Meet Iran’s Sahand Warship, Tehran’s Flagship Frigate That Sinked During Repairs

IRAN – Iran’s Sahand warship suffered a shocking incident when it capsized and partially sank in Bandar Abbas port recently. The incident was claimed by authorities as a technical accident.

Quoting NavalNews, local Iranian media reported that the ship capsized on its left side. In the end, only the side of the ship’s hull and its sonar dome were still visible above the water.

So, what exactly are the specifications of the Iranian Sahand warship that sank during repairs? Here’s the review.

Specifications of Iran’s Sahand Warship

Sahand is one of Iran’s Moudge-class frigates. It is also known to be part of the Iranian Navy’s Southern Fleet.
Historically, Sahand was launched in 2012. However, its operation only started effectively in 2018.

Interestingly, the term ‘Sahand’ is taken from the name of another Iranian ship that was once sunk by the United States military in a clash in the Arabian Sea in 1988. The incident occurred after Iran placed a sea mine that damaged a US warship.

Given its status, Sahand is called by Iran as a guided missile frigate. This warship is about 95 meters long and weighs between 2,000-2,500 tons.

Reflecting on its type, Sahand itself has quite good equipment for a warship. Some of the main weapons embedded such as the main 76 mm cannon to the secondary 40 mm armament in addition to its missile elements.

Since its construction, Sahand has received several recent upgrades. Among the most interesting are the inclusion of a new AESA radar and the number of defense missiles it can carry.

In its operation, the Sahand warship is part of the Iranian Navy. Some reports even mention that this ship was deployed to the Red Sea some time ago.

Through the shipment, Iran is suspected of providing assistance to the Houthi group which at that time attacked merchant ships around the Red Sea. In addition, this ship has also been widely operated for other missions.

Most recently, the Sahand ship was reported to have capsized and partially sunk in Bandar Abbas port. The incident occurred while the ship was being repaired, raising rumors of sabotage by Iran’s enemies, especially Israel.

Such is the commentary on the specifications of the Iranian Sahand warship that sank while being repaired.

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