The ''Mihail Kogălniceanu''-class river monitor is a three-ship class of
river monitor
River monitors are military craft designed to patrol rivers.
They are normally the largest of all riverine warships in river flotillas, and mount the heaviest weapons. The name originated from the US Navy's , which made her first appearance in ...
s in service with the
Romanian Naval Forces
The Romanian Naval Forces () is the principal naval branch of the Romanian Armed Forces and operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube. It traces its history back to 1860.
History
The Romanian Navy was founded in 1860 as a river flotilla on ...
. They are assigned to Section I, 67th Artillery, Carrying Ships Division of the
Romanian Danube Flotilla
The Romanian Danube Flotilla is the oldest extant naval force on the Danube, dating since 1860, when the Romanian Navy was founded. It saw service during most of the wars involving Romania, and was the most powerful river naval force in the world d ...
based in
Brăila
Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila.
According to the 2021 Romanian ...
.
Specifications
The ships were built at the
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats List of cities and towns on the river Danube, lyin ...
shipyard. They have a displacement of 550 tons. The length of the hull is 52m,
beam 9m,
draught 1.72m. Each ship is equipped with two
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...
diesel engines, which drive one shaft and the propeller mounted on it. The ships' main armament consists of two 100mm A430 guns in armored turrets, based on the
M1977 anti-tank gun. The ship is also equipped with two 30mm guns, two
quad 14.5mm machine guns, and two 40-barreled
122mm rocket launchers. Their anti-aircraft armament consists of
CA–94M anti-aircraft missiles, a
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n licensed version of the Strela–2M.
Ships
* ''
Mihail Kogălniceanu
Mihail Kogălniceanu (; also known as Mihail Cogâlniceanu, Michel de Kogalnitchan; September 6, 1817 – July 1, 1891) was a Romanian Liberalism, liberal statesman, lawyer, historian and publicist; he became Prime Minister of Romania on Octo ...
'' (M45). Launched 1993 – in service.
* ''
Ion C. Brătianu'' (M46). Launched 1995 – in service.
* ''
Lascăr Catargiu
Lascăr Catargiu ( or Lascăr Catargi; 1 November 1823 – ) was a Romanian conservative statesman born in Moldavia. He belonged to an ancient Wallachian family, one of whose members had been banished in the 17th century by Prince Matei Basarab, ...
'' (M47). Launched 1998 – in service.
Service
In 2018, one ship of the class, ''Lascăr Catargiu'' (M47), took part in the first joint
Ukrainian-Romanian exercises on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
, called Riverine-2018, which practiced joint actions of multinational boat tactical groups to increase their interoperability and capabilities for conducting security operations on the Danube River.
See also
*
''Smârdan''-class river monitor
*
''Yaz''-class river gunboat
*
Brazilian monitor ''Parnaíba''
Citations
External links
World Navies Today
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihail Kogalniceanu-class river monitor
Monitor classes
Riverine warfare
Gunboats of the Romanian Naval Forces
Monitors of the Romanian Navy