Whilst on my recent cruise, I saw one of the Portuguese Navy's Viana do Castelo-class patrol vessels at fairly close range. It was the Sines (P362), the third ship of a projected ten-ship class that will be built for the Portuguese Navy over the next ten years.
The ships characteristics are:
- Displacement: 1,850 tons
- Dimensions:
- Length: 83.10m (272ft 8in)
- Beam: 12.95m (42ft 6in)
- Draught 3.82m (12ft 6in)
- Propulsion: 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines (3,900 kW (5,200 hp) each), 2 electric engines (200 kW (270 hp) each)
- Speed: 21 knots
- Boats: 2 x Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs)
- Complement: 35 (with accommodation for 32 more)
- Sensors and processing systems: Leonardo Medusa MK4/B electro-optical fire control system; Electro-optical SAGEM / VIGY, 2x KH Manta2000 navigation radar; iXblue Quadrans inertial navigation system; Furuno Electric's FAR-3230 F-band; FAR-3220 I-band navigation radars
- Armament: 1 × 30mm Oto Melara Marlin gun; 2 × 12.7mm M2 Browning machine guns; 2 x 7.92mm MG 3 machine guns
- Aviation facilities: Flight deck capable of handling a medium-sized helicopter (e.g. Super Lynx Mk.95)
- Optional equipment: 3 x water cannons; anti-pollution systems
The first ship in the class was originally fitted with a Bofors 40mm L/60 gun whilst the Portuguese was awaiting delivery of the 30mm Oto Melara Marlin guns it had ordered.
There are currently four ships of this class in service (Viana do Castelo (P360), Figueira da Foz (P361), Sines (P362), and Setúbal (P363)), with another two (Funchal (P364) and Aveiro (P365)) to be laid down in the near future.
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