RBNS ''Sabha'' (90) ( ar, italics=no, ﺱﻡﺏ صبحا) is an
''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
in service with the
Royal Bahrain Naval Force
The Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) (previously known as Bahrain Defense Force, Naval Branch) is the maritime branch of the Bahrain Defence Force. The current Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force is Rear Admiral Mohammed Yousif al-Asam. ...
. The ship was former
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
frigate USS ''Jack Williams'' (FFG-24). The frigate is now considered as the lead frigate of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
Construction and career
During its career as USS ''Jack Williams'' (FFG-24) in the United States, it was the sixteenth ship of the
''Oliver Hazard Perry'' class of guided-missile
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s. It was named for Pharmacist's Mate Second Class
Jack Williams, who was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
for his heroism in the
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...
.
The frigate was ordered from
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest de ...
on 28 February 1977 as part of the
FY77 Program. ''Jack Williams'' was laid down on 25 February 1980;
launched on 30 August 1980 and
commissioned on 19 September 1981. Decommissioned and stricken on 13 September 1996, she was transferred to Bahrain the same day as a gift.
The ship was formally recommissioned as the RBNS ''Sabha'' (90) on 25 February 1997.
[Saunders 2015, p. 46] The frigate was named after a
sea fort
300px, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, an example of an Early Modern coastal defense
Coastal defence (or defense) and coastal fortification are measures taken to provide protection against military attack at or ...
in
Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
(located in today
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
), historically belonged to
Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
royal family of Bahrain. ''Sabha'' arrived in the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
in June 1997 for a workup and crew training.
''Sabha'' participated in Saudi-led
Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, returning to Bahraini waters in December 2015.
Citations
References
*
See also
*
Bahrain Defense Force
The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) is the military force of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahrain Defence Force is under direct command and leadership of a commander-in-chief who holds the rank of field marshal. The Government has a Minister of Def ...
External links
USS Jack Williams
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the Bahraini Navy
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