3 January 1945
The Persian Navy has released a report summarizing its status and near-term projects.
The Navy noted that its general building program is well advanced, with five modern destroyers and four modern sloops laid down in recent years. While the Ayask class destroyer class will end with the completion of the Eslamshahr, laid down two days ago, the sloop program will continue with five units of a modified Damavand class.
"Our long-term planning has been for three surface action groups, based on a cruiser and four destroyers, and three long-range escort groups, based on four sloops," observed navy chief Rear-Admiral Sadegh Tarzi. "We will meet these targets by 1947."
Of particular note in the present year is the planned retro-fitting of new electronics to the navy's cruisers and destroyers. The hardware, manufactured in Bharat, will be installed in a series of refits at the Bandar-e Abbas shipyard. A similar program is planned for larger patrol units in the near future.
Bharati cooperation will also allow for the construction of two replenishment oilers, vessels too large to be built on Persia's slipways. These ships, to be completed by 1947, will permit blue-water deployments in support of allies or in defence of petroleum exports. Other auxiliaries to be built include amphibious landing craft and a new survey ship.
Ongoing infrastructure development has now shifted to co-funding a Hedjazi drydock which, as Rear-Admiral Tarzi noted, may be used to maintain or repair Persian warships escorting petroleum exports or commercial vessels carrying pilgrims to and from the Hajj. In light of the issue with slipway size, it is expected that 1946 will see the expansion of an existing 120m slipway to 145 or even 170 metres.
One wild-card remaining at this time is the status of Persia's Caspian Sea Flotilla. While an agreement with Azerbaijan and Russia had frozen warship tonnage in the Caspian, that agreement has expired and neither power has responded to Persia's inquiries into the matter. "We see no particular benefit in triggering a new arms race with our neighbours, but there is a practical need to add some auxiliary and patrol elements to our flotilla," Rear-Admiral Tarzi stated. "We do not intend to proceed with construction until 1946, and will keep our neighbours appraised of the general nature of said program to avoid unnecessary friction."