IRIS Kharg

The Kharg (Persian: خارگ‎) is a modified Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, named after Kharg Island. Built by Swan Hunter in the United Kingdom and launched in 1977, she was delivered to Iran in 1984.

History
Iran
Name: Kharg
Namesake: Kharg Island
Operator: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
Ordered: October 1974
Builder: Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne
Cost: £40 million
Yard number: 98
Laid down: 27 January 1976
Launched: 3 February 1977
Sponsored by: Gholamreza Pahlavi
Completed: 25 April 1980
Maiden voyage: 5 October 1984
Refit: 1984; 1994; 2014–2016
Homeport: Bandar Abbas
Identification:
Status: In active service
General characteristics
Class and type: Ol-class replenishment ship
Tonnage:
  • 18,880 tonnes GT
  • 9,517 tonnes DWT
Displacement:
  • 11,242 tonnes standard
  • 33,544 tonnes full load
Length: 207.15 m (679 ft 8 in)
Beam: 25.5 m (83 ft 8 in)
Draft: 9.14 m (30 ft 0 in)
Installed power: 2 × boilers
Propulsion:
  • 2 × geared turbines, 20,040 kW (26,870 shp)
  • 1 × shaft
Speed: 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Complement: 248
Armament:
  • 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm/62 gun
  • 4 × USSR 23 mm/80 guns
  • 2 × 12.7mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: 3 helicopters
Aviation facilities: 2 hangars, 1 helipad
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Capt. Faramarz Khoshmanesh (1980s)[1]
  • Capt. Ehsan Nasir (current)[2]
Operations:
  • Iran–Iraq War (1984–1988)
  • Numbered naval groups (since 2009):
    • 3rd
    • 7th
    • 9th
    • 12th
    • 18th
    • 22nd
    • 24th
    • 27th
    • 29th
    • 54th
    • 55th
    • 59th
    • 63rd
    • 66th

Kharg is the largest naval vessel of Iran in terms of tonnage.[3]

Design
See also: Ol-class tanker (1965)

According to the Combat Fleets of the World, she was "greatly modified" in comparison to her Ol-class sister ships in service of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.[4] Her design is described by the Jane's Fighting Ships as "incorporating some of the features" of the class, and fitted to carry dry stores and ammunition in addition to fuel.[5]

Vertical view of Kharg
A silhouette of Kharg with a helicopter on her deck

Kharg displaces 11,242 tonnes (11,064 long tons) of standard load and up to 33,544 tonnes (33,014 long tons) at full load.[5] She has a gross tonnage of 18,880 tonnes (18,580 long tons), and a deadweight tonnage of 9,517 tonnes (9,367 long tons).[5] According to Jane's the vessel is 207.2 m (680 ft) long, would have a beam of 26.5 m (87 ft) and a draft of 9.2 m (30 ft).[5] The Combat Fleets of the World records the dimensions slightly different, with 207.15 m (679.6 ft), 25.50 m (83.7 ft) and 9.14 m (30.0 ft) for length, beam and draft respectively.[4]

Her original installed machinery includes a pair of two-drum boilers built by Babcock & Wilcox, that rotate two Westinghouse geared turbine sets.[4][5] The system was designed to generate 7,000 kW of electricity,[4] and to provide 26,870 horsepower (20.04 MW) for her single shaft coupled with the propeller.[4][5] The ship is capable of reaching a nominal top speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h).[4][5]

Her original navigation radar was manufactured by Decca Radar, a Decca 1229 model working on I-band, while the installed tactical air navigation system was a U.S.-made URN 20.[4][5] She is also fitted with Inmarsat.[5]

She is armed with an OTO Melara 76 mm/62 compact gun on her forecastle, as it was designed.[4][5] The planned armament included two 40mm AA guns, one on the helo deck and the other on the forecastle pedestal, that were never installed.[4] She is equipped with four USSR 23mm/80 anti-aircraft autocannons arranged in two twin mounts, as well as two 12.7mm heavy machine guns.[5]

Her crew totals 248 officers and men.[4][5] Kharg has a helipad with twin hangars, making up a capacity of three helicopters.[5]

Operational capabilities

International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) classifies Kharg as AORH, i.e. fleet replenishment oiler with replenishment at sea (RAS) capability and hangar.[6] According to Anthony H. Cordesman, the only other Iranian vessel capable of conducting legitimate RAS operations is Bushehr (422).[7]

An assessment published by Stratfor in 2014, mentions that Kharg is an essential long-distance blue-water asset for the IRIN because of her ability to extend the range of Iranian warships, adding that "[w]ithout this vessel, the small number of Iranian frigates would be unable to embark on extended deployments without consistent and frequent port visits along the way".[8]

