Talk:Pegasus class hydrofoil

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[edit] 48 knots

"Good for a speed of 48 knots" seems a slightly ambiguous term. I'd like to see it replaced, but I have no idea as to what to replace it with, as I don't know the source of the information, or the exact specifications. --me_and 29 June 2005 21:45 (UTC)

[edit] Sale?

Anyone know who(m) they were sold to? What ships were the hulls reused for? I thought I saw a show (on the history channel) where one of the ships was now in use by the coastguard. Anyone confirm? --Mitrebox 03:56, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] A voice from the field

I was a seaman in the support group (IMLSG) for the PHMs when the Pegasus was being built. My comments:

  • I recall being told that the speed was "in excess of 50 knots". I also recall being told that it was much in excess of 50 knots. I also saw the radar gun readout but don't want to go to jail by repeating that.
  • Despite the mission statement in the article I was told that the mission was to hide behind a rock in the Baltic Sea and to blast the Russian fleet as it sailed out which makes more sense for this rather expensive and sophisticated weapon than "narcotics interdiction". Comparing the program cancellation date with the date of the collapse of the USSR adds further insight.
  • The gun was referred to as a Oto Melara. The bow of the PHM was basically a magazine. You loaded it up, shut the door, and pushed the button making this in effect a radar guided machine gun firing a bullet as long as your leg at a better than 1 per second rate; impressive.
  • Rumor had it that the Harpoon had the same warhead "bolt up" as the Tomahawk rendering this non-muclear vessel into a more effective fleet destroying weapon rather rapidly.
  • The Peagasus at least was a NATO vessel. That meant that every NATO nation got something, usually incompatible, on board. It further meant that this weight critical vessel carried tons of interconnect gear. Scuttlebutt had it that this would end up killing the program.

Again this was the view from the bilge; authoritative it ain't.