RBNS ''Sabha'' (90) ( ar, italics=no, ﺱﻡﺏ صبحا) is an
''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class frigate in service with the
Royal Bahrain Naval Force. The ship was former
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
frigate USS ''Jack Williams'' (FFG-24). The frigate is now considered as the lead frigate of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
Construction and career
During its career as USS ''Jack Williams'' (FFG-24) in the United States, it was the sixteenth ship of the
''Oliver Hazard Perry'' class of guided-missile
frigates. It was named for Pharmacist's Mate Second Class
Jack Williams, who was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
for his heroism in the
Battle of Iwo Jima.
The frigate was ordered from
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest ...
on 28 February 1977 as part of the
FY77 Program. ''Jack Williams'' was laid down on 25 February 1980;
launched on 30 August 1980 and
commissioned on 19 September 1981. Decommissioned and stricken on 13 September 1996, she was transferred to Bahrain the same day as a gift.
The ship was formally recommissioned as the RBNS ''Sabha'' (90) on 25 February 1997.
[Saunders 2015, p. 46] The frigate was named after a
sea fort in
Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
(located in today
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
), historically belonged to
Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
royal family of Bahrain. ''Sabha'' arrived in the Persian Gulf in June 1997 for a workup and crew training.
''Sabha'' participated in Saudi-led Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, returning to Bahraini waters in December 2015.
References
*
See also
* Bahrain Defense Force
External links
USS Jack Williams
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the Bahraini Navy
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