Osprey class coastal minehunter

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Class overview
USS Raven in the Persian Gulf, 2004
Name:	Osprey
Builders:	Intermarine USA Avondale Shipyard
Operators:	U.S. Navy Hellenic Navy Egyptian Navy
Succeeded by:	Avenger-class
In commission:	1993 - 2007
Completed:	12
Active:	2 with Hellenic Navy
General characteristics
Type:	Coastal minehunter
Displacement:	893 tons (804 metric tons) full load
Length:	188 ft (57 m)
Beam:	36 ft (11 m)
Draft:	12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × diesels (800 hp ea.) 2 ×Voith-Schneider (cycloidal) propulsion systems
Speed:	10 knots (18.4 kph)
Endurance:	15 days
Complement:	5 officers, 46 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems:	•AN/SLQ-48 mine neutralization equipment •AN/SQQ-32 minehunting sonar •AN/SYQ-13 navigation/command and control •AN/SSQ-94 on board trainer
Armament:	2 × .50 caliber machine guns

Osprey-class coastal minehunters are designed to find, classify, and destroy moored and bottom naval mines from vital waterways. They use sonar and video systems, cable cutters and a mine detonating device that can be released and detonated by remote control. They are the first large mine countermeasures ships built in the United States in nearly 27 years. Osprey class are the world's largest mine hunters to be constructed entirely of fiberglass and designed to survive the shock of underwater explosions. Their primary mission is reconnaissance, classification, and neutralization of all types of moored and bottom mines in littoral areas, harbors and coastal waterways. The ships are equipped with a high definition, variable-depth sonar, and a remotely-operated, robotic submarine used to neutralize mines.

1 Construction
2 Decommissioning
3 Ships
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Construction

Twelve minehunter ships were built for the US Navy by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (formerly Litton Avondale Industries) of New Orleans and Intermarine of Savannah. The ships were commissioned between 1993 and 1999.

The ships of this class were named after various types of birds.

[edit] Decommissioning

All of these ships were decommissioned in 2006–07. The Hellenic Navy received two of the Osprey-class coastal mine hunters from the US Navy: MHC-52 Heron, renamed Calypso and MHC-53 Pelican, renamed Euniki. On April 29, 2008 the President was authorized by Congress (in the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008) to transfer by grant MHC-56 Kingfisher and MHC-57 Cormorant to Lithuania, and MHC-58 Blackhawk to Turkey. The sale of MCH-55 Oriole and MCH-59 Falcon to Taiwan as well as MCH-62 Shrike to Turkey was also authorized. This class of ships was succeeded by the more capable Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships.

[edit] Ships

Ship	Hull No.	Builder	Commissioned– Decommissioned	NVR Page
Osprey	MHC-51	Intermarine USA	1993–2006	MHC51
Heron	MHC-52	Intermarine USA	1994–2007	MHC52
Pelican	MHC-53	Avondale Shipyard, Westwego	1995–2007	MHC53
Robin	MHC-54	Avondale Shipyard	1996–2006	MHC54
Oriole	MHC-55	Intermarine USA	1995–2006	MHC55
Kingfisher	MHC-56	Avondale Shipyard, Gulfport	1996–2007	MHC56
Cormorant	MHC-57	Avondale Shipyard, Gulfport	1997–2007	MHC57
Black Hawk	MHC-58	Intermarine USA	1996–2007	MHC58
Falcon	MHC-59	Intermarine USA	1997–2006	MHC59
Cardinal	MHC-60	Intermarine USA	1997–2007	MHC60
Raven	MHC-61	Intermarine USA	1998–2007	MHC61
Shrike	MHC-62	Intermarine USA	1999–2007	MHC62

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Osprey class coastal minehunters

[edit] References

PEO Ships: Mine Warfare
Federation of American Scientists: MHC 51 Osprey Coastal Mine Hunters
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

[edit] External links

v • d • e Osprey-class coastal minehunter

Osprey \| Heron \| Pelican \| Robin \| Oriole \| Kingfisher \| Cormorant \| Black Hawk \| Falcon \| Cardinal \| Raven \| Shrike

List of mine warfare vessels of the United States Navy