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Singapore Navy
The navy had one missile gunboat squadron, one patrol
craft
squadron, one amphibious transport squadron, and
additional ships
for minesweeping and support operations. The West German
Lürssen
model and the indigenously produced missile gunboats
provided the
navy with a limited, but effective, capability to patrol
Singapore's international boundaries with Indonesia and
Malaysia as
well as the seaplane approaches to the island, which were
vital to
the nation's shipping interests. The six Lürssen-designed
Sea Wolf
fast-attack craft could, if necessary, conduct operations
several
hundred kilometers out to sea, and their Gabriel and
Harpoon
surface-to-surface missiles would be effective against
enemy naval
craft within a ninety kilometer range. They also were
equipped with
57mm and 40mm guns. The six British Vosper Thornycraft,
which were
indigenously produced patrol craft, were effective for
patrolling
coastline and inlets. These vessels were equipped with
40mm and
20mm guns. The six landing ships that comprised the
amphibious
transport squadron could transport up to two fully
equipped army
battalions to landing areas in Singapore and neighboring
countries.
The age and slowness of these craft, however, would make
them easy
targets for hostile aircraft and naval vessels during
wartime.
Similarly, Singapore's two obsolescent minesweepers would
be
inadequate to clear all of the sea-lanes around Singapore
should a
hostile foreign power attempt to control the Strait of
Malacca and
other strategic channels in the area.
Data as of December 1989
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