The Indonesian Navy warship, the KRI Bung Tomo 357, docked Monday at Belawan Port in Medan, North Sumatra, after sailing approximately 9,740 nautical miles (17,532 kilometers) from the United Kingdom.
Commander of the I/Belawan Main Naval Base (Lantamal), Commodore Pulung Prambudi, welcomed the multi-role light frigate (MRLF) at a ceremony to mark the occasion.
"It is an honor for Medan citizens that their city was chosen as the first one at which the KRI Bung Tomo has docked," he said.
The government ordered three MLRFs, and the Bung Tomo is the first to be delivered. The remaining two are the KRI John Lie 358 and the KRI Usman Harun 359.
Weighing 2,300 tons, the Bung Tomo is 95 meters long and 12.7 meters wide. Powered by four diesel engines in a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) arrangement, the warship has a top speed of 31 knots.
Prambudi said all three warships were equipped with the latest navigation, communications and weapon systems.
He said the weapons system included a 76-milimeter Oto Melara gun; a 30-mm DS30 REMSIG anti-aircraft cannon; Thales Sensor Cutlass 242 countermeasures; BAE Systems 324-mm torpedoes; MBDA Sea Wolf vertical launching system (VLS) air-to-surface missiles, and MBDA Exocet MM40 Block II anti-ship missiles.
"This warship is very special, just like its name. We hope it will come to possess the heroic spirit and personality of Bung Tomo," Pambudi said.
Bung Tomo was the nickname given to Sutomo, an independence fighter known for a radio broadcast evoking the spirit of Indonesian fighters in their battle against Allied forces on Nov. 10, 1945, an event that was the inspiration for the annual National Heroes' Day.
Bung Tomo, who passed away on Oct. 7, 1981, was officially conferred the title National Hero on Nov. 10, 2008.
(Jakarta Post)
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