Régeñe Natalia Romero class
 ARC Régeñe Maria Platia in Iravala harbor, 2013
| |
| Class Overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Tranquíla Steelworks |
| Operators: | Royal Antoran Armada |
| Class before: | Rége Julían class |
| Class after: | Rége Arturo class |
| In commission: | 1983–2022 |
| Ships completed: | 4 |
| Ships active: | 0 |
| Retired: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Anti-submarine frigate |
| Displacement: | 2,100 tonnes |
| Length: | 99.1 m (325.1 ft) |
| Beam: | 11.3 m (37 ft) |
| Draft: | 3.7 m (12.1 ft) |
| Installed power: |
2 × 400KW GSEB K40 diesel generators 1 × 800KW Solaris 168B006 gas generator |
| Propulsion: |
CODOG system 2 × Sistemos Armada Crucius 6kDG-12 12-cylinder diesel engines generating 6,000 hp (4,500 kW) each and 2 × Sistemos Armada 36kGTG gas turbines producing 10,000 hp (7,500 kW) |
| Speed: | 27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
| Range: | 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | 2 RHIB |
| Troops: | 8 marines |
| Complement: | 10 officers and 82 crew |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
SVA/G17A+ 3D surface-search and air radar SVA/84-H Electronic Support Surveillance Equipment Luz Libertad ITRCCS fire-control radar and tactical systems suite ElectroBeam ISSD-4 sonar (hull mounted) |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
1 × Lima Alto Supra-SIGEN EWAR system 1 x OJO onboard decoy launching systems (ODLS) |
| Armament: |
Guns 1 × Arsenale Corric MK991 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun 1 × HerCan Torro dual 30 mm autocannon 2 × 12.7mm machine guns Missiles 2 × Dual-cell Sistemos Armada D05-N missile tubes (Avia DBMO3 anti-ship missiles) or (Avia ABRGO4 surface-to-air missiles) or (HerCan SSMP-9XL anti-submarine missiles) Anti-submarine 2 x 324 mm triple torpedo tubes (Arma Nautico Modelo 11F1 smart warhead torpedos) 4 x 24-tube Porcupíné anti-submarine mortars 2 x depth charge racks |
| Armor: | 1 cm |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 x H-22 Macana 4 utility/anti-submarine helicopter |
| Aviation facilities: | Flight deck and Hangar |
The Régeñe Natalia Romero class is a series of four frigates currently in service in the Royal Antoran Armada. Designed for anti-submarine warfare with secondary roles in anti-ship and anti-air, these vessels are the most modern ships in the Armada, having entered service between 1983 and 1987. The Régeñe Natalia Romero class was created to provide the Armada with a replacement for the Caballero class corvettes. The recommissioning of the corvettes as Cuerno class patrol vessels gave the Royal Corric Defense Forces' Bureau of Procurement an opportunity to create a much larger and more capable anti-submarine warship. The Two Ship Design Initiative was created and resulted in the Régeñe Natalia Romero class as well as the Princípe Jerónimo class of corvettes, which was intended to make up for deficiencies in the Princesa Gloria gunboat corvettes.
The BoP made the controversial decision to hire Tranquíla Steelworks for the frigate contract. Up to this point, the Steelworks had been known for patrol craft and other smaller ships. However, due to the incompetence of the Arma Nautico engineers concerning the Princesa Gloriaclass, it was felt sourcing other shipbuilding firms was appropriate. The Armada received the ARC Régeñe Natalia Romero in 1983 and used the vessel as a testbed for several technologies including helicopter-launched torpedos and missiles, hull-mounted sonar, and naval ballistic computers. The other three ships were received and commissioned between 1984 and 1987 and were all well-liked by their crews and shoreside personnel for their simple, strong construction, ease of maintenance, and modularity. ARC Régeñe Natalia Romero joined her three sister ships as an active Armada ship in 1989. The four vessels were upgraded in 2005 with new radar, electronics, and anti-submarine armaments along with improvements to crew comfort and automation. The frigate hull is expected to be the baseline for future Armada ships of similar size and mission.
The four ships were retired in 2022 and stricken from the naval registry, and have been mothballed at Porto Mañuel Reserve Yards as part of the operational reserve in case of national emergency.