The ''Moudge'' or ''Mowj'' ( fa, موج, lit=wave) is a
class of domestically-produced
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
ian light
frigates
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
.
History
A ''Moudge''-class ship was first reported to be under construction in 2001. ''Warship International'' wrote in 2008 that four ships of this class were under construction: ''Mowj'' (376) launched on 22 February 2007, ''Jamaran'' (377) launched on 28 November 2007, as well as ''Azarakhsh'' (378) and ''Tondar'' (379).
The first ship, ''Jamaran'' is said to be completed and is stationed in the port of
Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musa ...
. ''Damavand'' is the second ship in this class.
According to OSGEOINT, ''Damavand'' was constructed at the Shahid Tamjidi Marine Industries (STMI) fabrication shop on the Caspian Sea at
Bandar-e Anzali
Bandar-e Anzali ( fa, بندرانزلی, also Romanized as Bandar-e Anzalī; renamed as Bandar-e Pahlavi during the Pahlavi dynasty) is a city of Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 144,664.
Anzali is one of the mos ...
. The frigate was launched in March 2013.
''Damavand'', based out of Bandar-Anzali on the Caspian Sea, ran aground on a concrete breakwater in the vicinity of its home port on 10 January 2018. It is believed probable that the incident was the result of navigational error, affected by a strong storm in the area which creating high wave heights and low visibility in the area. During the incident six members of the ship's crew fell overboard. Four of those crew members were later rescued, two were considered missing by media sources. The Iranian Navy declined to confirm the reporting. There has been little information released in reference to the cause of the grounding, with exception to statements of wave height and visibility caused by the storm at the time of the grounding.
''Damavand'' is currently listed as actively commissioned. Photos from 2018 show that the ship's hull has broken apart from near the waterline approximately at the near the start of the ships aircraft deck.
Iranian Navy commissioned "Dena" with a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas on 14 June 2021.
Future units of the Modge class are set to be equipped with the