SLNS Sayura

Career  Indian Navy
Name: INS Sarayu
Builder: Hindustan Shipyard Limited
Launched: 16 October 1989
Commissioned: 8 October 1991
Decommissioned: 1 November 2000
Homeport: INS Virbahu, Vishakhapatnam
Fate: Sold to Sri Lanka Navy
Status: Decommissioned in 2000
Career (SLN)
Acquired: 2000
Commissioned: 2000
Homeport: SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee
Fate: Active
General characteristics
Class and type: Sukanya class patrol vessel[1]
Displacement: 1,890 tons (full load)[1]
Length: 101 metres
Beam: 11.5 metres
Propulsion: 2 × diesel engines, 12,800 bhp (9,540 kW), 2 shafts
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h)
Range: 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 140 (incl 15 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems:
1 x Racal Decca 2459 search radar
1 BEL 1245 navigation radar
Armament: 1 x 40 mm, 60-cal Bofors anti-aircraft gun
2 x 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: 1 HAL Chetak

SLNS Sayura (Sayura, in Sinhalese: Sea) is the Flag ship and an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy.

She was formerly, the INS Sarayu, a Sukanya class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy sold to Sri Lanka in 2000. She was upgraded with new armament in India before being delivered to the Sri Lanka Navy. India also committed to providing maintenance and refit of the ship.[2]

Contents

Operations

Sayura is tasked with deep sea patrolling both within the Sri Lankan territorial waters and in international waters to curb ongoing arms smuggling by the LTTE. In recent months after undergoing a major refit in India, Sayura, along with other OPVs of the Sri Lankan Navy, has successfully intercepted several ships smuggling arms for the LTTE. In all these cases the ships were sunk when the LTTE Sea Tigers attacked the naval vessels with mortars. Sayura also participated in the Cadex 2009 military training exercises with the Indian Navy after the war.[3]

INS Sarayu

Commissioned 10 April 1991, INS Sarayu (P54) served with the Indian Navy until she was sold to Sri Lanka on November 1, 2000.

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.indiannavy.nic.in/opv_sukanya.htm
  2. ^ http://indiannavy.nic.in/acom.pdf
  3. ^ "Sri Lanka and India Navy conduct joint naval training exercise". Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka. 2009-10-06. http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20091006_06. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 

External links