Eric H. Arnett, a project leader at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), comments that Kharg can provide extra operational flexibility for the Iranian fleet and her capacity to carry large and heavy helicopters like Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King can improve anti-submarine warfare abilities of the naval group she belongs to.[9]

Christopher Harmer of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) finds her ability to lift heavy cargo of particular interest. He argues considering the sanctions against Iran, Kharg is potentially ideal for safe transfer of valuable or politically sensitive assets, such as imported military equipment, gold or currency.[10] In such a scenario, Kharg would be the vessel supported by the warship she accompanies (an escort), rather than vice versa. According to Harmer, the fact that she is a naval vessel, will deter foreign navies from an attempt to prevent her.[10] After Kharg's 2011 visit to Syria via the Suez Canal, U.S. Navy officer Joshua C. Himes opined that "the Kharg will raise suspicion simply due to its logistics capacity and potential to transport weapons/materiel to Iranian surrogates in the region".[11]

Construction and commissioning

Iran ordered the ship to the English shipyard Swan Hunter in October 1974[5] in a contract worth £40 million (equivalent to $54 million).[12][13] Kharg was laid down on 27 January 1976[5] and launched on 3 February 1977[14] by Gholamreza Pahlavi and named by Manijeh Pahlavi, members of the royal family.[13] R. J. Daniel, a Royal Corps of Naval Constructors officer wrote in his memoirs that the ceremonial ship launching was attended by the wife of the Shah's brother, and a cleric with black turban blessed the battle honors, who called the name of the ship wrong in his first attempt.[15] She ran some trials in November 1978, but delays in fitting-out postponed her commissioning by the Imperial Iranian Navy and shortly afterwards the Iranian Revolution took place.[4] In August 1979, it was reported that the Interim Government of Iran intended to cancel the contract and as a result, Swan Hunter was looking for a new purchaser.[16]

Kharg moored at Walker Naval Yard in 1982

She was painted in battleship grey[13] and between September 1979 and February 1980, she made sea trials in secrecy.[17] Though she was delivered to Iranian government on 25 April 1980, the UK government refused an export license for the ship wholly paid by Iran.[18] This resulted in Kharg's some 200 crew members being trapped in the United Kingdom.[19] Swan Hunter declared that it is uninvolved in any political implications and considers building Kharg a "straightforward commercial contract".[13] The Guardian warned Iranians that Kharg may become subject to a "theft" similar to Reşad V, the battleship ordered by the Ottoman Navy to Vickers and seized by the British in 1914 to join the Royal Navy fleet.[20]

Much negotiations were made to release the vessel,[21] and the British told Iranians that as long as the American hostages are not released, Kharg will remain in the United Kingdom.[17] However, after the hostages returned to the United States the export license was not issued and in August 1981 the Foreign Office declared that the ship will not be handed to Iran for a foreseeable future,[17] citing detention of a British national in Iran, Andrew Pyke, as the one reason why Kharg won't be released.[22] In July 1982, Iran sent three high-ranking officers to inspect the situation of Kharg.[17] On 10 July 1984, Kharg arrived at Tyne Shiprepairers for overhaul[23] and later that year, she started sea trials on 4 September.[5] Kharg left the deck for Iran on 5 October 1984,[24] after the UK government approved her export without any armaments[5] on the grounds that she is "not suitable for use in the war against Iraq".[21]

Service history
Djibouti
Latakia
Sudan
Jeddah
Salalah
Muscat
Jinjiang
Colombo
Jakarta
Known port calls made by Kharg[25]

Though completed in 1980, Kharg was not present in more than half of the Iran–Iraq War. She was added to the order of battle in 1984 and served almost three years during the war, supporting Iranian warships with refuel, and carrying ammunition and stores.[21] In August 1987 Kharg led a fleet of six vessels, including Riazi (302), aided by two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters to conduct a minesweeping operation in the Sea of Oman. The area of operation included 10 nautical miles east of the Fujairah to the Khor Fakkan.[1] Reports indicated that during the operation, American and French warships were nearby and exchanged radio communications with Iranians for identification without any further contact.[1] When Operation Praying Mantis took place in April 1988, she was stationed at her home port in Bandar Abbas Naval Base.[26]

Kharg was refitted in 1994.[27]

She visited Jeddah on 7 March 1998, marking the first port call of an Iranian naval ship to Saudi Arabia since 1979.[28]

On 31 August 2009, along with the frigate Sabalan (73) as the 3rd naval group, she left home for an anti-piracy mission in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden that lasted 73 days until 17 November 2009.[25] During her next mission she sailed about 1,900 nmi (3,500 km) to support the same warship in a similar mission, as part of the 7th naval group, lasting for 92 days between 17 March and 17 June 2010.[25] Later that year, Kharg supported Alvand (71) in another Aden anti-piracy mission from 28 August to 15 November 2010.[25]

