USS Raven in the Persian Gulf, 2004
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Class overview | |
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Name: | Osprey class |
Builders: | |
Operators: | |
Preceded by: | Harkness class |
Succeeded by: | None |
Built: | 1991–1995 |
In service: | 1993– |
In commission: | 1993–2007 (US Navy) |
Planned: | 12 |
Completed: | 12 |
Active: |
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Scrapped: | 6 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Coastal minehunter |
Displacement: | 881 long tons (895 t) (full load) |
Length: | 188 ft (57 m) |
Beam: | 36 ft (11 m) |
Draft: | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
Installed power: |
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Propulsion: |
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Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h) |
Range: | 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) |
Endurance: | 15 days |
Complement: | 5 officers, 4 petty officers, 42 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems: |
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Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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Armament: |
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The Osprey class are a series of coastal minehunters 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. The Osprey class are the world's second largest minehunters (surpassed by the Royal Navy's 60-metre (200 ft) Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels) 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.
Twelve minehunter ships were built for the U.S. 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.
The 12 ships are 187 feet 10 inches (57.3 m) long, 34 feet 7 inches (10.5 m) wide, and 70 feet 0 inches (21.3 m) tall. When carrying a full load they displace 904 tonnes (890 long tons; 996 short tons). They have four decks, and have a complement of five officers, four chief petty officers, and 42 enlisted men. They are armed two .50 caliber machine guns. All of the major equipment is suspended from the main deck in glass-reinforced plastic holders, so that in the event of an undersea explosion, it will not be damaged.
They use an AN/SLQ-53 deep sweep mine countermeasures system. It also uses an AN/SQQ-32 Variable Depth Sonar, which is tethered to the front of the bridge, to detects and identifies mines using multiple ping processing. Two AN/UYK-44 computers are also used to classify and detect mines. For surface radar purposes, an AN/SPS-64(V)9 is used. They also use the AN/SLQ-48 mine neutralization system, which is tethered to the ship by a 1.07-kilometre (0.66 mi) long cable. They have two AN/UYQ-31 operator data terminals, which are identical.