Posted on 06/02/2021 3:26:44 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
TEHRAN, Iran - The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semiofficial news agencies reported.
The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Photos circulated on Iranian social media of sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. State TV and semiofficial news agencies referred to the 207-meter (679 foot) Kharg as a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
A thermite mine sounds plausible and a perfect response to Iranian activities targeting other ships.
Somebody forgot to turn off the iron?
About that ship....(wiki)
An assessment published by Stratfor in 2014, mentions that Kharg was an essential long-distance blue-water asset for the IRIN because of her ability to extend the range of Iranian warships, adding that “[w]ithout this vessel, the small number of Iranian frigates would be unable to embark on extended deployments without consistent and frequent port visits along the way”.[10]
Eric H. Arnett, a project leader at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), commented that Kharg could provide extra operational flexibility for the Iranian fleet and her capacity to carry large and heavy helicopters like Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King could improve the anti-submarine warfare abilities of the naval group she belonged to.[11]
Christopher Harmer of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) found her ability to lift heavy cargo of particular interest. He argued that in view of the sanctions against Iran, Kharg was potentially ideal for safe transfer of valuable or politically sensitive assets, such as imported military equipment, gold or currency.[12] In such a scenario, Kharg would have been the vessel supported by the warship she accompanied (an escort), rather than vice versa. According to Harmer, the fact that she was a naval vessel would deter foreign navies from an attempt to prevent her operations.[12] After Kharg’s 2011 visit to Syria via the Suez Canal, U.S. Navy officer Joshua C. Himes opined that “the Kharg will raise suspicion simply due to its logistics capacity and potential to transport weapons/materiel to Iranian surrogates in the region”.
Now she is resupplying Davy Jones Locker....
I remember hearing what I thought were jokes about Middle East maintenance on military equipment. Then I found out they weren’t jokes.
I was with a Saudi Military modernization program in Desert Storm. It’s almost as hard to get them to pull Maintenance on vehicles as American AVN / MI / ADA soldiers :/
Bkmk
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Related threads
Fire on Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy Vessel in the Gulf of Oman
Mossad: We didn’t start the fire.
Next we will make a trireme aircraft carrier.
Iceberg? Goldberg?
Looks like an engine room fire.
Photo shows the Karg going down stern first...major hull breach below water line. Maybe torpedo? Or an errant mine the Iranians love to drop from small fastboats?
It’s not a combatant...it is a supply ship, likely with diesel fuel for their small boats plus re-supply provisions.
Another article said they had a failure of an engine room component. Could have been any number sources in an engine room.
The ship was steam turbine built in 1977.
This “no maintenance” culture amazes me.
I was working on a large mine construction project in Peru and the earth-works, road contractor would bring to site brand new CAT equipment...excavators, loaders and track dozers...the Peruvians would never take the plastic off the seats or the stickers off the windows but would run new equipment for 1,000 hours before they would change oil or a filter.
It was not uncommon to see a recently purchased CAT 325 excavator on the side of the road with a blown engine and shipping identification decals on the windows and a standard LOAF never been completed.
Another head scratcher!
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