USS RAVEN was the eleventh OSPREY - class coastal mine hunter and the third ship in the Navy to bear the name of the bird. From September 1, 2000, until her decommissioning, the USS RAVEN was forward deployed in Manama, Bahrain. The ship was previously homeported in Ingleside, Tx.
The RAVEN was commissioned at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Md., on September 5, 1998. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland delivered the ceremony's principal address. Mrs. Dorothy McDowell Smith, wife of retired Adm. Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, Jr., former Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe/Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe, was the ship's sponsor.
Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on January 7, 2007, the RAVEN was transfered to the Egyptian Navy the same day. There she was recommissioned.
|General Characteristics:||Awarded: March 31, 1993|
|Keel laid: April 1, 1995|
|Launched: September 28, 1996|
|Commissioned: September 5, 1998|
|Decommissioned: January 7, 2007|
|Builder: Intermarine USA, Savannah, GA|
|Propulsion System: two diesels (800 hp each)|
|Length: 188 feet (57.3 meters)|
|Beam: 36 feet (11 meters)|
|Draft: 9,5 feet (2.9 meters)|
|Displacement: 895 tons|
|Speed: 12 knots|
|Armament: Mine neutralization system, two .50 caliber machine guns|
|Crew: 5 Officers, 46 Enlisted|
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS RAVEN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
About the Ship's Coat of Arms:
Purpure, a stylized horned mine Or, overall a raven close regardant to dexter upon a Naval officer's sword and cutlass saltirewise points up Proper. Purpure refers to use of that color in the poem The Raven and other works of the late American author Edgar Alan Poe, now buried in Baltimore, Maryland. Gold is emblematic of honor and high achievement. The stylized mine highlights USS RAVEN's mine warfare mission past and present. Crossed sword and cutlass emphasize teamwork and reflect the contribution to readiness made by everyone assigned. The ship's namesake, the raven, underscores the ship's commitment to mission.
From a wreath Or and Purpure, a demi-sun insplendor superimposed by a stockless anchor Sable bearing on the shaft an ancient spearhead Proper, overall an arc of three mullets Azure. The sunburst highlights the U.S. Navy's worldwide deployed presence under a sun in the sky by a clever raven according to native American lore. The stockless anchor, used by the previous USS RAVEN, symbolizes the present USS RAVEN's firm hold on the finest traditions of the Navy. The spearhead symbolizes the mine warfare force's mission to be the first to enter dangerous waters. Three blue stars commemorate battle stars earned by the previous USS RAVEN during World War II for conducting mine clearance at the approaches to Utah Beach at Normandy, and before other engagements in the Mediterranean Sea.
USS RAVEN Image Gallery: