IIS Shahin

Shahin (Persian: شاهین), named Pahlavi (Persian: پهلوی) from 1926 to 1935, was an Iranian naval gunboat[1][2] sunk in the World War II. She was built in Germany as FM24 in 1917 and served in the German navy during World War I as a minesweeper.

Photo published by Jane's (1933)
History
Germany
NameFM24
Operator
BuilderJ. Frerichs & Co, Einswarden
Laid down1917
Launched1918
Commissioned15 March 1919
Stricken29 April 1922
FateSold
Germany
RenamedFatiya (1923)
HomeportHamburg
FateSold to Iran (1923)
Iran
Namesake
OperatorImperial Iranian Navy
In service1923–1941
Renamed
  • Pahlavi (1926)
  • Shahin (1935)
HomeportKhorramshahr
Fate
  • Sunk by the British in 1941
  • Discarded in the early 1940s
General characteristics
Class and typeFM1-class minesweeper
Displacement135[1] or 170[2][3] tonnes
Length132.5 ft (40.4 m)[1][2]
Beam19.33 ft (5.89 m)[1][2]
Draft4.0 ft (1.2 m)[1][2]
Installed power800 indicated horsepower (0.60 MW)[1][2]
Propulsion2 × Triple-expansion machinery[1][2]
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)[1][2]
Complement44[1][2]

History

FM24 was built by German Frerichs & Co. at Einswarden, near Nordenham.[4] A FM1-class minesweeper, she was launched in 1918 and was commissioned by Imperial German Navy on 15 March 1919.[4] FM24 continued to serve in the Reichsmarine until 29 April 1922.[4] She was sold on 7 April to an unknown buyer in Hamburg, who renamed her Fatiya, for M650,000.[5]

When Uzbeks attacked Persian customs and military posts stationed near Farahabad, killing the customs chief and stealing wives and belongings of the men by sea, the Persian government sought to reinforce its forces in the Caspian Sea.[6] A Persian military procurement agent in Germany was ordered to buy a vessel,[6] and in 1923, Fatiya was purchased by Iran for a reported fee of £4,000.[1][2] The government then armed her with a 48 mm canon and a 37 mm heavy machine gun, and hired a skilled Persian-Armenian marine in the German service to bring her via Volga to Enzeli.[6]

The Soviet Union refused to let Persia pass the vessel through Volga because it was "inconsistent with Soviet interests".[6] The Persians decided to disarm the ship and send it as a civilian ship, while its armaments were diverted and passed via a different route. However, the Russians refused entry again, but offered to provide the Persian government with its vessels to fight contraband.[6] Although the denial of the vessel was not against the Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship, it was described as "an act of bad faith and ill will".[6]

She was eventually brought to serve in the Persian Gulf.[6] In 1926, she was renamed Pahlavi[3] after the royal name.[6] She was renamed Shahin in 1935[3] after a bird after being judged unworthy of carrying the Shah's name.[6]

Shahin was reportedly broken up in the early 1940s.[4][3] Reports indicate that she was sunk by the Royal Navy in Operation Bishop during 1941 British invasion of Iran.[7] American magazine Proceedings wrote that, as of 1944, she was "no longer serviceable, her plates being rusted through and her engines in even worse case".[8]

See also

References
  1. McMurtrie, Francis E., ed. (1940), "Iran", Jane's Fighting Ships, Jane's Information Group, p. 246, ASIN B0013B61EO
  2. McMurtrie, Francis E., ed. (1938), "Iran", Jane's Fighting Ships, Jane's Information Group, p. 256, ASIN B000C4006S
  3. Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). "Persia". Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 409. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  4. Dodson, Aidan; Cant, Serena (2020), "Ships and Fates", Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after the Two World Wars, Seaforth Publishing, p. 139, ISBN 9781526741998
  5. Gröner, Erich (2010), Alle deutschen Kriegsschiffe von 1815–1936, Salzwasser-Verlag, p. 124, ISBN 9783861953913
  6. Mirfendereski, Guive (2001). A Diplomatic History of the Caspian Sea. Springer. pp. 136–137. doi:10.1057/9780230107571_4. ISBN 978-0-230-10757-1.
  7. Schedel, Charles Jr. W. (1985), "Ask Infoser", Warship International, International Naval Research Organization, 22 (1): 101–104, JSTOR 44888943
  8. "Professional Notes", Naval Institute Proceedings, United States Naval Institute, 70 (494): 483, April 1944
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