Former U.S. Naval Ship Sails to its New
Homeport in Pakistan
The Pakistani warship,
the PNS Alamgir, officially departed from Naval Station Mayport
after several months of refurbishment and the training of its
personnel on 21 March.
It is scheduled to arrive at its
home port in Karachi, Pakistan 53 days from now.
The PNS Alamgir started its life as the USS
McInerney (FFG-8), an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate.
Pakistan acquired it from the U.S.
under the Department of Defense Excess Defense Articles program
because the U.S. Navy planned to decommission it after 31 years
of service.
Pakistan signed the transfer deal on
21 April 2010 and it was formally transferred during a ceremony
at Naval Station Mayport on 31 August 2010.
The frigate underwent dry docking
and pier-side refurbishment at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards
from September 2010 to March 2011 using $58.7 million of Foreign
Military Financing funds. The frigate is equipped with anti-ship
missiles, a 76-mm naval gun, and torpedo launchers. It can also
carry two SH-60 Seahawk multi-purpose helicopters.
There was an additional $6.5 million
spent on specialized training on the ship�s engineering,
navigation and combat systems for the crew of 240 Pakistani
sailors during the overhaul.
The PNS Alamgir will join the Pakistan Navy
Maritime Patrol (MARPAT) mission which is a critical piece in
Coalition Maritime Forces counter-narcotics and counter-terror
operations (CTF-150) as well as counter-piracy efforts around
the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Red
Sea (CTF-151).
LCDR Raja Hussain, the Pakistan Foreign
Military Sales Country Program Director for the Navy
International Programs Office -- the organization responsible
for brokering the deal -- said that the transfer is tactically
crucial.
�Pakistan is already an active
partner in each taskforce and has even taken command of CTF 150
four times,� said Hussain.
�This transfer not only strengthens
the partnership between the two nations, but it will also pave
the way for future military-to-military exchanges.�
The Pakistan Navy can also use the frigate
to monitor its country�s coastline for illegal narcotics
trafficking. �Over half of the heroin coming from Afghanistan is
smuggled through Pakistan. There is a relationship as narcotics
trafficking sometimes serves as a financial base for terrorist
operations,� he said. �Therefore, missions on the coastline
serve to increase stability in the region and enhance the
national security of the United States.�
|
