IRIS Konarak

Konarak (Persian: کنارک‎) is a Hendijan-class support vessel of the Iranian Navy. It was built in the Netherlands and has been in service since 1988. Originally intended as a support and logistics ship, Konarak was overhauled in 2018, and was armed with anti-ship missiles. The vessel was struck by a missile fired from the Iranian frigate Jamaran in a friendly fire incident during training on 10 May 2020, killing 19 sailors.

Konarak
History
Iran
Name: Konarak
Namesake: Konarak
Owner: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
Builder: K Damen, Boven-Hardinxveld, Netherlands
In service: 1988–2020
Out of service: 10 May 2020
Refit: 2018
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Hendijan-class support vessel
Displacement:
  • 446 long tons (453 t) standard
  • 650 long tons (660 t) full load
Length:
  • 47 m (154 ft) oa
  • 44.6 m (146 ft) pp
Beam: 8.55 m (28.1 ft)
Draft: 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in)
Installed power: 6,200 hp (4,600 kW)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × Mitsubishi S16MPTK diesel engines
  • 2 × shafts
Speed: 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement: 15
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Decca 2070 – radar, surface search & navigation
Armament:

Description

Konarak was built in 1988, at the K. Damen Shipyards, in Boven-Hardinxveld, the Netherlands, as hull number 1403.[1][2] It was ordered and purchased before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.[3] The twelve Hendijan-class support vessels were constructed in the 1980s and 1990s, six of them at the K. Damen Shipyards, and the remainder under contract in Iran. Questions were raised in the Dutch parliament over the delivery of the ships during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War but as the ships were unarmed and not combatant vessels, an export license was not necessary.[4] The Netherlands also delivered a tug and a water tanker to the Iranian Navy during this period.[1][5] Konarak has been in service since 1988.[6]

Konarak has a displacement of 650 long tons (660 t) at full load, is 47 m (154 ft) in overall length, 8.55 m (28.1 ft) wide, and has a draft of 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in). It is capable of carrying 40 tonnes (39 long tons; 44 short tons) of cargo on deck, 95 cubic metres (3,400 cu ft) in its holds/tanks, and 90 troops.[7]

Service

Ships of the Hendijan class have been used as support vessels and in logistics roles. In recent years they have been repurposed as combatant vessels with anti-shipping weapons installed.[1][8] Konarak was overhauled in 2018 and was given missile-launch capability and could be used to lay mines.[6][2] Konarak had no anti-missile weaponry, though it may have had a 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon and four Nasr-1 anti-ship missiles.[1][2][7] It joined the Iranian naval force based at the city of Konarak on 7 October 2018.[2]

2020 friendly fire incident
Main article: Konarak vessel incident

On 10 May 2020, the ship was struck by a Noor missile fired from the Iranian frigate Jamaran when in the Strait of Hormuz.[9] Official Iranian TV initially reported one fatality in the incident,[10] but this was later revised to 19 killed and 15 injured. Konarak was involved as a tender, setting out targets for target practice for missiles from Jamaran. Konarak reportedly failed to distance itself sufficiently from the target prior to the launch and was struck by a missile.[3] The missile may have automatically locked onto Konarak as the largest target or else been set as the target by human error.[10] After the incident, Konarak was towed to port in order to undergo a technical inspection. Footage published by the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB showed the ship down heavily by the bow[11] with its superstructure devastated and smoke visible from fires.[3]

See also

References
  1. Karremann, Jaime (11 May 2020). "Raket van Iraans fregat treft Iraanse patrouilleboot: 19 doden" [Rocket from Iranian frigate strikes Iranian patrol boat]. Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. "Several Killed, Injured in Naval Accident Off Southern Iranian Coast". Iran Front Page. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. "Iran navy 'friendly fire' incident kills 19 sailors in Gulf of Oman". BBC News. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. "CDA vindt levering van boten Damen aan Iran alsnog aanvaardbaar (CDA finds delivery of Damen boats to Iran acceptable)". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch) (Vol 18, No.227). Den Haag. 28 June 1988. p. 9. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  5. "Scheepswerf Damen levert Iran schepen: Sleepboot en watertanker aangekomen (Damen Shipyard supplies Iran with ships: tug and water tanker arrived)". Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Apeldoorn. 23 October 1985. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  6. "Sailors killed after Iran missile 'accidentally' strikes own ship". Al Jazeera. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. "Koramshahr parto ships (1985-1993)". Navypedia. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. "Iran: Bakhtaran / Vakhtaran (Hendijan, MIG-S-4700)". Alexandria VA, USA: GlobalSecurity.org. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  9. Rogoway, Tyler (11 May 2020). "Here's All That's Left Of Iranian Navy Ship Struck By Missile In Friendly Fire Tragedy (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  10. Wintour, Patrick (11 May 2020). "Iran says 19 dead in Gulf of Oman friendly fire incident". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. Eckstein, Megan (11 May 2020). "Iranian Friendly Fire Incident Kills 19, After Frigate Fires Missile At Support Ship". USNI News. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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