Tripartite class minehunter

French Tripartite minehunter Céphée
Class overview
Name:	Tripartite
Operators:	French Navy  Belgian Navy  Royal Netherlands Navy  Pakistan Navy  Indonesian Navy  Latvian Naval Forces  Bulgarian Navy
Built:	1981-1989
In service:	1981-
In commission:	1981
Completed:	45
Retired:	0
General characteristics
Class and type:	Tripartite-class minehunter
Displacement:	536 t (528 long tons) empty 605 t (595 long tons) full load
Length:	51.5 m (169 ft)
Beam:	8.96 m (29.4 ft)
Height:	18.5 m (61 ft)
Draught:	3.6 m (12 ft)
Propulsion:	1 × 1370 kW "Werkspoor RUB 215" V12 diesel 2 × 180 kW ACEC active rudders 1 × HOLEC bow propellor
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h)
Range:	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Boats and landing craft carried:	2 × rigid-hulled inflatable boats 1 × remote controlled submersible for mine identification and disposal:  French Navy: PAP 104  Belgian Navy: Atlas Elektronik Seafox
Complement:	4 officers, 15 non-commissioned officers, 17 sailors
Sensors and processing systems:	French Navy: 1 × DUBM 21B sonar 1 × Decca 1229 navigation radar  Belgian Navy: 1 × Thales Underwater Systems TSM 2022 Mk III Hull Mounted Sonar 1 × SAAB Bofors Double Eagle Mk III Self Propelled Variable Depth Sonar 1 × Consilium Selesmar Type T-250/10CM003 Radar
Armament:	French Navy: 1 × 20 mm modèle F2 gun 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns 2 × 7.62 mm machine guns  Belgian Navy: 3 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Armour:	none
Aviation facilities:	none

The Tripartite class is a class of mine warfare vessel used by the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia, and Bulgaria.

Description

A joint venture of the navies of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, the Tripartite class of minehunters were conceived in the 1970s and built in the 1980s. France built the mine-hunting equipment, Belgium provided the electronics, and the Netherlands constructed the propulsion train. France and the Netherlands originally bought 15, with Belgium buying 10.

All three countries' Tripartite ships contribute at times to NATO's Standing Maritime MCM capability groups (SNMCMG1 or SNMCMG2).

Ships of the class

France

("Éridan" class, Thales Group is currently upgrading France's Tripartite minehunters)

• M641 Éridan
• M642 Cassiopée
• M643 Andromède
• M644 Pégase
• M645 Orion
• M646 Croix du Sud
• M647 Aigle
• M648 Lyre
• M649 Persée (decommissioned in August 2009)
• M650 Sagittaire
• M651 Verseau (former Belgian M920 Iris) (decommissioned in February 2010)
• M652 Céphée (former Belgian M919 Fuchsia)
• M653 Capricorne (former Belgian M918 Dianthus)

Belgium

Originally 10 ships were built for the Belgian navy. All remaining Belgian vessels have undergone an extensive upgrade during 2004-2008 involving replacement of the anti-mine warfare equipment. Also called "CMT" for Chasseur de Mines Tripartite, all are named after flowers and are thus sometimes called the "Flower" class in international literature.

Currently in service:

• Aster (M915)
• Bellis (M916)
• Crocus (M917)
• Lobelia (M921)
• Narcis (M923)
• Primula (M924)

Formerly: M920 Iris, M919 Fuchsia and M918 Dianthus were sold to France and M922 Myosotis was sold to Bulgaria

• 

  BNS Primula

• 

  BNS Bellis

Bulgaria

• Tsibar (former Belgian Navy Myosotis (M922)

Indonesia

("Pulau Rengat" class)

• 711 Pulau Rengat (first intended to be Dutch M864 Willemstad)
• 712 Pulau Rupat (first intended to be Dutch M863 Vlaardingen)

Latvia

• M-04 Imanta (former Dutch M854 Harlingen)
• M-05 Viesturs (former Dutch M855 Scheveningen)
• M-06 Talivaldis (former Dutch M852 Dordrecht)
• M-07 Visvaldis (former Dutch M851 Delfzijl)
• M-08 Rusins (former Dutch M850 Alkmaar)

Netherlands

("Alkmaar" class)

• M850 Alkmaar (no longer in service, sold to Latvia)
• M851 Delfzijl (no longer in service, sold to Latvia)
• M852 Dordrecht (no longer in service, sold to Latvia)
• M853 Haarlem (out of commission sept 2011)
• M854 Harlingen (no longer in service, sold to Latvia)
• M855 Scheveningen (no longer in service, sold to Latvia)
• M856 Maasluis (out of commission sept 2011)
• M857 Makkum
• M858 Middelburg (out of commission sept 2011)
• M859 Hellevoetsluis (out of commission sept 2011)
• M860 Schiedam
• M861 Urk
• M862 Zierikzee
• M863 Vlaardingen
• M864 Willemstad

Pakistan

("Munsif" class)

• M166 Munsif (former French M650 Sagittaire) [1]
• M163 Muhafiz (built in France, completed in Pakistan)
• M164 Mujahid (built in Pakistan in 1998)

See also

• Minehunter classes in service

External links

• Photos of Tripartites from NATO exercise
• Belgian navy page with technical specifications
• Dutch navy page about mine hunters (in Dutch) including a page on Alkmaar class
• World Navies - list of ships in each navy