INS Tarshish

INS *Tarshish*
History
Tarshish at Israel 61st Independence Day display, May 2009
Israel
Name	Tarshish
Namesake	Tarshish
Builder	Israel Shipyards Ltd.
Commissioned	June 1995
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat
Displacement	488 tonnes (full load) 430 tonnes (standard)
Length	61.7 m (202.43 ft)
Beam	7.62 m (25.00 ft)
Draft	2.8 m (9.19 ft)
Installed power	4 diesel engines 16,000 bhp (12,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 shafts
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range	4,800 nmi (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	1 Rigid hull inflatable boat
Complement	53 officers and crewmen
Sensors and processing systems	Elta EL/M-2218S air search radar Elta EL/M-2221 fire-control radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	Elbit chaff rocket launchers Rafael RF corner reflector Elisra NS-9003A/9005 RWR
Armament	8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles 16 x Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles 1 x OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun 2 x 0.5 in (12.70 mm) caliber M2 Browning machine guns 3 x 7.62 mm FN MAG 58 general-purpose machine guns 1 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS

The INS Tarshish (Hebrew: תרשיש, Tarshish) is a Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat of the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 3 Flotilla, built by Israel Shipyards Ltd. and commissioned in June 1995.^[1]

Sa'ar 4.5 (Hebrew: סער 4.5) is a class of Israeli Sea Corps missile boats designed and built by Israel Shipyards Ltd. as an improved and stretched Sa'ar 4-class missile boat. There are two different subclasses that are both named Sa'ar 4.5. The first subclass was initially called Chochit (Hebrew: חוחית‎), but renamed to Aliya (Hebrew: עליה‎). Two Aliya-subclass boats are in service with the Mexican Navy. The second subclass was initially called Nirit (Hebrew: נירית‎) but renamed to Hetz (Hebrew: חץ‎). Eight Hetz-subclass boats are in service with the Israeli Navy.