German corvette Hiddensee

Hiddensee was a former East German Navy corvette, later part of the Battleship Cove site at Fall River, Massachusetts. Originally a Soviet vessel, the corvette was transferred first to the East German Navy, then to the German Navy, and ended her career in the United States.

Hiddensee in US Navy service
History
East Germany
NameRudolf Egelhoffer
NamesakeRudolf Egelhofer
BuilderPetrovsky Shipyard, Leningrad
Laid down1984
Commissioned1985
FateRemoved museum status and sent for scrap in October 2023
Germany
NameHiddensee (P6166)
NamesakeHiddensee
Acquired1990
DecommissionedApril 1991
FateTransferred to United States, November 1991
United States
NameUSNS Hiddensee (185NS9201)
AcquiredNovember 1991
Commissioned14 February 1992
Decommissioned18 April 1996
Fate
  • Museum ship from 14 June 1997
  • Scrapped in October 2023
General characteristics
Class and typeTarantul-class corvette
Displacement
  • 480 long tons (488 t) standard
  • 540 long tons (549 t) full load
Length56 m (183 ft 9 in)
Beam10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
Draught2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
  • COGOG
  • 2 × DR077 12,000 hp (8,948 kW) gas turbines
  • 2 × DM076 4,000 hp (2,983 kW) gas turbines
Speed42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph)
Range1,650 nmi (3,060 km; 1,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Endurance10 days
Complement50
Armament
  • 1 × 76 mm AK-176 dual purpose main gun
  • 2 × AK-630 30 mm gatling guns
  • 4 × KT-138E P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) anti-ship missile launchers
  • 1 × quad FAM-14 Strela 2 (SA-N-5) surface-to-air missile launcher
  • 2 × PK-16 chaff launchers

Ship history

The Tarantul I-class missile corvette was launched in 1984 at the Petrovsky Shipyard in Leningrad, Russia. She was commissioned in 1985 by the East German Volksmarine as Rudolf Egelhofer, but after the reunification of Germany in 1990, she was transferred to the German Navy and renamed Hiddensee.[1]

Hiddensee as a museum ship.

After decommissioning in April 1991, she was transferred to the United States Navy. As USNS Hiddensee (185NS9201), the ship was extensively evaluated at the Naval Air Warfare Center at Solomons, Maryland, and used for naval exercises. Following naval budget cuts, the ship was removed from service in April 1996, and joined the Battleship Cove fleet on 14 June 1997.[2]

Battleship Cove could not look after her due to lack of funding. Her hull deteriorated until the decision was made to remove her from the collection. She was quietly towed off to be scrapped in Bridgeport, Connecticut in early October 2023.[3][4]

References

  1. "Battleship Cove Exhibits". battleshipcove.com. 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  2. "Hiddensee : A Soviet corvette serving the U.S. Navy". Haze Gray & Underway. 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  3. "Opinion letter: As Battleship Cove removes Hiddensee, fears arise regarding another vessel's fate". Fall River Reporter. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. "Ship getting scrapped in Bridgeport (Identification)". Reddit. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.

41.7062°N 71.1629°W / 41.7062; -71.1629

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