Kharg entered the Suez Canal on 22 February 2011, with the frigate Alvand, on a deployment reported to be a training mission to Latakia, Syria.[29][30] While decked at Latakia, a new cooperation agreement between Iran and Syria was signed aboard Kharg.[11] The two ships compromising the 12th naval group were on a mission since 27 January and returned home on 21 March 2011, and in the Red Sea they saved a Hong Konger merchant vessel from Somali pirates.[25]

She entered the Suez Canal again on 18 February 2012, after briefly docking at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[31] She was sent along with the corvette Naghdi (82) of the 18th naval group on a combined mission involving anti-piracy, training and intelligence collecting activities, lasting for 64 days from 22 January to 26 March 2012.[25] During this mission, she sailed some 12,000 nmi (22,000 km) as far as the Mediterranean Sea and the personnel performed the Hajj.[25] The two ships were together as the 22nd naval group deployed for anti-piracy measures in the Red Sea between 1 September and 14 November 2012.[25] They docked briefly at Port Sudan, which was described as an "unprecedented visit".[32] The two also engaged with Somali pirates during the mission and released two hijacked merchant vessels in April, including the Bolivian-flagged bulk carrier Eglantine (whose deck was cleared by commandos), as well as the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Xiang Hua Men.[33] The mission was reportedly "closely monitored by Western and Israeli militaries".[34]

In the very first presence of IRIN vessels in the Pacific Ocean, Kharg and the frigate Sabalan were allocated to the 24th naval group for a 13,500 nmi (25,000 km) journey to Jinjiang, China. The two ships made a port call to Colombo, Sri Lanka en route the voyage that started on 22 January, and lasted 72 days until 4 April 2013.[25] The mission was described as the "longest range deployment in Iranian naval history".[10]

On 19 August 2013, along with Sabalan she left home composing the 27th naval group for another anti-piracy and intelligence operation near Bab-el-Mandeb. However, she was replaced by the landing ship Larak (512) in the middle of that mission.[25]

She was teamed up again with Sabalan as the 29th naval group, departing for a scheduled three-month cruise to the Atlantic Ocean, starting on 21 January 2014.[35] In mid-April, the plan was called off and the two were ordered to return.[36]

Bellingcat reported that the satellite imagery showed Kharg being moved to floating drydock in August 2015, while she has been berthing at ISOICO shipyard, Bostanu since November 2014.[37] She left the floating drydock in January 2016.[38] During the time, she was undergoing a major refit that included overhaul of her boiler,[25] replacement of steam turbines and changing navigation systems with modernized successors. Iranian officials said the new systems are domestically-built.[39]

For the first time since refit, she was deployed in June 2018 to the Bab-el-Mandeb, supporting Sabalan and Naghdi of the 54th and 55th naval groups respectively. She returned home on 21 August 2018.[25]

On 8 December 2018, Kharg was teamed up again with the frigate Alvand (as the 59th naval group) and departed for an intelligence collection and escort operation in the Gulf of Aden. The two navigated 5,988 nmi (11,090 km) in total, and on 20 January 2019 their mission was concluded.[25]

Kharg was tasked to support the newly-commissioned Sahand (74) in her first oceangoing mission, including tanker escort and maritime patrol in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The voyage of the 63rd naval group lasted 100 days from 26 August to 29 October 2019.[25]

She departed home on 30 January 2020, as the ship supporting the corvette Bayandor (81) in a voyage to cross the Strait of Malacca.[25] The 66th naval group anchored at Port of Tanjung Priok between 25 and 28 February to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Indonesia–Iran relations. The mission was partly for training purposes, as Kharg carried hundreds of cadets from the naval academy.[40]

