Kuha-class minesweeper (1974)
 Kuha 26
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kuha class |
| Builders | Oy Laivateollisuus Ab, Turku, Finland |
| Operators |  Finnish Navy |
| Succeeded by | Katanpää class |
| Planned | 14 |
| Completed | 6 |
| Cancelled | 8 |
| Active | 4 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Minesweeper |
| Displacement | 127 t (125 long tons) fully loaded |
| Length | 31.6 m (103 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 6.9 m (22 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power | 2 × kW (600 bhp ) |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 14 |
| Sensors and processing systems | Racal Decca radar |
| Armament |
|
The Kuha-class minesweepers (English: Zander) is a series of six inshore minesweepers of the Finnish Navy. The ships were constructed in 1974–1975. All the vessels of the class were modified and modernized in the late 1990s, including a lengthening of the hull. Two of the class were withdrawn from service in 2012. The rest of the class will be retired with the entry into service of the Katanpää-class mine countermeasure vessels.
Description
Designed in the 1970s, the
The Kuha class are powered by two
The ships had two different armament types to begin with, initially armed with either two single 20 millimetres (0.79 in) guns or two ZU 23-millimetre (0.91 in)/60 calibre guns mounted in a single
Vessels of the class
| Hull number | Name | Builder | Completed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Kuha 21 | Oy Laivateollisuus Ab, Turku, Finland | 28 June 1974 | In service |
| 22 | Kuha 22 | 1974 | Retired in 2012 | |
| 23 | Kuha 23 | 7 March 1975 | In service | |
| 24 | Kuha 24 | 7 March 1975 | In service | |
| 25 | Kuha 25 | 17 June 1975 | Retired in 2012 | |
| 26 | Kuha 26 | 13 November 1975 | In service |
Construction and career
Due to limitations set by treaties following the end of World War II, the Finnish Navy was limited in the number and size of ships, along with the number of sailors the Finnish Navy was allowed to employ. Therefore, during the Cold War, the Finnish Navy was confined to building small, coastal defence ships, primarily minesweepers and missile boats.[6] Fourteen hulls of the Kuha class were ordered in 1972. The last eight were cancelled, with only the first six hulls beginning construction in 1974.[2] Built by Oy Laivateollisuus Ab, Turku, Finland, the six ships of the class entered service in 1974–1975.[5] Beginning in 1983, they worked in conjunction with the Kiiski-class drone minesweepers, which could either be unmanned or manned.[4] The vessels underwent modernisation at Tyovene Shipyard in Uusikaupunki, Finland where they were lengthened to accommodate new minesweeping control systems and new magnetic and acoustic sweeps.[5] Kuha 21 completed its refit on 22 December 1997, Kuha 23 on 30 August 1998, Kuha 24 on 13 November 1998 and Kuha 26 on 30 May 2000. Kuha 22 and Kuha 25 were withdrawn from service in 2012.[2] The rest of the Kuha class will be retired when the Katanpää-class mine countermeasure vessels enter active service.[7]
Citations
- ^ a b c Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 94.
- ^ a b c Wertheim 2013, p. 188.
- ^ a b c d e f Wertheim 2013, pp. 187–188.
- ^ a b c d e Couhat 1986, p. 107.
- ^ a b c d e Saunders 2009, p. 236.
- ^ Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 91.
- ISBN 952-5354-58-X. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
References
- Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.
- Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9-7-815911-4954-5.