Minehunters for the Finnish Navy

[Happy Times]

Litlle old news but just in case someone is interested.

Italian Intermarine S.p.A. chosen as supplier of mine countermeasures vessels for the Finnish Navy

By decision of the Minister of Defence of Finland Seppo Kääriäinen the Italian Intermarine S.p.A. has been chosen as the prime contractor with overall responsibility of mine countermeasures vessels for the Finnish Navy. The combat system for the vessels will be supplied by Intermarine S.p.A's German subcontractor Atlas Elektronik GmbH.

Intermarine S.p.A. will deliver three mine countermeasures vessels, a mine countermeasures information system and a life cycle support and maintenance package (spare parts and special tools and test equipment). The price of the procurement contract is 244.8 M€ authorized by the Parliament in the 2006 national budget. The Finnish Navy will receive the first vessel in 2010 and the last one in 2012. Operational readiness will be achieved by 2015.

The aim of the procurement is to provide the Finnish Navy with an operational mine countermeasures capability so that sea lines of national importance can be secured against mine threats. The vessels are primarily being procured for national tasks. The vessels' integrated mine countermeasures systems can be used to support other governmental authorities in for e.g. in mapping the seabed, under water search and identification operations and in the disposal of under water explosives. The vessels will be EU and NATO interoperable, and, therefore, they will improve Finland's possibilities to participate in international crisis management operations.

The procurement includes an obligation for industrial cooperation (offset). This industrial cooperation includes subcontracts as well as transfers of technology and know-how to the Finnish industry. This ensures that the Finnish industry will be capable of working in partnership with the Finnish Navy in the life cycle reparation, maintenance and modernization of the vessels and combat systems.

Intermarine S.p.A. will build and, for the most part, equip the vessels in its dockyards in Sarzana and La Spezia in northern Italy. The third vessel will be partly equipped by Aker Yards Ltd. in Finland. Insta DefSec Ltd. will take part in the development, installation and integration of the combat system. Patria Systems Ltd. plays an important role in the indirect industrial cooperation. Another 20 domestic companies and research institutes will work as Intermarine S.p.A.'s subcontractors. Most of these companies are SMEs. The Finnish work share will be roughly 96 man years. Over 50% of the vessels' total life cycle cost is estimated to stay in Finland.

Intermarine S.p.A. has delivered mine countermeasure vessels to the Italian, Australian and United States navies among other nations. The Atlas Elektronik GmbH mine countermeasures combat system has also been chosen by Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

http://www.mil.fi/paaesikunta/artikk...52.dsp#english

[Bort]

That's a smart looking little ship! At least some countries still belive in the importance of minesweeping...unlike my own.

[Perilscope]

Originally Posted by Bort

That's a smart looking little ship! At least some countries still belive in the importance of minesweeping...unlike my own.

The USA as a nice fleet of minehunters...
The USA as 12, well at least it's written in the official site of intermarine:
http://www.rodriquez.it/intermarine/minehunters.php

Some more info from naval-technology.com:
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/osprey/

However, considering the size of Italy and the coastline, it's funny to see that they have equal amount of minehunters as the USA. But we need to consider that Italy actually needs it and actively use it. Italy being influential with is Navy around the Mediterranean sea, their support is continuous. Those minesweepers where very active in recent years, like the Kosovo war and elsewhere in the Mediterranean sea.

[Godalmighty83]

the uk's minesweepers while very expensive and hugely advanced are so slow i cant help but worry about there usefulness. still a plastic hull has its advangtages.

[Bort]

Originally Posted by Perilscope

The USA as a nice fleet of minehunters...
The USA as 12, well at least it's written in the official site of intermarine:
http://www.rodriquez.it/intermarine/minehunters.php

Some more info from naval-technology.com:
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/osprey/

However, considering the size of Italy and the coastline, it's funny to see that they have equal amount of minehunters as the USA. But we need to consider that Italy actually needs it and actively use it. Italy being influential with is Navy around the Mediterranean sea, their support is continuous. Those minesweepers where very active in recent years, like the Kosovo war and elsewhere in the Mediterranean sea.

I know the US has minesweepers, but as I posted earlier here the USN is trying its best to get rid of them as fast as possible. Mine Warfare has always been and still is being overlooked and underfunded by the USN.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

The bare concept of Minehunters amuses me.

"Hey look! I found a mi-BOOM"

:rotfl:

[bookworm_020]

Australia buit half a dozen new mine sweepers, the Huon class. A couple were to been place in reserve, but they are now used as patrol boats (with all minehunting gear still on board)

[Fish]

My granddad and his brother both were minehunters in WW II, both skipper on a overhauled fishing trawler. His brother died in the UK due to heart failure in 1944. My granddad, that time, was minesweeping in the river Schelde when the Germans and the Ganadians where battling each other from both sides of the river. The vessel was hit by machinegun fire while the mines exploding.
They drew a line between two vessels to cut of the moored mines and hammer a kangoo on the deck for mines listning for machine sound.
Before he go, he wrote a goodby letter to his wife.
Must have been heavy.