway p.322
  9. Jane, p.692

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