NRTL Kamenassa was a Chamsuri-class patrol boat of the Timor-Leste Defence Force. Built for the Republic of Korea Navy as P217 in 1978, it was transferred to Timor-Leste with two other boats in 2011. The ship was intentionally sunk as a dive wreck in 2023.

History

The boat was built by Korea Shipbuilding Corporation and was commissioned into the ROKN as P217 on 11 December 1978.[1] It was decommissioned in 2011 and handed over to the maritime component of the Timor-Leste Defence Force, with two other patrol boats named NRTL Dili and NRTL Hera. The new boats had the primary purpose of countering illegal fishing activities and protecting the territorial waters of Timor-Leste.[2][3][4]

By 2023, the boat had fallen into disrepair, and SCUBA divers of the Timorese maritime component began searching for an appropriate site to scuttle the ship for use as a dive site. On 15 July 2023, the boat's mast was removed, it was tugged into the dive location 40 kilometers from Dili at K41 East. The ship was sunk by cutting holes in the bow and stern, and rests 18 meters from the water's surface.[5]

References

  1. ^ Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 165. ISBN 9-7-815911-4954-5.
  2. ^ "Timor-Leste receives three patrol vessels from the South Korean Government « Government of Timor-Leste". timor-leste.gov.tl. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  3. ^ Defense, R. P. "East Timor Naval Force Receives Three Patrol Vessels from South Korea". RP Defense (in French). Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  4. ^ "S Korea hands over decommissioned patrol boats to Timor Leste". web.archive.org. 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  5. ^ Woodward, Marianne (2023-07-18). "Timor Leste's newest shipwreck". Dive Timor Lorosae. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRTL_Kamenassa
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