- Yes
- No
TL;DR
Coastal vessel, Austrian patrol boat, long boat with light automatic weapons and a recoilless rifle.
Overview:
Austria, despite its permanent neutrality and lack of coastline, has maintained a very small riverine fleet, mainly consisting of small launches. In 1958 the patrol boat detachment was formed, consisting of 2 small boats, and in 1968 the government planned a fleet of 12 patrol boats. The new boats were designed by the Maierform Company and built at the Korneuburg Shipyard. They were designed to be multipurpose vessels, with the ability to quickly convert into one of 3 configurations: E, K, and R, meaning patrol, rescue, and dispatch respectively. The first vessel was delivered in 1970, though a newly elected government decided to cancel any further vessels, and the Austrian patrol fleet would consist only of 2 vessels, the other being a small 12 metre patrol boat.
The sole vessel built was named Niederösterreich, and was commissioned in April 1970. It was armed with turrets containing a 20mm autocannon and a 12.7mm MG, and rear mounts with 2 7.62mm MGs and a recoilless rifle. The 2-ship squadron operated on the Danube River, being based in Vienna and patrolling from the border of Germany to Slovakia, mainly supporting the border police in controlling river traffic. In 2006, army reorganization led to the patrol boat squadron being disbanded and the 2 boats decommissioned. They were transferred to the Museum of Military History, and are currently still extant. The ships are maintained by the “Naval Fellowship Admiral Archduke Franz Ferdinand” and are open to the public. As the ship is still in working condition and the Museum of Military History is owned by the government, it can theoretically be recommissioned in the future.
Specifications:
Armament:
1x1 20mm Oerlikon Mk 66
1x1 12.7mm M2
2x1 7.62mm MG 74
1x1 84mm Carl Gustaf M2
8x1 80mm Smoke grenade launchersDisplacement:
73t fullLength: 29.67m
Beam: 5.41m
Draft: 1.1m
Propulsion: 2 MWM V16 diesel engines, 1620 hp, driving 2 shafts
Speed: 22 knots (40.7 km/h)
Range: 2100nmi (at 16 knots)
Crew: 12
Systems:
Navigation radar
Sonar
Images:
Sources:
Gardiner, R., Chumbley, S., & Budzbon, P. (1995). Austria. In Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995 (p. 21). Naval Institute Press.
https://www.bundesheer.at/waffen/waf_pion-patrouillenboot.shtml
https://www.bundesheer.at/cms/artikel.php?ID=3681
https://www.navypedia.org/ships/austria/austri_rb_niederosterreich.htm
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Niederösterreich_(ship,_1969)