SLNS Parakramabahu (P625) (Sinhala: පරාක්රමබාහු, romanized: Parākramabāhu) is a Type 053H2G class frigate of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship is the second ship named after King Parakramabahu I, the warrior king of the medieval Sri Lankan Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Gifted by the People's Liberation Army Navy, she was commissioned in August 2019, classed as an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (equivalent to a traditional patrol frigate).[2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Sri Lanka | |
| Name | SLNS Parakramabahu (P625) |
| Operator | Sri Lanka Navy |
| Builder | Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Shanghai |
| Launched | December 1993 |
| Completed | July 1994 |
| Acquired | 5 June 2019 |
| Commissioned | 22 August 2019[1] |
| Homeport | SLN Dockyard |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Frigate |
| Displacement | 2,300 tons |
| Length | 111.7 m |
| Beam | 12.4 m |
| Propulsion | CODAD, 2 shaft, 2 x 18E390VA diesel @ 14,000 hp (10.4 MW) & 2x MTU diesel @ 8,840 hp (6.6 MW) |
| Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Complement | 160 (21 officers) |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aviation facilities | Hangar |
History
editBuilt in 1991, the ship was commissioned in July 1994 as Tongling (铜陵) in the People's Liberation Army Navy and served until it was decommissioned in 2015. Refitted all three ships of its class were transferred to the China Coast Guard, while Tongling was transferred to the Sri Lanka Navy in 2019. The ship retained its gun armament of a PJ33A dual 100 mm gun and four Type 76A dual-37 mm AA guns; while its missile armament of 6-cell HQ-61 surface-to-air missile system and 6-box launchers for the YJ-83 SSM have been removed. It retains the Type 343 fire-control radar of the 100 mm gun and optical fire-control for the 37mm guns.[3][4]
Operations
editBased at the SLN Dockyard in Trincomalee under the Eastern Naval Command, there had been speculation that the ship has been facing problems and haven't had any deployments in early 2021. A Chinese team had visited the ship in March 2021. The navy confirmed that the ship was operational and the Chinese team had visited to routine maintenance and running repairs.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ https://defpost.com/sri-lanka-navy-commissions-its-newest-patrol-vessel-slns-parakramabahu/
- ^ "President commissions P625 ship gifted to Sri Lanka Navy by China as SLNS Parakramabahu". Colombo Page. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Sri Lanka commissions granted Jiangwei I-class frigate from China". asiapacificdefensejournal.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Joseph, Dishan. "Indomitable frigate of the deep blue sea". www.defence.lk. Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Navy insists ship from China still operational". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 April 2021.