The Iraqi Armed Forces

[Gomig-21]

Assad-class corvette MUSA IBN NUSAYR F210 sank at Iraqi naval base in Umm Qasr port.

Oh no! What happened? Did the bottom of the hull just rust out? Looks like the one that's still afloat has been sitting in the water there for a long time the way there's so much rust on the hull at the water line.

 

[AnArabianChocolateHorse]

That ship is rusty and had been docked from 1990 till 2018 or something. Not in an operational state.

Iraq should just purchase a couple of new corvettes and that's enough for the navy

 

[Gomig-21]

That ship is rusty and had been docked from 1990 till 2018 or something. Not in an operational state.

Even though all these navy ships have steel hulls that are pre-primed with rust-proof paint out of the factory with additional bottom paint to slow marine growth, all those protective layers only last so long which is why they always dry-dock them at periodic intervals for maintenance. Not only that, but many navies will even hire their own frogmen to swim under them and scrape all the nasty barnacles and marine growth that accumulates on the bottoms to keep them clean & smooth to be able to cruise at their maximum & efficient speeds. Most of the scheduled dry dock maintenances call for complete striping of all the protective layers and new ones applied.

Iraq should just purchase a couple of new corvettes and that's enough for the navy

Insha'Allah it will.