Artwork by Myric, 2022.
Nomenclature:PGB.435 "Mizuchi"
Classification:Patrol Gunboat
Nation of Origin:
Date in Service:January 29th, 1978
Program Cost:1,777,500,000 NSD
Commissioned Hulls:450- Specifications: -
Complement:20 Total (5 Officers, 15 Sailors)
Unloaded Displacement/Draft:60.77 tons / 1.28m (4'2")
Full-Load Displacement/Draft:87.86 tons / 2.33m (7'7.6")
Length/Beam @ Waterline:23.48m (77') / 5.4m (17'8.5")
Length/Beam Overall:(4.35:1 L:B)31.06m (101'10.8") / 7.13m (23'4.7")
Flank Speed:51.62 knots (95.6 Km/H) @ 7,660 kW (10,270 HP)
Cruising Performance:550 nmi (1,020 Km) in 12 Hours, 50 Minutes @ 42.73 knots (79.13 Km/H)
Long-Distance Traveling:1,570 nmi (2,910 Km) in 2 Days, 9 Hours, 50 Minutes @ 27.07 knots (50.13 Km/H) Unrefueled
Maximum Endurance:(w/ 3x At-Sea Refuels)6,500 nmi (12,040 Km) between replenishments in 10 Days @ 155.04 Kg/Hr per Turbine (18t Jet-A)
Thrust & Power: (183.15 HP/Ton)2x Netane Kinetics TSF.23/60 Turboshaft Engines (6,000 kW each) & Permanent Magnet DC turbogenerators
Final Drive:(2 Year Maint. Schedule)2x PM induction motors, 2 articulated shafts w/ surface-piercing 7-blade screws, 600mm diameter
Metallurgy:Cold-rolled HY-180 (12Ni-5Cr-3Mo) steel - friction-stir welded & annealed
Hull Construction:Double keel & sound/vibration deadened double hull, 6 watertight compartments
Seakeeping/Stability:2x 1.0m, 2.63-ton Flywheels (Fore & Aft, Active Gyroscopic Roll-Correction @ 1,100 RPM)
Hull Layout:Clipper bow, Deep-V wave-piercing hull w/ amidships sonar bulge & steep deadrise, notched cruiser stern
Superstructure:Armored superstructure w/ flybridge, lower-hull side exit exhaust
Flybridge Binoculars:Royal Netane 15-175x Magnification - 120mm Primary Lens, Light-Gathering (980x Human-Eye)- Systems: -
Command & Control:Testudo Mk. IV Combat Management System
Satellite-Independent Communications:(LOS/NLOS Frequency-Adaptive, 30Hz-30GHz, Encrypted)1x 10kW PSiAN (SANMEN Communications Suite)
"Kanaloa" TIMU
APAx.10F/R "Deneb"
3x AMPI.nL "Volans"- Armaments: -
(Stabilized Remote Twin-Gun Turrets, Forecastle & Fantail)4x FA38.L85.C8S Chain-Driven Autocannons
(Stabilized Manned Twin-gun Armored Ring @ Upper Bridge)4x FA22.L82.C2R Chain-Driven Autocannons
(4x MANPADS Launchers, Aft Deckhouse w/ 12 Reloads)16x MHL.201R2 "Fire Lance" Radar-Homing Missiles- Overview: -The smallest and lightest of the 2022 Marquesan Naval Warship Commission's Grand Fleet Redesign, project "Mizuchi" gunboats are fast, seaworthy attack boats intended to monitor coastal waterways and riverine environments. With a built-in capability to replenish at sea and a 10-day standard excursion profile, the PGB carries 18 tons of fuel for its pair of TSF.23/60 turboshaft engines, this is enough fuel for almost 13 hours running at 42.73 knots, or Mizuchi can travel 1,570 nautical miles in just over two days at 27 knots, with 51.62 knot overrun available. Each drives a turbogenerator supplying the ship with up to 12 megawatts of overall electrical power for propulsion and ship systems. Permanent-magnet electric motors drive a pair of articulated shafts with surface-piercing 7-blade screws; the shafts move according to directional input up to 30 degrees, negating the need for a rudder. Articulated shafts give a tight turning circle to an already sharp and responsive boat; surface-piercing screws decrease drag, permitting the PGB to operate at its flank speed using only 7.7 megawatts, or just over 16,000 shaft horsepower. The ship's hull is made from HY-180 steel, allowing the ship to be welded from thin but rigid sections of sound-deadened double hull, which is cold-rolled into the sharp creased lines of the deep-V hull and clipper bow characteristic of nearly all Marquesan warships. The hull is designed to minimize slamming at high speeds, its steep deadrise and clipper bow keep the forecastle dry while cutting through waves rather than pitching vertically over them; a notched cruiser stern introduces air pockets beneath the boat at the aft quarters, decreasing drag and allowing the boat to run at very high speeds and propulsion efficiencies. In rough seas and open water, the Mizuchi class PGB's anti-roll gyros installed fore and aft correct horizontal movements, lists and leans as the ship banks to turn during maneuvers. The deckhouse is spacious and central, with a double-thickness steel exterior and armored glass panels. Below decks, 6 watertight compartments separate sections of the boat from each other, isolating noise and allowing flooding to be controlled in emergencies. A flybridge with sunshades and mounted launchers for Fire Lance missiles, a 22mm twin autocannon mount and an arch-shaped rearward mast with communications, optronics and radar mounted sits on the open deck above the bridge, allowing for open-air navigation as well as manned use of the ship's smaller weapons. Forward and aft of the deckhouse are twin 38mm autocannon turrets, operated remotely by the bridge. Central fire control and 3-axis stabilization mean deadly accuracy with 32 round-per-second bursts and all guns firing.
Mizuchi-class PGB's have an enclosed navigation bridge, with an open aft flybridge, including an electrically-powered ring turret, holding a pair of stabilized 22mm L/82 chain-driven autocannons and four MANPADS launchers for MHL.201R2 "Fire Lance" missiles, with an armored below-deck cabinet containing twelve reloads in a ready magazine. The flybridge's deck officer is provided with a vibration-deadened, mounted set of Royal Netane observation binoculars, which possess extremely powerful light-gathering lenses optimized for use in very low-light conditions, with up to 175x magnification. Forward and aft of the raised deckhouse are stabilized remote turrets housing 38mm L/85 chain-driven autocannons, controlled by the gunnery officer on the flybridge. The heavier 38mm guns operate fully-automatic at 480 RPM cyclic rate-of-fire, with 16 and 32-round (2 and 4 second) limiters per barrel; each gun feeds from dual 240-rd magazines, with HEIAP armor-piercing high explosive/incendiary and HEIT "thin-wall" high-capacity explosive/incendiary ammunition. The 38mm autocannons fire with a muzzle velocity of Mach 3.56, and can engage small point targets like a vehicle on shore, or a fast attack craft at up to 3,200 meters, or can be used to attack area targets like a shore fighting position, or a larger ship, at distances up to 9,800 meters, using high-definition thermal optics on the PGB's mast for fire control. Manned by a gunner's mate, the stabilized and powered ring mount on the flybridge carries a pair of 22mm L/82 autocannons, which can fire at either a half-speed 490 RPM rate, or at their full 980 RPM cyclic rate of fire. Short two-second bursts at the half-rate produce tight, 16-round bursts from each barrel; 3-second bursts at the full rate fire 48 rounds per barrel, allowing the gunner to choose to conserve ammunition and improve accuracy, or to increase the volume of fire without overheating the barrels. 22mm autocannons feed from dual 600-rd magazines with lightweight HEIT "thin-wall" high-capacity explosive rounds, employed against fast-moving air targets up to 2,000 meters, or with heavier HEIAP armor-piercing/high-explosive rounds used on surface targets up to 4,900 meters. In total, the ship carries 1,200 rounds for its 22mm autocannons and 960 rounds for its 38mm autocannons ready, in addition to sixteen Fire Lance missiles. The Fire Lance is a lightweight multirole missile, which can be used to engage air or surface targets with its 75mm shaped-charge warhead, capable of penetrating 450mm of modern armor. The missile flies at Mach 2.8, with just over seven seconds of boost from its solid-fuel rocket and altitude-adjusting aerospike nozzle. The missile is guided by the "Deneb" X-band fire control radar mounted to the PGB's mast; the radar has a 10,000 meter positive detection range, and the missile has a maximum engagement range of 6,900 meters and 3,860 meters altitude; four MANPADS launchers are mounted to the ship's flybridge, allowing excellent sightlines. At the moment of firing, the Deneb radar provides an inverse-monopulse homing signal to the missile, guiding it to its target with pinpoint accuracy. Fire Lance is most often employed to shoot down armored attack helicopters and large drones, however its shaped charge warhead is also lethal against modern tank armor, and can be used to attack surface targets like fast attack craft. Two high-definition optronics turrets are installed on the mast, providing day and night, all-weather observation, identification and targeting information to the PGB's crew by combining the inputs of a daylight sensor with mid and long-wave infrared sensors to produce a "false daylight" full-color thermal sight. A third Volans ball is installed just forward of the bridge, allowing the PGB to navigate in zero-visibility conditions without taking sensors away from fire control.
Real World Comparison - - Shaldag class patrol boat: Mizuchi is 6.26 meters longer than Shaldag, and just over a meter wider, with a corresponding 1.13 meter increase in draft and 15.86 tons in displacement at full load. The differences in hull shape, along with Mizuchi's anti-roll gyros, contribute to a dramatic improvement in seakeeping from Shaldag to Mizuchi; the sound-deadened PGB hull is quieter, though Shaldag is also notable for the same qualities of low slamming and excellent ride quality, due to similarities in the steep deadrise, deep-V hulls of both boats. Shaldag is powered by a pair of 2,253 horsepower, 12-cylinder diesel engines, driving steerable waterjets, giving that hull 62.58 horsepower per ton and a 50 knot top speed. The longer, deeper Marquesan boat requires more power to reach its top speed, and is so driven by a pair of turboshaft engines and permanent magnet DC induction motors, propelling articulated surface-drive screws to 51.62 knots flank speed with 10,270 horsepower. Mizuchi carries three times more fuel than Shaldag, and so has a longer 1,570 nautical mile traveling range despite higher fuel consumption, vs. Shaldag's 1,000 nautical mile range, with 10 days of supplies vs. Shaldag's 6. In addition, Mizuchi's crew of 20 have a much heaver armament of four 48mm autocannons, two 22mm autocannons and four MANPADS launchers, vs Shaldag's single 25mm gun, single 20mm gun, two 12.7mm machine guns and depth charges, reflecting different priorities in their designs. Mizuchi is an all-steel construction, vs. the lighter, aluminum Shaldag; while neither boat is armored, Mizuchi has a slightly higher fineness ratio at 4.35:1 vs. Shaldag's 4.13:1, however both boats have remarkable stability at speed, at sea, and in shallow waterways, where its minimal draft and beam allow both boats to move through narrow passages, while their hull designs allow for excellent seakeeping, and multi-day missions away from shore, though neither boat is truly optimized for trans-oceanic crossings.
Price:(Place orders Here.)7,350,000.00 NSD
Reference Material:
