BNS Somudra Joy

History
Bangladesh
Class and type: Hamilton-class cutter (Modified)
Name: Somudra Joy
Builder: Avondale Shipyards
Laid down: 9 September 1970
Launched: 24 April 1971
Acquired: 23 May 2013
Commissioned: 23 December 2013
In service: 2013-Present
Homeport: Chittagong
Identification: Pennant Number: F-28
Nickname(s): BNS SJ
Status: In Active Service
General characteristics
Displacement: 3250 tones
Length: 378 ft (115 m)
Beam: 43 ft (13 m)
Draught: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 29 knots
Range: 16,000 miles
Endurance: 45 days
Complement: 178 personnel (21 officers and 157 enlisted)
Sensors and
processing systems:		 AN/SPS-40 air-search radar, MK 92 FCS
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 × Hangar

BNS Somudra Joy[1][note 1] is one of the largest and the heaviest frigate of the Bangladesh Navy. They acquired the ship from the United States under Excess Defense Articles.

History

From 1972 to 2012 the ship was known as USCGC Jarvis (WHEC-725) and served the US Coast Guard as a high endurance cutter. She was decommissioned on 30 March 2012 and was acquired by the Bangladesh under the Foreign Assistance Act as a Excess Defense Article.[2] A team of US Coast Guard personnel visited Bangladesh in February 2013. The first group of Bangladesh Navy personnel, consisting of 7 officers and 13 sailors, left Bangladesh in February to start training on board Jarvis on 13 March 2013. She was officially handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on 23 May 2013.[3]

Career

BNS Somudra Joy arrived at her new home Chittagong on 13 December 2013[4] and was commissioned on 23 December 2013.[5] The ship is currently serving with Commanding Commodore BN Flotila (COMBAN).

During her transit to Bangladesh from USA, she was diverted to the Philippines to distribute emergency aid for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan on behalf of Government of Bangladesh. She arrived there on 29 November 2013.[6]

BNS Somudra Joy was sent to Maldives on 09 December 2014,[7] in aid to the water crisis that took place in capital Malé on 08 December, 2014. She carried 100 tonnes of drinking water and five desalination plants there.[8]

On 23 April 2015, she left for Qatar to join the multinational maritime exercise, Exercise Ferocious Falcon-2015.[9]

The ship took part in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training(CARAT), an annual bilateral exercise with United States Navy, in 2015.[10]

Somudra Joy left Chittagong on 30 January 2016 on a seven-day visit to India to join International Fleet Review 2016. The fleet review held in Visakhapatnam, India where 52 countries participated.[11]

Future plans

Bangladesh Navy plans to further upgrade the vessel's combat capability with the installation of modern C-802A AShM, FL-3000 or FM-90N SAM, Whitehead torpedoes and AW-109ZN or Z-9C ASW helicopter on board. After refit, this frigate will be one of the most powerful frigates of Bangladesh Navy.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Waters, Conrad, ed. (5 November 2014). Seaforth World Naval Review 2015. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-84832-220-2. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Joint Press Conference of the U.S.-Bangladesh Dialogue on Security Issues". Washington DC: US Department of State. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "US hands over naval ship". bdnews24.com. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
  4. ↑ "BNS Somudra Joy arrives". bdnews24.com. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "4 warships including Somoudra Joy commissioned". bdnews24.com. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Bangladesh sends aid to Philippines". Dhaka Tribune. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bangladesh sends water to aid Maldives’ crisis". Daily Star (Dhaka). 7 December 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Bangladesh sends drinking water to Maldives". Dhaka Tribune. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Navy ship leaves Ctg for Qatar". The News Today (Dhaka). 23 April 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "US-Bangla jt exercise begins today". Independentbd.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "BNS Somudra Joy leaves Ctg to join int’l fleet review in India". The Daily Sun. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.

Notes

  1. ↑ The name has been widely, but incorrectly, reported as Somudro Joy or other variants
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