Publication: defence THINK! Issued: Date: 2006-01-25 Reporter: Leon Engelbrecht Reporter: Reporter:

SA Navy Changes Valour Class Designation from Patrol Corvette to Frigate

 

Publication 
defence THINK!
Date 2006-01-25

Reporter

 Leon Engelbrecht

 

The SA Navy is quietly changing the designation of its Valour-class Meko A200SAN ships from "patrol corvette" to "frigate".

The Navy website, www.navy.mil.za, already reflects the change.

The former class designation has come under persistent attack as the Valours are slightly larger than the Australian ANZAC class of frigates -- also a Meko 200 design, albeit of a more conventional design.

As a result, the class designation came to be seen as an attempt to make the purchase more popular with a sceptic public.

A naval spokesman told DSD the class classification of "FSG" (Frigate, Small, Guided Missile) for the patrol corvettes led to some confusion. It was therefore decided to quietly phase in the new designation.

With acknowledgements to Leon Engelbrecht and defence THINK!


Another chicken coming home to roost for the Kamerman-klas patrollie korvetjie.

FSG  - also an acronym used by the recent Chief of the SA Navy for "Frigate Sonder Guns".