Patrol Boat “TORNADO” P-44
Ships
The Commanding Officer of the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) “Tornado” welcomes you and invites you to visit this website. The P-44 is the fourth and last of the ‘Meteoro’-class Oceanic Patrol Vessels built by NAVANTIA in San Fernando. Her home port is Las Palmas Naval Station (Canary Islands).
| DISPLACEMENT | 2,621 tons |
|---|---|
| LENGTH | 93.9 meters |
| BEAM | 14.2 m. |
| PROPULSION | 2 MTU 16 V 1163 Diesel engines and a SIEMENS electric engine. 2 variable pitch propellers. 1 fore propeller for transverse thrust. An electric plant with 4 diesel generators. |
| AIRCRAFT | Flight deck: 24.5 x 13.5 meters Capability to operate AB 212s, SH-3Ds, SH-60Bs and UAVs. Hangar for 1 helicopter. All-weather operations. VERTREP and HIFR. Helicopter maintenance workshop. Flight control station. |
| CREW | 46 |
| WEAPONS | One 76/62 OTO-MELARA gun. Two Mk-38 MOD 2A machineguns. 4 SRBOC Mk-36 Chaff launchers. |
| SENSORS | DORNA 2 Fire Control. SCOMBA Combat System. Navigation and control radar HC ARIES 2. Navigation radar SPERRY VISION MASTER FT Electronic Warfare RIGEL with capability for ELINT modules. IFF CIT-25D TACAN NAVIGATIONAL SET MM-6800 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | 2 RHIBs. 1 cargo crane. |
The ‘Tornado’ (P-44) conducts maritime action missions like sea control in low intensity and asymmetric scenarios, including deterrence and maritime surveillance.
The modular configuration of these OPVs permits a wide variety of missions, among them: naval presence, surveillance (including environmental and fisheries control), shipping protection, maritime interdiction (MIO), support to other units (diving or MCM units), control of terrorist activities, crisis response operations, human trafficking, SAR and Intelligence.
Other tasks include: VBSS tasks, counter-piracy, drug-smuggling, non-combatant evacuations, sustained flight operations and environmental control.
Our home port is Las Palmas Naval Station (Canary Islands).
The ship has one 76mm OTO MELARA gun, 2 MK 38 MOD 2A machineguns, 2 “Browning” machineguns and 2 MINIMI machineguns. Portable weapons include HK rifles, pistols, grenades and shotguns.
The crew consists of 46 people: 6 officers, 10 NCOs and 30 seamen and ratings. All of them have been trained in different naval schools and academies: Marín, San Fernando and Ferrol and most of them with many years of service at sea.
It depends on whether the ship is docked or sailing. At sea, the ship sails at three watches. Apart from surveillance tasks, the ship carries out regular maintenance, cleaning and training exercises.
While berthed, her main activities relate to personnel training and maintenance, to keep the ship fully operational and in readiness.
Since her delivery on July 19th 2012 the “Tornado” has been engaged in personnel training and sea trials to check all systems, sensors and equipment. The P-44 has also conducted a series of electromagnetic and acoustic measurement drills and passed the scheduled Operational Assessment in Cartagena. Subsequently the ship deployed in Rota Naval Base for an aero-naval exercise and then proceeded towards the north of Spain for further training and collaboration activities with the Naval Academy.
The P-44 has conducted several operations in and around the Spanish coast collaborating with other constabulary and law enforcement departments and with the Air Force (evacuations and SAR missions). Finally worth mentioning is her participation in EU-led counter-piracy operation “Atalanta” off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.