TCG ''Heybeliada'' (F-511) is the lead ship of the ASWcorvettes of the
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.
The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establis ...
Prince Islands
The Princes' Islands ( tr, Prens Adaları; the word "princes" is plural, because the name means "Islands of the Princes", el, Πριγκηπονήσια, ''Pringiponisia''), officially just Adalar ( en, Islands); alternatively the Princes' Arch ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
in the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...
.
Designed, developed and built by the Tuzla (Istanbul) Naval Shipyard as a part of the
MILGEM project
MILGEM project is a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey. Managed by the Turkish Navy, the project aims at developing multipurpose corvettes, frigates and destroyers that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissa ...
, it was laid down on 22 January 2007, launched on 27 September 2008, and commissioned on 27 September 2011.
History
Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command started construction of ''Heybeliada'' on 22 January 2007. Sailed out for initial sea trials in 2008, she was officially commissioned by the Turkish Navy and entered navy service on 27 September 2011. Since her commissioning, her longest voyage has been 2013 Mediterranean cruise. This journey took the vessel to the ports of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Tripoli, Libya
Tripoli (; ar, طرابلس الغرب, translit= Ṭarābulus al-Gharb , translation=Western Tripoli) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Libya, with a population of about 1.1 million people in 2019. It is located in the northwe ...
La Goulette
La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia.
La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...
, Casablanca, and Durres. Throughout the vagaries of her service career, the vessel has received the moniker the "Ghost of the Seas".
Description
''Heybeliada'' has a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
* Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . She is powered by two
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s and a gas turbine, with a power of , driving two propellers, and is capable of speeding up to . She has a range of at , and has an endurance of 21 days with logistical support and ten days while operating autonomously. She has a crew of 93, with space for up to 106.
''Heybeliada'' is equipped with GENESIS combat management system that controls search and navigation radars, electronic warfare suits, weapons, countermeasures, communication devices, underwater and onboard sensors. The ship is armed with a single OTO Melara gun, two ASELSAN STAMP guns, eight
Harpoon missile
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile
manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack ...
s, 21
Rolling Airframe Missile
The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and U.S. Navies. It was origina ...
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
systems include a dedicated EW radar, laser/RF systems, ASW jammers, and an
SSTD
The United Kingdom Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) system entered into service with the Royal Navy in 2004. The system is produced by Ultra Electronics Communication and navigation systems involve satellite communication, X-band, navigation, fire control and LPI radar, ECDIS, GPS and LAN infrastructure. The radar suite is the SMART-S Mk2, built by Thales. The ship is fitted with sonar developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. The whole platform is managed by an advanced integrated platform management system.
The ship is capable of carrying
Sikorsky S-70
The Sikorsky S-70 is an American medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the United States Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Black Hawk and spawning a ...
helicopter or unmanned aircraft, along with the associated armaments, 20 tons of JP-5 aircraft fuel, aerial refueling systems and maintenance facilities.