Turkish Shipyard Dearsan to Modernize Nigerian Navy’s flagship
Turkish shipyard Dearsan has announced a new contract to refit and modernize the Nigerian Navy's flagship, MEKO 360-class frigate "NNS ARADU". The contract also includes delivery of a new 57-meter Tuzla-class patrol boat.
Dearsan Shipyard press release
A contract signing ceremony was held between the Nigerian Navy and Dearsan Shipyard on 6 June 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria which was attended by the Members of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Officials of the Ministry of Defence, Commander of the Naval Forces Vice Admiral AZ GAMBO, Headquarters staff of the Naval Forces Command, Chairman of the Board of Dearsan Shipyard Mr. Aziz YILDIRIM, and our company executives.
A contract has been signed between our shipyard and the Nigerian Navy within the scope of the Refit and Remodeling project of the historically important NNS ARADU Frigate (F89), the Flagship of the Nigerian Navy. The refit and remodeling project of the MEKO 360 class NNS ARADU Frigate, which was built by the German Blohm & Voss Shipyard and commissioned in 1982, has a length of 125 meters and a displacement of 3500 tons, will be carried out at our shipyard in Tuzla, İstanbul. Within the scope of the project; systems, equipment and devices that are out of use due to the age and obsolescence will be repaired or renewed with equivalent modern systems and the frigate will be brought to modern-day standards.
Within the scope of the same contract, 1 unit of 57-meter Tuzla Class Patrol Boat will also be delivered to the Nigerian Navy. The Nigerian Navy will be the fourth user of the 57-meter Patrol Boat after the Turkish Naval Forces, Turkmenistan Navy and Turkmenistan Coast Guard Command, which we will be delivering the 27th unit.
The Patrol Boat, which can take active roles in Patrol /Escort, Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance, Anti-Smuggling & Anti-Piracy, Protection of Rights and Interests at Sea and Natural Resources, Maritime Situation Awareness duties and illegal Fisheries Inspection will also be equipped with Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, and Asymmetric Warfare weapon systems. We are happy and proud that our platform, which has the distinction of being Turkey’s first national warship, will also carry out its duties in Nigerian territorial waters from now on.
Within the modernization and new building projects, we are decisively advancing our works for the continuation of the relations between the Republic of Türkiye and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for our export targets with Nigeria and other countries.
Naval News comments
The 57-meter-long Tuzla-class patrol boat is operational at the Dearsan shipyard. According to the sources, the boat was built for Libya, but the delivery was not completed due to some problems. Therefore, the Nigerian Navy will be the first user of the vessel.
Dearsan Shipyard is currently building OPV 76 offshore patrol vessels for the Nigerian Navy. The shipyard laid the keel of the first of two vessels in September 2022. Despite refit, NNS Aradu is a 40-year-old frigate. As a result, this relation has the potential to lead to a new frigate procurement in the near future.
NNS Obuma was originally named NNS Nigeria and is Nigeria’s first frigate. This private-design frigate was ordered from Wilton-Fijenoord shipyards in the Netherlands to serve as the Nigerian Navy’s flagship. It was constructed in Holland, launched on 12 April 1965 and commissioned on 16 September 1965. The ship’s first commander was Captain Nelson Bossman Soroh (who retired with the rank of Rear Admiral and served as Chief of Naval Staff).
Following the collapse of the bloody January 15th “Majors mutiny”, coup suspects were initially kept aboard the detention cell on NNS Nigeria before being transferred to land based prisons (It was rumoured that Major General Ironsi, the Supreme Commander, slept aboard NNS Nigeria every night and returned to State House Marina in the mornings, for fear of being killed by either northern soldiers or Nzeogwu’s loyalists). During the last weekend of July 1966, it was NNS Nigeria under Soroh that provided offshore refuge to the late Brigadier B Ogundipe when discipline broke down completely following the “Northern counter coup”. Ogundipe subsequently transferred to the MV Aureol and left for the United Kingdom as Nigeria’s new High Commissioner, by sea.
The NNS Nigeria overcame several serious attempts by secessionist sympathizers to sabotage it during the run up to hostilities in early 1967. This ship saw heavy use during the Biafran War, both as a blockade ship and as a makeshift transport. It subsequently took active part in the naval blockade of the Eastern Region in June and July 1967, during the opening phase of the civil war and the joint amphibious assaults on Bonny (July 1967) and Calabar (October 1967). On 5 January 1967, NNS Nigeria was loaded with marines who were landed via the ship’s boats and other small craft in the area, to support Nigerian troops outside Bonny. This reinforcement was viewed as a critical success by the Nigerian army. Other ships involved were the NNS Penelope, NNS Lokoja, NNS Ogoja, NNS Benin, NNS Enugu, MV Bode Thomas and MV King Jaja. The NNS Nigeria in particular was credited with beating back a determined Biafran attempt to retake Bonny in late September 1967. She also gained international spotlight when she seized the Dutch ship MV Jozina (which became the NNS Kwa River). MV Jozina had unsuccessfully attempted to penetrate the blockade. In 1968, Nigeria was attacked by B-26 Invaders of the Biafran Air Force. The ship was not damaged. Nevertheless, at one difficult point during the breakout phase of the Calabar landing, the ground force commander, then Lt. Col. Benjamin Adekunle, stopped responding to signals from the NNS Nigeria requesting situation reports. In response to frantic inquiries from higher-ups in Lagos, then Captain Soroh sent a controversial signal to Supreme Headquarters that simply stated, “I wish I knew”.
