Oaxaca class patrol vessel
Encyclopedia
The Oaxaca class are offshore patrol vessels
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
, constructed and designed by and for the Mexican Navy
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
. The class is named after the Mexican state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
. The Mexican Navy has requested six of these ships with 2 already in service, 2 in construction, which were disclosed on June 1. on the Navy anniversary, with the name PO-163 INDEPENDENCIA, which is to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico. Also, another ship PO-164, named Revolucion, is in the process of raise the Mexican flag in a couple of months. 2 more to be constructed in Navy's Naval Shipyards
Secretary of The Navy Shipyards
The Astilleros de la Secretaría de Marina , are also known as ASTIMAR. The yards are dependent on the Mexican General Directorate of Naval Construction of the Mexican Navy, which carries out various types of naval construction and repairs in the Mexican territory.-Facilities:These yards have five...
.
Description
Ships measure are 282.2 feet (86 m) in length, has a draft of 11.8 feet (3.6 m), a beam of 34.4 feet (10.5 m), and displaces 1680 short tons (1,524.1 MT).Primary armament is a single OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun
Otobreda 76 mm
The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
. They also mount a pair of OTO Melara
Oto Melara
Oto Melara is an Italian defence company with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the...
remote controlled naval turret Mod. 517 with M2 12.7mm machine guns, one on each side. At the rear on helicopter hangar is a Oto Melara
Oto Melara
Oto Melara is an Italian defence company with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the...
single 25 mm cannon. The class has a helipad on the afterdeck with handling capabilities for a variety of helicopters, such as the Panther, Fennec
Eurocopter Fennec
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:* * *...
, or the Bolkow B-105 Super-5. It has a top speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 14, carries a complement of 77, and has provisions to carry a group of 39 special forces and/or marines for a variety of missions.
The Oaxaca Class also carries a Patrol Interceptor in its well deck
Well deck
A well deck or well dock is a hangar-like deck located at the waterline in the stern of some amphibious warfare ships. By taking on water the ship can lower its stern, flooding the well deck and allowing boats and amphibious landing craft to dock within the ship. This facilitates moving cargo...
.
For the 2008 fiscal year, the Mexican Congress
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
has approved $68 million in funds to build 2 more Oaxaca class ships, and has pledged an additional $40 million in 2009.
Mission
The objectives for the Oaxaca class are oceanic surveillance, search and rescue operations, support for the civilian population in case of disasters, maritime support and to act as a deterrence against hostile ships and aircraft in low intensity conflicts.Ships
| Ship Name | Hull No. | Commission |
|---|---|---|
| ARM Oaxaca ARM Oaxaca ARM Oaxaca is the lead ship of the , constructed by and for the Mexican Navy.It has a length of , a draft of , a beam of , and displaces .... |
P-161 | 01/05/2003 |
| P-162 | 01/04/2003 | |
| ARM Independencia | P-163 | 2010 |
| ARM Revolucion | P-164 | 2010 |
