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Republic of Singapore Navy's Endurance Class Tank Landing Ships
27 June 2023
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#Didyouknow that in 1971, our Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) “purchased” its first Littoral-Mission Vessel (LMV) from the US Navy for just US $1!
Fully bought over later in 1975, these County-class vessels provided sea transportation for personnel and equipment for the SAF and served as a training platform for RSN’s midshipmen. They were even deployed to Timor-Leste in 1999 as part of the United Nations’ peacekeeping efforts.
After more than 20 years of service, these County-class LMVs were replaced by Singapore’s Endurance-class tank landing ships (LSTs) in 2000. These LSTs are 40% larger than the previous County-class vessels, travel twice as fast, and place a heavy emphasis on on-board automation. The RSS Endurance, in particular, was also the first ship in the world to use official electronic navigational charts to circumnavigate the globe!
Today, our LSTs continue to contribute to regional and global stability. They participate in various multilateral exercises annually and multinational peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts, such as in Iraq’s Persian Gulf, Aceh (after the 2004 boxing day tsunami), and the Gulf of Aden.
Our LSTs, and by extension, our RSN, are invaluable in allowing Singapore, small as we may be, to be a player in international affairs and contribute to the world!
#TriviaTuesday #TriviaTuesdaySG #Singapore #RSN #Navy #LST #peacekeeping