Iranian Navy destroyer "sunk" in the Caspian Sea

Iranian media say an Islamic Republic of Iran Navy destroyer that collided with a breakwater 18 days ago sank in the Caspian Sea on Sunday, February 28.

This is while the Iranian military spokesman denied that the destroyer sank and said that "the connected parts will be separated and transferred to the shipyard for major repairs and reconstruction."

The Damavand destroyer, which is only three years old, collided with a breakwater and suffered an accident on January 10th of this year while entering its anchorage in Bandar Anzali due to increased wind speed and a severe storm in the Caspian Sea.

Since then, Iranian Navy officials have repeatedly emphasized that the damage to the destroyer was minor and that it was scheduled to be taken to the factory for repairs.

However, some Iranian media outlets, including Tabnak and Khabar Online, reported on Sunday that the destroyer had sunk. The judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency also released a short video of the sinking.

The Damavand destroyer, which was Iran's second "Wave-class" warship after the "Jamaran," entered service with the Northern Fleet and the Fourth Region of the Iranian Navy on March 8, 2014.

This destroyer, which was built at Shahid Tamjidi Marine Industries in Bandar Anzali, was 100 meters long and had a tonnage of 1,300 tons.

The Tabnak website described the sinking of the Damavand frigate as "the worst possible ending for this expensive ship, even before the end of its third year of service."

These reports come as Brigadier General Shahin Taghikhani, spokesman for the Iranian army, responded on Sunday by saying that "given the shallow water depth at the accident site, which is about four to five meters, there is no possibility of the Damavand destroyer sinking."

According to Mehr News Agency, he added: "During the past 24 hours, due to a severe storm and rising sea levels, the aluminum superstructure, which had been completely emptied and prepared for relocation, fell into the water, and the rest of the floating body has been placed on its starboard side."

Mr. Taghikhani claimed that "only the hull of the destroyer was seriously damaged," and emphasized that "there are no restrictions on the revival" of the Damavand destroyer, and "due to the fact that all of its parts are indigenous," the operation to revive this frigate and return it to the operational cycle will soon begin with the transfer of the separated parts.

The Damavand destroyer's collision with the breakwater at the Anzali Port was so severe that six of its crew members were thrown into the sea. Of these, four were rescued and two commandos, Bijan Zare and Amir Basreh, were killed.

The Damavand destroyer was launched on March 17, 2012, in the presence of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and senior military commanders in Bandar Anzali. After completing testing, it joined the Northern Fleet and the Fourth Region of the Iranian Navy on March 8, 2014.

Iranian media at the time praised the construction of this destroyer, assessing it as having very important features, including that it "has a different structure in terms of structure, in a way that it has the latest computing technology and construction and structural strength."

"Speed, mobility, and maneuverability," "being equipped with up-to-date technology and digitalization of all its systems... while having higher stability, range, and ability to detect and identify targets," and "being equipped with a battle management system" were among other features that were listed for this destroyer.

Reports indicate that the Damavand destroyer was "built by employees of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support in collaboration with about 400 universities, research centers, manufacturers, and Iranian industries."

The first example of this class of destroyer has joined the Persian Gulf Fleet in southern Iran, under the name of the frigate Jamaran.

Source: Radio Farda