(Jask) The Iranian Navy’s
flagship IRIS Kharg suffered an engine explosion yesterday , which resulted in
a fire, which whilst initially was brought under control, raged out of control due to a lack of any
firefighting ships (it was six miles off the port of Jask) and sank.
The Kharg started life as a 18840 tonne Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler
built in the Uk in 1976 and handed over to Iran in 1984 (delays due to the
change of government, the US embassy hostage situation) Due to a lack of real-estate in the ship
department, the Iranians expanded on its
fleet oiler status by adding a helicopter deck at the rear of the ship (Allowed it to
carry 3 helicopters) thus allowing the
Iranians to classify the ship as a Helicopter carrier. However its real mission was to act as a support
vessel for Iran’s frigate fleet which
allowed them to venture further afield than what they could achieve on their
own. It also was believed to have
allowed the Iranians to carry weapons (missiles) to the likes of Syria free in
the knowledge that nobody would attempt o stop and inspect a Iranian navy ship
as they could a civilian ship.
As mentioned the ship caught fire apparently due to poor quality parts used in a boiler refit in 2016 resulting in the ship sinking. At a stroke Tehran has lost a major part of its Navy and no doubt will restrict the Iranian fleet to home waters until it acquires a replacement.
#BREAKING: The IRIS Kharg, an Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler of #Iran Navy had one of its engines exploded two hours ago. It caused fire which was spread to the upper decks and caused lots of damage. The sailors onboard the ship were evacuated & the fire was extinguished! pic.twitter.com/eOKkxvwV8k
— Babak Taghvaee - Μπάπακ Τακβαίε - بابک تقوایی (@BabakTaghvaee) June 1, 2021
This is the third loss of an Iranian Navy ship in 4 years , but instead of looking in the mirror, the mullahs have blamed....Israel for the above loss.
