Navnews for 02/99


NNS0203. Coastal minehunter Shrike delivered to Navy
by Naval Reserve NAVINFO SW 111
     SAVANNAH, Ga. (NNS) - The coastal minehunter Shrike
(MHC 62) was delivered to the Navy during a ceremony Jan.
11 at Intermarine USA Shipyard in Savannah, Ga. The 12th
and final Osprey-class coastal minehunter will be formally
commissioned May 31 in Baton Rouge, La.
     "The crew of Shrike is proud to accept this ship on
behalf of the United States Navy, and we are eager to
place her in commission," said Lt. Cmdr. Dan Derbes,
Shrike's commanding officer. "The shipbuilders have given
us a great vessel, and now it is up to us to bring the
ship to life."
     Osprey-class coastal minehunters are state-of-the-art
ships designed to hunt for mines and clear harbors,
coastal or ocean waters of acoustic, magnetic, pressure
and contact mines. The remote vehicle carried by them can
also neutralize mines using explosives and other
techniques.
     Shrike's non-magnetic hull is made of a single piece
of molded fiberglass which is both easy to maintain and
designed to flex to absorb the violent shock of an
underwater mine explosion. Her diesel engine propulsion
system is extremely quiet and gives her exceptional
maneuverability in and around coastal mine fields. The
ship's low magnetic and acoustic signatures provide the
vessel and crew an added margin of safety during mine
countermeasures operations.
     Shrike has a crew of 51 personnel and will be homeported
in Ingleside, Texas, home of the Navy's Mine Warfare Command.
 -USN-