Independence-class patrol craft

The Independence-class patrol craft was a series of gun-armed patrol vessels built by Vosper Thornycroft in the 1970s for the Republic of Singapore Navy.

Model of an Independence-class type-B patrol craft

History

Due to the independence of Singapore in 1965, there was a need to organize and expand maritime patrol and monitoring capabilities for the fledgling country. A SGD $30 million contract was signed in June 1968 with Vosper Thornycroft by then-Permanent Secretary of the Defence and Interior Ministry, George Edwin Bogaars, for six gun-armed patrol craft for the Maritime Command (MC), which was the predecessor of the current Republic of Singapore Navy.[1]

The first vessel was built by Vosper in Portchester, Portsmouth, United Kingdom while the remainder were constructed at the Vosper Thorneycroft Uniteers (VTU) Singapore yard in Tanjong Rhu.[2] All patrol craft were commissioned by January 1972 and were decommissioned by the early 1990s.

Design

These patrol craft were based on Vosper's 110 ft design and came in two classes.

The "A class" were fitted with a 40 mm Bofors gun forward and a 20 mm Oerlikon gun aft, both capable of engaging air and surface targets.

The "B class" were fitted with a 76.2 mm Bofors gun forward, which had a surface and shore bombardment capability, and a 20 mm Oerlikon gun at the aft.

Ships of class
NamePennant
number		LaunchedCommissionedDecommissioned
RSS IndependenceP 698 July 1970--
RSS FreedomP 7018 Nov 1969[3]14 Feb 1971[4]--
RSS JusticeP 7121 Apr 1971--
RSS SovereigntyP 723 July 1971[5]--
RSS DaringP 7330 Jan 1972[6]--
RSS DauntlessP 7430 Jan 1972[6]--

References
  1. "Onwards and Upwards : Celebrating 40 Years of the Navy" (PDF). Mindef.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. "THE FIRST SINGAPORE-BUILT 110 FEET FAST PATROL BOAT FOR THE …". Nas.gov.sg. 18 November 1969. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  3. "SPEECH BY DR. GOH KENG SWEE, MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT THE LAUNCHING OF SAF PATROL BOAT R.S.S. "FREEDOM" AT THE VOSPER THORNYCROFT UNITEERS YARDS AT TANJONG RHU, ON TUESDAY, 18TH NOVEMBER, 1969 AT 5.00 P.M". Nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. "Commissioning Ceremony Of RSS Freedom". Nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  5. "R S S "Sovereignty" Its Commissioning Ceremony At The …". Nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  6. "Text Of Speech By The Minister For Science And Technology, …". Nas.gov.sg. 30 January 1972. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
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