This was announced by the Metinvest group, which owns the Illich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal plants in the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk region, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
According to the report, The hull of the future flagship of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette, which is being built in Turkey, is made of steel, which was made at Illich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal of Metinvest Group, the legendary "participants" in the defense of Mariupol, even before the full-scale war.
Read more: Chronicles of Mariupol Defense from Azov Regiment (Video)
According to a press release from the company, when the corvette was laid down at the Turkish shipyard of RMK Marine Shipyard in September 2021, no one could have imagined that in six months the metal of its hull would become exclusive. And then Metinvest transferred 1,000 tonnes of hot-rolled sheet for production of the corvette. Part of the batch was brought directly from Mariupol (Illich Iron and Steel Works), the other from Italian Metinvest Trametal, where rolled products were made from Azovstal slabs.
In February, the Mariupol plants stopped working, followed by months of enemy siege, daily bombardments and shelling. Azovstal has become a symbol of the indestructibility and resilience of Ukrainians, and the pre-war steel of the Mariupol plants has found a new life.
"A lot of outstanding structures were built from the steel of Azovstal – the newest shelter over the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, one of the highest skyscrapers in Europe, protective gateways for Venice. The lion's share of the Ukrainian army is also our steel. And the modern corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa is also made of Mariupol steel. It is really unbelievable that even now, after the destruction, the Mariupol iron and steel works continue to work for the victory of Ukraine," Yuriy Ryzhenkov, general director of Metinvest Group, is quoted by the press service.
On October 2, the Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette was solemnly launched into the water in Istanbul. Subsequently, the corvette will receive modern weapons and join the ranks of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is with this flagship that a new era of the Ukrainian fleet will begin, the press release emphasizes.
For referense:
Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette is Ada-type corvette.
Board number: F211
Length: 99.5 m.
Beam: 14.4 m.
Speed: 29 knots.
Cruising range: 1,000 miles at 29 knots, 3,500 miles at 15 knots.
Crew: 93 people, including officers; up to 106 people as needed.
The Ada class is a class of anti-submarine corvettes developed primarily for the Turkish Navy during the first stage of the MILGEM project. The Turkish Navy has commissioned all four Ada-class corvettes.
Corvettes of the Ada type are a modern littoral combat ships. They carry out anti-submarine warfare and have high-seas patrol capabilities. In their design, the principles of low observable technology are widely used - reducing visibility in radar, infrared and other surveillance spectra.
The design concept and mission profile of the Ada-class corvette bears similarities with the Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy. The Ada-class corvettes are more heavily armed, and are equipped with more capable radar and sonar systems. The Freedom class has a higher speed and variable mission modules.
As Defense Express reported earlier, Turkey Showed Hetman Ivan Mazepa Corvette for Ukrainian Navy.
Read more: Mariupol garrison has fulfilled its combat mission – General Staff
