HMBS Lignum Vitae (P 301) is the first of four Damen Stan 3007 patrol vessels commissioned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.[1][2][3] She was projected to be ready for delivery to the Bahamas in June 2015.[4][5][6]

Design

Lignum Vitae, and her sister ships are 30 metres (98 ft) long and 7 metres (23 ft) wide, and have a maximum speed of 24 knots (44 km/h).[4] She and her sister ships have a shallow draft, for inshore work. She is designed for missions of up to five days. She is designed for a crew of 13.

While most modern vessels are designed with a clipper bow, Damen built Lignum Vitae, and her sister ships, with an "axe bow", a new style of bow intended to make for easier sea-keeping in rough weather.[4] At her stern she is equipped with a stern launching ramp, which enables her to deploy and retrieve her waterjet-propelled pursuit boat, without first coming to a stop.

Operational history

On May 16, 2016, Lignum Vitae apprehended a Dominican Republic fishing vessel, poaching fish in the Bahamas' territorial waters.[7] The 60-foot (18 m) long vessel had a crew of 11. They were taken into custody.[8]

On July 30, 2016, Lignum Vitae helped convey 199 Haitian refugees discovered by another Bahamanian patrol vessel, P 129, to New Providence.[9] On July 30, 2016, Lignum Vitae intercepted a small boat with eight Cuban refugees aboard.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Defence Force Bolsters Fleet With Three New Vessels, Mobile Base". Tribune 242. March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ Eric Rose (March 1, 2017). "Bahamas Defence Force increasing capacities with new vessels and strategic infrastructure". Nassau, Bahamas: The Bahamas Weekly. Retrieved March 25, 2017. He pointed out that the names of the two Flora Class vessels that have already been commissioned are HMBS Lignum Vitae and HMBS Cascarilla. As stated earlier, the fourth and final vessel to be commissioned is HMBS Madeira.
  3. ↑ "Royal Bahamas Defence Force Contracts Damen for New Fleet". NSG Group of Companies. Retrieved March 26, 2017. 4 Stan Patrol 3007 – with its shallow draft this brand new Damen vessel is specifically designed for operations in the coastal waters and shallow banks of the Bahamas.
  4. 1 2 3 "First Stan Patrol 3007 Long range patrol vessel for Bahamas at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem". Navy Recognition. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2016. Damen has designed the Stan Patrol 3007 to remain at sea for up to one week at a time. To meet that requirement, they have provided on board accommodation for a crew of 13, as well as a pantry and mess room.
  5. ↑ "Stan Patrol 3007: Executive Summary" (PDF). Damen Group. Retrieved September 28, 2016. The Stan Patrol 3006 is based on the Sea Axe FCS 3307 design. This 33-meter vessel was developed by Damen in 2006 as a Fast Supplier for the offshore industry.
  6. ↑ "Bahamas First Damen Stan Patrol Vessel on the Way". Asian Defense News. May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014. On the 18th of March 2014 Damen signed contracts with the Government of the Bahamas – Ministry of National Security on behalf of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) for a package of four (4) DAMEN Stan Patrol 4207, four (4) DAMEN Stan Patrol 3007 and one (1) DAMEN RoRo 5612.
  7. ↑ "Defence Force Apprehends Dominican Fishing Vessel And Crew". Tribune 242. June 16, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017. According to officials, the HMBS Lignum Vitae intercepted the 60-foot vessel near Cay Lobos on the Great Bahama Bank on Wednesday, after observing the ship for several days.
  8. ↑ "RBDF apprehends Dominican Fishing Vessel". Coral Harbour: Eleuthera News. May 20, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017. HMBS Lignum Vitae was acquired last year under the Government-sanctioned Sandy Bottom Project in support of the Defence Force's decentralization program. The decentralization program involves the establishing bases at strategic locations for the purpose of maintaining a continuous Defence Force presence throughout The Bahamas.
  9. ↑ "Bahamas Defence Force apprehends 199 Haitian migrants off Andros". Coral Harbour, Bahamas: The Bahamas Weekly. June 12, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017. HMBS Lignum Vitae commanded by Senior Lieutenant Bertrum Bowleg was also deployed to transport the large number of migrants, who were are currently being brought to New Providence and will be handed over to Immigration authority early Sunday morning.
  10. ↑ "Bahamas Defence Force apprehends 8 Cuban migrants". Coral Harbour, Bahamas: The Bahamas Weekly. July 30, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017. While on routine patrol, patrol craft HMBS Lignum Vitae under the command of Acting Senior Lieutenant Valentino Rolle spotted a 20-foot makeshift aluminum motor driven vessel approximately 45 nautical miles west of Ragged Island around 8:00 pm. Further search of the vessel discovered the 6 males and 2 females, who were then taken aboard the Defence Force craft. The migrants were brought into the Coral Harbour Base shortly after 3:00 pm Saturday afternoon.
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