New Additions To The Hellenic Navy
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The Hellenic Navy’s future multi-mission ship Perseus arrived on September 1 at Salamis Naval Base where she will receive the proper modifications in order to join the Greek Fleet the coming weeks. This is the fourth multi-purpose ship that joins the Navy as fleet support ship, all former commercial vessels and all donated by the Greek shipowner and president of Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation Panos Laskaridis.
The former research vessel “Viking Vision” is the fifth ship Laskaridis donates to the Navy after the donation of the 37-meter naval cadet training ship Kyknos in 2014 and in 2019-2021 the fleet support ships Atlas I (built in 1999, 70.4 meters long and 5,300 tons full load displacement) Hercules (built in 2002, 84 meters long and 6,900 tons full load displacement) and Aias (built in 2002, 83.3 meters long and 7,500 tons full load displacement), all three former platform supply vessels (PSV).
Built in 1993 and fully rebuilt and converted in 2007 at a cost of $50 million as a research vessel, the ship was operated by Eidesvik Shipping AS until 2017. Key features include a gross tonnage of 9,811 tons and a deadweight tonnage of about 5,052 tons and an overall length of 105m. She has a hybrid propulsion installation, electric propulsion with minimal acoustic signature, great excess of electrical power, reaching 11MW, maximum speed of 17 knots, the ability to transport and deliver at sea F-76 fuel of about 3,000 cubic meters, a helipad suitable for all single main rotor helicopter types of the Hellenic Armed Forces and though not equipped with the scientific equipment, she has capability to support seismic and geophysical research missions.
The ship also has two very large covered decks and an inclined stern from which fast boats can be launched and lifted, as well as three powerful cranes with a capacity of 10 tons. The Navy will be able to use the ship in a number of important military and humanitarian tasks. The ship can accommodate large numbers of military personnel and heavy equipment in her protected and covered decks, and the equipment can be launched and recovered speedily. The new surface unit incorporates a number of important technological innovations that will support and augment the operational capabilities of the Hellenic Fleet to a great extent. Details of its characteristics and potential capabilities in the article New Multi-Purpose Ship Donated to the Hellenic Navy.
Few hours after the arrival of Perseus to Greece, the last pair of Island-class cutters, that were transferred to the Hellenic Navy by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), arrived in Salamis Naval Base. The former Monomoy (WPB-1326) and Wrangell (WPB-1332) were previously stationed in Manama, Bahrain (Naval Support Activity Bahrain) as a part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) to provide the US Navy 5th Fleet with combat ready assets. The two patrol vessels will receive an extensive refit and partial modernization, including a 20mm RWS, that will last for some months. More details about this procurement in the article Greece receives first Island class patrol vessels from the U.S.
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