The Namacurra-class patrol boats are a series of small harbour

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s currently in service with

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Background and description

The Namacurra class (also spelled "Namicurra") is a series of small harbour patrol craft designed and built in South Africa. Their catamaran-type hulls are made of glass-reinforced plastic. They have a

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of light and fully loaded and measure with a

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of and a draught of . The boats are powered by two BMW or

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gasoline engines turning two propellers giving the vessels a maximum speed of With a crew of four they have a maximum range of at . The patrol boats mount a

Furuno (commonly known as Furuno) is a Japanese electronics company whose main products are marine electronics, including marine radar systems, fish finders, and navigational instruments. The company also manufactures global positioning systems a ...

surface search

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

operating on the I band. They are armed with a machine gun or two light machine guns. When fitted the 12.7 mm gun is placed atop the

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facing forward and the 7.62 mm guns are mounted facing aft. Their small size allows the vessels to be transported by trailers and transported by road.

Construction and career

33 patrol boats were built in South Africa between 1980 and 1981 for service with the South African Navy. They were initially numbered beginning with ''Y 1500'', but they were later renamed in South African service beginning keeping only the final two digits of their initial names, beginning with ''Y 02''. These boats are in use with the harbour patrol forces in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, Port Elizabeth,

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and

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The ci ...

. ''Y 1506'' was lost at sea off Port Elizabeth. Several boats were transferred to other nations. Five were refitted for advanced riverine operations as part of Project Xena. Three were operated on Lake Tanganyika.

Export

''Y 1520'' transferred to Malawi in October 1988. The vessel was renamed ''Kaning'a''. ''Kaning'a'' was refitted in 2007. A second boat was transferred in October 2008. Two, ''Y 1501'' and ''Y 1510'' were transferred to Namibia on 29 October 2002. They were renamed ''Y 01'' and ''Y 10'' respectively. ''Y 1507'' and ''Y 1530'' were donated to Mozambique on 14 September 2004 They too were renamed to ''Y 07'' and ''Y 30''. In 2006, a further two were donated to Angola.

Citations

References

* * * {{South African Navy Ships of the South African Navy Ships of the Namibian Navy Patrol boat classes