Tapi-class corvette

Class overview
Builders	American Shipbuilding Co / Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, both USA
Operators	Thailand
Built	1970-1974
In commission	1971-present
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics Following 1980s refit and rearmament
Type	Corvette
Displacement	885 long tons (899 t) standard 1,172 long tons (1,191 t) full load
Length	275 ft (83.8 m)
Beam	33 ft (10.1 m)
Draft	14 ft 1 in (4.3 m) (sonar dome)
Propulsion	2× Fairbanks-Morse 38TD8-1/8-9 diesel engines, 2 shafts 5,250 hp (3,910 kW)
Speed	20 kn (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Range	2,400 nmi (2,800 mi; 4,400 km) at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement	15 officers, 120 enlisted
Sensors & processing systems	Radar: Signaal LW04 Air/surface search Raytheon SPS-53E surface search Signaal WM-22-61 fire control Sonar: Atlas Elektronik DSQS-21C hull-mounted, medium frequency active search/attack
Armament	1×OTO Melara 76 mm/62 compact gun 1× Bofors 40mm/70 gun 2× Oerlikon 20 mm 2× 12.7 mm machine guns 2× triple Mark 32 Anti-submarine warfare torpedo tubes, Mark 46 torpedoes Depth charges

Tapi class corvettes are a class of two ships that were built for the Royal Thai Navy in the early 1970s. Both ships remain in service.

Design and construction

In 1969, Thailand ordered from the United States a single small PF 103-class frigate, of which four examples, the Bayandor class had been built for Iran in the 1960s, with a second example being ordered in 1971.

Units

• HTMS Tapi (431)
• HTMS Khirirat (432)

References

• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Saunders, Stephen (2002). Jane's Fighting Ships 2002–2003. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0710624328.