INS Yaffo (1998)

INS *Yaffo* (1998)
	INS Yaffo, 2016
History
Israel
Name	Yaffo
Builder	Israel Shipyards Ltd.
Launched	1998
Commissioned	July 1, 1998
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat
Displacement	488 tonnes (full load)
Length	61.7 m (202 ft 5 in)
Beam	7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Draft	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Propulsion	4 MTU 16V 538 TB93 diesel engines, four shafts, total of 16,600 shp (12,400 kW)
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h)
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement	53 officers and crew
Armament	8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles; 6 x Gabriel Mark II anti-ship missiles; 16 x Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles; 1 x OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun; 2 or 4 x 0.5 in (12.70 mm) caliber M2 Browning machine guns; 2 x 12.7 mm general-purpose machine guns ; 1 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS;

INS Yaffo (אח"י יפו) is an Israeli missile boat, one of ten Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. She was launched in 1998 at Israel Shipyards in the Port of Haifa. She has been a part of Israeli Navy since July 1, 1998.^[1]^[2]

Construction[edit]

Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats are enlarged variant of the Sa'ar 4 class.^[3] New ships were quite longer, in order to take an augmented armament.^[3]

INS Yaffo was built at Israel Shipyards in the Port of Haifa.^[1]^[2] She was launched in 1998 and finished within few months.^[1]^[2]

Description[edit]

Harpoon missile launchers aboard twin unit *Tarshish* in 2009

The length of Yaffo is 61.7 metres (202 ft 5 in), the breadth is 7.6 metres (24 ft 11 in) and the draught is 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).^[4] This unit has a flush deck, short superstructure located in front of the midship and freeboard.^[4] The full load displacement is 488 tonnes.^[1]^[2] The main propulsion machinery are four compression-ignition MTU 16V538 TB93 engines, which total power is 16,000 shaft horsepower (12,000 kW).^[1]^[4] The flank speed of this ship is 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph);^[1]^[4] the range is 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) and 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).^[1]^[2]

The primary armament is two quadruple launchers of American Harpoon anti-ship missiles, allocated directly behind the superstructure.^[1]^[4] The missile is able to reach 130 km (81 mi), the speed is Mach 0.9 (1,100 km/h; 690 mph), the warhead weighs 227 kg (500 lb).^[1]^[2] To the aft of these launchers, six single launchers of Israeli Gabriel Mark II missiles are allocated,^[1]^[4] with a 75 kg (165 lb) warhead and a range of about 36 km (22 mi).^[1]^[2] There are also two deck-mounted 8-fold anti-aircraft Barak 1 launchers with the range of 10 km (6.2 mi).^[1]^[2]

The secondary armament consists of single, dual purpose gun OTO Melara 76 mm, allocated abaft in a gun turret. The quadrant angle is 85°, the weight of the projectile is 6 kg (13 lb), the range is 16 km (9.9 mi) and the rate of fire is 85 rounds per minute (RPM). There are also two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon with a range of 2 km (1.2 mi) and rate of fire of 900 RPM and one double (or quadruple) station for M2 Browning machine guns. Fore, close-in weapon system, Phalanx CIWS, is located.^[1]^[2]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Saunders, Stephen (2004). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2004-2005. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 355. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2009-2010. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 385. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.
^ ^a ^b Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1996). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 193. ISBN 1557501327.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Faulkner, Keith (2004). Jane’s Okręty Wojenne Przewodnik Encyklopedyczny (in Polish). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. p. 330. ISBN 83-7298-588-X.

[Saunders2005-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Saunders, Stephen (2004). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2004-2005. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 355. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.

[Saunders2010-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2009-2010. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 385. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.

[Gardiner&Chambley-3] Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1996). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 193. ISBN 1557501327.

[Faulkner-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Faulkner, Keith (2004). Jane’s Okręty Wojenne Przewodnik Encyklopedyczny (in Polish). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. p. 330. ISBN 83-7298-588-X.

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