TCG Akcay (M270) is a mine countermeasures vessel serving the modern Turkish Navy. The 650 ton (short) ship is part of the Aydin-class (also known as the "A-class") built in Germany and Turkey to form a class of six-strong. This adds to the eleven total mine warfare vessels currently fielded by the branch, making it one of the largest such fleets in the world.
The class was born in a 1999 initiative in which the Turkish government contracted Abeking & Rasmussen and Lurssen shipyards to build six hulls in the Frankenthal-class standard. These were German-originated minehunters through-and-through and twelve vessels were eventually completed to serve in the navies of Germany, Indonesia, the UAE, and Turkey itself. Commissioned service of the lot began in 1992. While the first vessel (M265) was completed in German waters, the final five forms were constructed by the Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The first two vessels were commissioned into the Turkish Navy in July of 2005.
TCG Akcay is the last ship of the series to have been completed.
The warship sports an overall length of 178 feet, has a beam of 30 feet, and a draught of relatively shallow measure at just 8.5 feet. Propulsion is through 2 x MTU 16V 538 TB91 marine diesels mated to 2 x Renk PLS 25E transmission systems with 2 x Electric motors for fine maneuvering. A pair of controllable-pitch propellers are provided.
Maximum speed under ideal conditions is 18 knots.
The profile of the vessel sees most of the details of the ship presented ahead of midships. The smoke funnels are of a low profile, enclosed design found just aft of midships. The main mast towers high above the middle of the vessel. The hull line is unbroken from bow to stern though stepped at midships leading out to the lower stern section (to which a crane is fitted).
Aboard is a complement of forty-one. The ship is fielded with the Marconi 2093 VDS mine-hunting sonar system. It also carries the DRBN 32 series navigation radar and has 2 x "Barricade" chaff and flare dispensers. Beyond this, the hull is equipped with a complete decompression chamber, powered crane, and diving equipment.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.