IRIS Kharg

IRIS Kharg (Persian: خارگ) was a modified Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, named after Kharg Island.

Built by Swan Hunter in the United Kingdom and launched in 1977, Kharg was delivered to Iran in 1984. She was its largest naval vessel based on tonnage until the commissioning of IRIS Makran in early 2021.

On 2 June 2021, Kharg caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman near the Iranian town of Jask, some 140 kilometres (87 mi) from the Strait of Hormuz.

Design

According to the Combat Fleets of the World, the ship was "greatly modified" in comparison to its Ol-class sister ships in service of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The ship's design was described by Jane's Fighting Ships as "incorporating some of the features" of the class, and fitted to carry dry stores and ammunition in addition to fuel.

Kharg displaced 11,242 tonnes (11,064 long tons) of standard load and up to 33,544 tonnes (33,014 long tons) at full load. It had a gross tonnage of 18,880 and a deadweight tonnage of 9,517 tonnes (9,367 long tons). According to Jane's the vessel was 207.2 m (679 ft 9 in) long, had a beam of 26.5 m (86 ft 11 in) and a draft of 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in). The Combat Fleets of the World records the dimensions slightly differently, with 207.15 m (679 ft 8 in), 25.50 m (83 ft 8 in) and 9.14 m (30 ft 0 in) for length, beam and draft respectively.

Its original installed machinery included a pair of two-drum boilers built by Babcock & Wilcox, that rotated two Westinghouse geared turbine sets. The system was designed to generate 7,000 kW of electricity, and to provide 20.04 megawatts (26,870 hp) for her single shaft coupled with the propeller. The ship was capable of reaching a nominal top speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph).