''Persistence'' (209) is the third ship of the
''Endurance''-class landing platform dock of the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...
.
Development
The navy's intention to purchase the ''Endurance-''class was revealed by former Defence Minister Dr. Tony Tan during his visit to
Tuas Naval Base
Tuas Naval Base (TNB) is the second naval base of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Located at the western tip of Singapore, it occupies 0.28 km² (0.11 sq mi) of land. It was officially opened on 2 September 1994 by then Prim ...
on 3 August 1996. These ships were to replace the five ex-
United States Navy (USN)
''County''-class LSTs, which were acquired by
Singapore from the
United States in the 1970s.
ST Marine was awarded the government contract to design and build the four ships – a significant milestone for the local defence and shipbuilding industries given the scale and extensiveness of the programme.
Construction and career
She was
laid down in 1998 and
launched on 18 March 1999. She was
commissioned on 7 April 2001 with the hull number 209.
RSS ''Persistence'' on 4 January 2005 joined
RSS ''Endurance'' to
Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
in
Indonesia to deliver emergency supplies and medical personnel to aid in the relief efforts after a tsunami. ''Persistence'' also featured later in support of the efforts finding
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501.
On 12 February 2009, Minister of Defence
Teo Chee Hean announced that ''Persistence'' would join other naval forces off the coast of
Somalia for three months in 2009. Comprising an LST with two Super Puma helicopters on board, the Singapore Armed Forces Task Group has been conducting daily helicopter surveillance flights and sector patrols to deter and disrupt piracy activities. The ship worked with the multinational
Combined Task Force 151 to protect shipping in the
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
.
CARAT 2010
RSS ''Vigilance'',
RSS ''Steadfast'', RSS ''Persistence'',
MV ''Avatar'',
USNS ''Amelia Earhart'',
USS ''Russell'',
USS ''Chung-Hoon'' and
USCGC ''Mellon'' participated in ''
CARAT 2010''.
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
In December 2014, ''Persistence'' was deployed in the search for
Airasia Flight QZ8501 after it crashed into the
Java Sea
The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its nort ...
on 28 December 2014; along with the RSN ships ''
Supreme'', ''
Valour'', and ''
Kallang'',
MV ''Swift Rescue'', and two
Lockheed C-130H Hercules.
Gallery
File:US Navy 090516-N-0743B-016 Sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg assist crewmembers from the Republic of Singapore Navy amphibious ship RSS Persistence (LPDM 209) onto Gettysburg.jpg, Sailors of USS ''Gettysburg'' assist crew members of RSS ''Persistence'' in the Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
on 17 May 2009.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Persistence (209)
Endurance-class landing platform docks
Ships built in Singapore
1999 ships