Only four years after commissioning, the ship was in bad shape and from 1970-1971 underwent an overhaul by Cammell Laird in the UK. By 1977 the ship was again in poor condition and underwent a second overhaul, this time in the Netherlands. The ship’s name was changed at the 1980 launch of NNS Aradu as the Nigerians did not want a second-line frigate to bear the country’s name.
In 1982 NNS Obuma was decommissioned but recommissioned shortly thereafter, following an austere repair period at Lagos in Nigeria. All the anti-submarine weapons (ASW) systems were deleted at this time. By 1986 Obuma had been reduced to a training vessel, again in poor condition. From then on out the ship’s condition progressively deteriorated. Obuma had largely been abandoned by 2001, with the 40mm guns having been stripped off. The ship was last seen flying the Nigerian ensign in late 2005 and has not been mentioned since, except for once in 2008 when a senior naval officer suggested the ship might be refitted and restored to service. As of 2011 this has not happened and Obuma will likely be scrapped soon.
The Nigerian navy had several planned upgrades for this ship that were never carried out. In 1979 plans were drawn up to replace the Squid with ASW torpedo tubes and modernize the radars, this was cancelled early on due to lack of funds. In 1983, a very ambitious comprehensive refit was planned that would have replaced the Squid with ASW torpedo tubes, replaced the main gun with a OTO-Melara 76mm Rapid, added a EO/FLIR sensor, modernized the sonars, added SCLAR countermeasures launchers, and refurbishment of the engines and hull. It was also hoped to buy an additional Lynx helicopter. Although the project was approved in 1983, the money was siphoned off elsewhere and by 1987 the project had been abandoned. During the brief 1993-1994 return to democracy the Nigerian navy restarted the effort however when the Abacha regime took over in 1994 the effort was blocked as Abacha wanted to limit spending in the Lagos shipyards which he viewed as a potential centre of political opposition.
The need to have a modern sophisticated frigate to complement and eventually replace Nigerian Navy's long serving frigate, NNS Nigeria (now Obuma) became apparent to naval planners in the mid seventies. The old lady, as NNS Nigeria, was popularly known then was fast becoming irrelevant in the fast changing world of naval technology. Nigerian Navy needed to reach blue waters with the appropriate ships in terms of firepower, extended operational range and enhanced surveillance capability. NNS Aradu became the answer to these aspirations.
The ship initially named The Republic was ordered in 1978. Her keel was laid in December 1978 and she was launched on 25 January 1980. In November of the same year, following a new policy of the Nigerian Navy was renamed Aradu (Aradu means thunder in Hausa). It was commissioned on 22 February 1982. Aradu was acquired by the regime of former President Shehu Shagari. She was recently refitted, refurbished and equipped after being alongshore for over 12 years. The ship proved it was still seaworthy by taking part in celebrations commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by sailing to Great Britain in 2005. The ship, which carries a crew of about 250 officers and men, requires 500,000 litres of petrol per voyage.
Aradu is the first of the MEKO 360 General Purpose frigates built by the German Blohm + Voss company of Hamburg.
The 125.6 m ship is the biggest in the Nigerian Navy. She is a multi-purpose frigate with capabilities for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare effectively. The ship also possesses capability for naval fire support and electronic warfare. Additionally, she carries a ship-borne helicopter for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and enhanced surveillance/detection
The ship is unique in the adoption of the modular approach in the design of the hull and the containerization of armaments. By the modular design concept, various sections of the hull of Aradu are built to specific measurements separately and then assembled at a shipyard. The advantage of this style of construction is that every section of the ship can be produced independent of the other sections. In case of damage, it is thus easier to replace the affected section of the ship separately and then fixing it back at a shipyard. This same flexibility is adopted in the armament of the ship. These are kept in containers and can be tested ashore independent of the various stage of construction. Once the hull is ready, the containerized armaments are then easily fitted into the hull the same procedure adopted in case of major repair or replacement.
The MEKO class of ships is thus able to proceed on other missions while defective units are left for repairs at workshops. This is different from other designs where the ship for example has to sacrifice other missions in order to repair or replace a unit of her armament. Another advantage is that with the Meko concept, whole sections of the ship can be produced and stored as spares. In case of emergency, the ship simply enters a dockyard to replace whatever section that is needed. Modernization of armaments and systems can thus take place with minimum interruption to the ships' program.
Aradu is an all-purpose fighting ship capable of undertaking the following missions alone or in concert with other units:
*) Sustained and independent blue water patrol over a range of 6500 miles.
*) Gunfire support to friendly forces operating up to 16 km from the coast.
*) Air defense of self and cooperating forces over a range of 155km,
*) Anti-submarine warfare (short range or extended range using helicopter borne torpedoes.
