USS ''Raven'' (MHC-61), an
''Osprey''-class coastal minehunter, was the third ship of the
United States Navy to be named for the
raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
. The contract to build her was awarded to
Intermarine USA
Intermarine is an Italian shipbuilding company, owned by the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali Group.
Company
Founded in 1970, Intermarine has specialized in building boats and ships with fibre-reinforced plastic hulls.
In September 2002, the company w ...
in
Savannah, Georgia on 31 March 1993 and her keel was laid down on 1 April 1995. She was
launched on 28 September 1996, and
commissioned on 5 September 1998.
She was decommissioned in January 2007 (on a schedule which has all ''Osprey''-class ships fully decommissioned by the end of 2008) and given to the Egyptian Navy pursuant to the Naval Vessels Transfer Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-134).
She was the 11th ship of the 12 ''Osprey''-class coastal mine hunters, which are named for birds of prey. ''Osprey'' class are the world's largest
mine hunters to be constructed entirely of
fiberglass and designed to survive the shock of
underwater explosions. ''Ravens primary mission was reconnaissance, classification, and neutralization of all types of moored and bottom
mines in littoral areas, harbors and coastal waterways. She is equipped with a high definition, variable-depth
sonar, and a remotely operated, robotic
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
(referred to as a Mine Neutralization Vehicle) used to neutralize mines. As of September 2000, ''Raven'' had been forward deployed to
Manama,
Bahrain. The ship was previously homeported in
Ingleside, TX
Ingleside is a city in Nueces County, Texas, Nueces and San Patricio County, Texas, San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 9,519 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
Ingleside was the home to Naval Station I ...
.
External links
MaritimeQuest USS Raven MHC-61 Photo Gallery
References
Image:Mine neutralization vehicle MNV.jpg, Mine neutralization vehicle (MNV)
Image:USS Raven MHC-61.jpg, USS ''Raven'', August 2005 in the Persian Gulf
Image:Cardinal and Raven on Blue Marlin.jpg, USS ''Raven'' and ''Cardinal'' loaded on the deck of the MV ''Blue Marlin'' for transport
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raven (MHC-61)
Ships built in Savannah, Georgia
1996 ships
Osprey-class coastal minehunters
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Egyptian Navy