Descubierta-class corvette

SPS Infanta Elena (P-76), ex-F33, a corvette of the Descubierta class
Class overview
Name:	Descubierta class corvette
Builders:	Bazan, Ferrol & Cartagena
Operators:	Spanish Navy  Egyptian Navy  Royal Moroccan Navy
Built:	1975-1984
Completed:	9
Active:	8
Retired:	1
General characteristics
Type:	Corvette
Displacement:	1,233 tons standard, 1,482 tons full load
Length:	88.8 m (291 ft)
Beam:	10.4 m (34 ft)
Draught:	3.8 m (12 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shaft, 4 MTU diesel engines, 16,000 hp (12,000 kW)
Speed:	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range:	4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement:	118
Armament:	8 - Harpoon SSM 1 - octuple Sea Sparrow SAM 1 - 76 mm gun 2 - 40 mm guns (2 × 1) 1 - two barreled Bofors Anti-submarine mortar 6 - 12.75 in anti submarine torpedo tubes (2 × 3)

The Descubierta-class corvettes were a series of corvettes built for the Spanish Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These ships were also sold to the Egyptian Navy and the Moroccan Navy. The ships were designed in cooperation with the German company Blohm & Voss, based on the João Coutinho-class corvettes which were designed in the late 1960s for the Portuguese Navy, by the Portuguese naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira. A larger version was proposed for a second batch but the Spanish Navy chose to build the American Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates under licence instead.

Ships

Spanish Navy

Ship	Pennant number	Builder	Commissioned	Current Status
Descubierta	F31	Cartagena	18 November 1978	Decommissioned 30 June 2009[1]
Diana	F32	Cartagena	30 June 1979	Transformed to MCM support ship M-11 Reportedly being sold to Angola[2]
Infanta Elena	F33	Cartagena	12 April 1980	In service as patrol craft P-76
Infanta Cristina	F34	Cartagena	24 November 1980	In service as patrol craft P-77
Cazadora	F35	Ferrol	2 July 1981	In service as patrol craft P-78
Vencedora	F36	Ferrol	27 March 1982	In service as patrol craft P-79

Egyptian Navy

Ship	Pennant number	Builder	Commissioned	Current Status
El Suez	F946	Bazan, Ferrol	21 August 1984	In service
Abo Qir	F941	Bazan, Ferrol	27 October 1984	In service

Royal Moroccan Navy

The Moroccan vessel is equipped with Exocet missiles instead of Harpoon missiles.

Ship	Pennant number	Builder	Commissioned	Current Status
Lieutenant Colonel Errhamani	501	Bazan, Ferrol	26 February 1982	In service

Gallery

• 
  SPS Infanta Elena (P-76), ex-F33, a corvette of the Descubierta class
• 
  The Moroccan corvette RMNS Lieutenant Colonel Errhamani (F 501).
• 
  Moroccan Descubierta class corvette RMNS Lieutenant Colonel Errhamani (F 501).
• 
  Descubierta (P-75), ex-F31
• 
  Diana (M-11), ex-F32
• 
  Infanta Cristina (P-77), Ex-F34
• 
  Cazadora (P-78), Ex-F35
• 
  Vencedora (P-79), ex-F36

References

Citations

1. "La Armada da de baja al patrullero 'Descubierta' tras 31 años de servicio" (in Spanish). La Verdad. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
2. "Solución de última hora de la Armada: Angola compra el 'Príncipe de Asturias'". El Confidencial Digital (in Spanish). El Confidencial Digital. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2014.

References

• Conway's All the World's Fighting ships 1947-1995. Naval Institute Press. 1996. ISBN 1557501327.