*) Electronic warfare (intercepting and jamming).
*) Missile attack against surface units up to a range of 80 km.
*) Mine laying.
*) Airborne or surface Search and Rescue
Since she entered naval service, NNS Aradu has taken part in major naval exercises, fleet reviews and diplomatic cruises. She played a prominent part in "Operation Seadog" in 1985 and "Operation Odion" in 1987. The ship has undertaken extensive diplomatic visits to countries like Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Equatorial Guinea and numerous European countries. She has also participated in joint exercises with visiting ships of the German, Indian, French and the Brazilian Navies. Aradu played a major role in peace keeping operations in Liberia and Sierra-Leone and was also involved in border skirmishes between Nigeria and Cameroun. She had a total of two groundings and a major collision in 1987 She ran aground again early in 1994 during post refit trials, and was assessed as beyond economical repair in 1995, but then managed to go to sea again in early 1996, and again in 1997 when she broke down for several months in Monrovia. She then steamed back to Lagos on one engine in 1998.
In August 2005, Aradu participated at the International Fleet Review to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in memory of Admiral Lord Nelson at Portsmouth with other 100 warships from 36 navies. It also participated in two major exercises in 2005 and 2006, called "Igbochi" and "Idabo".
In a bid to strengthen Nigeria/Brazil military cooperation, 2 naval ships, NNS Aradu and NNS Nwamba, departed Nigeria on 3 August 2007 to take part in Brazil BiCentenary Celebrations. The ships arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, on 9 August to a rousing welcome by Liberians and Nigerians resident in the West African country. They were received by the Chief of Defense Staff of Liberia, Major General Abdurahman of the Nigerian Army.
1) Sailors aboard NNS Aradu prepare to salute Queen Elizabeth during ceremonies marking the bi-centenary of the battle of Trafalgar.
Unfortunately I no longer have the picture of NNS Aradu and NNS Nwamba in Brazil. That picture shows the size of the ship.
naptu2: Aha! This is what I was referring to earlier.
I've posted videos of F89 (NNS Aradu) and F90 (NNS Thunder). This is NNS Nigeria/Obuma (F87), the ship that led the invasion of Bonny Island.
The government of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa realised that the warships that the British left us were not adequate to defend a country like Nigeria. They realised that we needed a frigate, so they ordered a frigate in 1965. NNS Nigeria was built in The Netherlands and commissioned in 1965. It was Nigeria's first frigate and it automatically became Nigeria's flagship.
This is a video of the ship on a port visit to Ghana in 1971. NNS Nigeria was Nigeria's flagship from 1965-1982.
The military government of Murtala Muhammed and Olusegun Obasanjo realised that we needed a newer frigate and so they ordered for a frigate from Blohm and Voss in Germany. The new frigate was the first MEKO 360 ship ever built and it was delivered in 1982 and commissioned by President Shehu Shagari.
The Navy realised that it couldn't call its second line frigate Nigeria and so its name was changed to NNS Obuma. Obuma means thunder in Efik, Aradu means thunder in Hausa and Thunder means thunder in English.
NNS Obuma was still operational in the 1980s, but it became inoperable in the 1990s and spent a long time at the shoreline. In the mid-2000s, the chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye launched a programme to resuscitate Nigeria's warships through local Nigerian efforts. NNS Aradu was revived and there were plans to build made in Nigeria patrol boats. Admiral Adekeye also expressed his desire to revive NNS Obuma, so that it would serve as a training ship for sailors that would eventually serve on NNS Aradu. That was never done and NNS Obuma was scrapped by the end of the 2000s.
Nice development, but why can't our own Naval Dockyard Limited overhaul this frigate ship? We are hoping on cutting cost of governance including minimising these kinds of situations.
Imagine the cuts in corruption all the afore government agencies must have made from this embankment. This is akin to making sure our refineries don't work so that the NNPC/subsidiy cabal/independent marketers continue to cash out from the downstream oil sector corruption
The outgoing chief of naval staff, Admiral Gambo finally gets his wish in making sure he disbursed the $200m 'budgeted' for the project to the contractor simply because he facilitated it.
A perfect timing by the Turkish contractors in releasing a statement too that effect too!
Now Gambo can go enjoy his last cash out. More events to unfold later.
BUHARI & NAF DISTURBED US WITH THE STORY OF TUCANO. THEY SAID IF WE SPENT BILLION DOLLARS TO BUY TUCANO, BOKO HARAM WILL NE BLOWN AWAY IN A DAY..... NOW WE KNOW BETTER.
THE VERY DAY BUHARI COMMISSIONED DANGOTE REFINERY THAT CANNOT PRODUCE PETROL, HE ALSO COMMISSIONED NAVAL FLEETS IN LAGOS.
IS IT THAT THE SHIPS ARE JUST FOR WINDOW DRESSING LIKE:
THE FAKE RICE PYRAMID THE FAKE NIGERIA AIRWAYS THE FAKE DANGOTE REFINERY THE FAKE REFURBISHED TUCANO ETC