See also

References

Citations
  1. Lai, Kwok Kin (20 August 1987), "Iranian Ships Scouring for Mines", The Globe and Mail, ProQuest 386049644
  2. "Iranian Khrag Warships Visits to Indonesia Bring Peace Message and Cooperation", Mi’raj News Agency, 29 February 2020, retrieved 1 September 2020
  3. Connell, Michael (31 January 2012), "The Artesh Navy: Iran's Strategic Force", Middle East Institute, retrieved 28 August 2020
  4. Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986), Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, p. 255, ISBN 0-85368-860-5
  5. Saunders, Stephen; Philpott, Tom, eds. (2015), "Iran", IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2015–2016, Jane's Fighting Ships (116th Revised ed.), Coulsdon: IHS Jane's, p. 394, ISBN 9780710631435, OCLC 919022075
  6. The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) (2020). "Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance 2020. 120. Routledge. p. 351. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707968. ISBN 9780367466398.
  7. Cordesman, Anthony H. (2019), "Iran and the Changing Military Balance in the Gulf: Net Assessment Indicators", The Second Key Shift in the Military Balance: The Rising Impact of Iran’s Asymmetric Forces, Center for Strategic and International Studies, p. 131, JSTOR resrep24240.6
  8. "The Iranian Navy: A Symbolic Show of Force in the Atlantic", Strator, 11 February 2014, retrieved 1 September 2020
  9. Arnett, Eric H. (1997), Military Capacity and the Risk of War: China, India, Pakistan, and Iran, Oxford University Press, p. 302, ISBN 9780198292814
  10. Harmer, Christopher (June 2013), Iranian Naval and Maritime Strategy, Middle East Security Reports, 13, Institute for the Study of War, pp. 21–23, 27, JSTOR resrep07898
  11. Himes, Joshua C. (21 March 2011), The Iranian Navy’s Historic Mediterranean Deployment: Timing Is Everything, Center for Strategic and International Studies, retrieved 1 September 2020
  12. "News", Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), London, 28: 17, 13 July 1984
  13. "Kharg: Britain's $80m Iranian hostage", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 11, 10 May 1980
  14. Silverstone, Paul H. (1977), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 14 (3): 197, JSTOR 44888102
  15. Daniel, R. J. (2003), The End of an Era: The Memoirs of a Naval Constructor, Periscope Publishing, pp. 273–274, ISBN 9781904381181
  16. Silverstone, Paul H. (1980), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 17 (1): 36, JSTOR 44888213
  17. Clarke, Joseph Finbar (1997), "Swan Hunter – The Swith to Warship Yard", Building Ships on the North East Coast, 2, Bewick Press, p. 457, ISBN 9781898880059
  18. Silverstone, Paul H. (1980), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 17 (3): 276, JSTOR 44890841
  19. Tucker-Jones, Anthony (2018), "Naval Skirmishes", Iran-Iraq War: The Lion of Babylon, 1980–1988, Pen & Sword Books, ISBN 9781526728586
  20. "Less than a Haven", The Guardian, p. 15, 1 May 1980
  21. El-Shazly, Nadia El-Sayed (2016), The Gulf Tanker War: Iran and Iraq's Maritime Swordplay, Springer, Table 5.1, page 175, ISBN 9781349263042
  22. "Iran Gaol Dispute Holds Ship on Tyne", The Guardian, p. 3, 12 August 1981
  23. Silverstone, Paul H. (1984), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 21 (4): 395, JSTOR 44891106
  24. Silverstone, Paul H. (1985), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 22 (1): 50, JSTOR 44888933
  25. Nadimi, Farzin (April 2020), "Iran's Evolving Approach to Asymmetric Naval Warfare: Strategy and Capabilities in the Persian Gulf" (PDF), The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (Policy Focus) (164), Appendix E: IRIN’s Long-range Task Forces And Naval Visits Abroad, pp. 64–74, retrieved 15 July 2020
  26. Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Translated by Nicholas Elliott. Harvard University Press. Appendix D, p. 526; Appendix D, p. 566. ISBN 978-0-674-91571-8.
  27. Adelkhah, Nima (21 February 2014), "Iranian Naval Adventurism in the Atlantic Ocean", Terrorism Monitor, The Jamestown Foundation, 12 (4)
  28. Silverstone, Paul H. (1998), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 35 (3): 249, JSTOR 44892557
  29. "Iran warships sail via Suez Canal amid Israeli concern". BBC News. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  30. Londoo, Ernesto; Erdbrink, Thomas (22 February 2011). "Iran hails warships' mission in Mediterranean". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  31. "Iran warships enter Mediterranean via Suez Canal". BBC News. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  32. "Iranian Warships Leave Sudan After Unprecedented Visit", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 31 October 2012, retrieved 25 August 2020
  33. Silverstone, Paul H. (June 2012), "Naval Intelligence", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 49 (2): 108, JSTOR 44894790
  34. Herbert-Burns, Rupert (April 2012), International Naval Activity and Developments in the Indian Ocean Region in Q1 2012, Stimson Center, JSTOR resrep10799
  35. "Iran sends warships to Atlantic", Associated Press, 21 January 2014, retrieved 1 September 2020
  36. "Iran cancels plan to have warships approach US borders in Atlantic", The Guardian, 13 April 2014, retrieved 1 September 2020
  37. Biggers, Chris (17 September 2015), "Iran ISOICO Shipyard Imagery Update", Bellingcat, retrieved 1 September 2020
  38. Biggers, Chris (29 January 2016), "Iran ISOICO Imagery Update", Bellingcat, retrieved 1 September 2020
  39. "Upgraded Supply Ship Prepared for Launch", Financial Tribune, 8 February 2016, retrieved 1 September 2020
  40. Pinandita, Apriza (25 February 2020), "Iranian Navy vessel anchors in Jakarta", The Jakarta Post, retrieved 1 September 2020

Primary sources

Between 2010 and 2013, the UK government declassified some confidential documents regarding the ship, that were published by the Margaret Thatcher Foundation:

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