IRIS Shahid Mahdavi

History
Iran
Name	Shahid Mahdavi
Namesake	Nader Mahdavi
Operator	Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Builder	HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., South Korea[1]
Commissioned	2000
Recommissioned	March 2023 [2]
Homeport	Bandar Abbas
Identification	Pennant number:L110–3 Code letters:
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Displacement	36,000 t (35,000 long tons; 40,000 short tons)
Length	240 m (787 ft 5 in)
Beam	27 m (88 ft 7 in)
Speed	33 kms/hr
Range	33,000 Kms
Complement	50
Sensors and processing systems	3D phased array radar, EW Suit
Armament	4 x Nawab air defense missiles, anti-aircraft gun systems, Qadr-474 cruise missiles, Zolfaghar anti-ship ballistic missiles
Aircraft carried	Able to carry different types of helicopters (e.g. Mi 17, Bell-412) and different types of drones. [3]
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing deck
Notes	can carry Zulfikar submersible torpedo boats type fast attack crafts

Shahid Mahdavi is a warship operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran that is capable of carrying aircraft, missile launchers, and drones. Shahid Mahdavi, originally a Panamax container ship, built by South Korea;^[4] is the largest ship operated by IRGC Navy. It is 3 times the size of IRIS Shahid Roudaki (12,0000 tons), the other Expeditionary Sea Base operated by IRGC Navy. The ship was launched in line with the stated aim of IRGC Navy to create an asymmetrical military strategy to disrupt the established order.^[5]

Shahid Mahdavi is used for long-range deployments by IRGC Navy. The biggest advantage of this ship is its 150-metre flat deck. The ship was commissioned into service in March 2023 in the presence of IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri.^[6][7] In line with the naming convention of the IRGC the ship is named after a martyr. Shahid Mahdavi or Martyr Mahdavi is named after Nader Mahdavi, an Iranian guardsman killed by the U.S. Navy in 1987 during the Tanker War.^[8] The Shahid Mahdavi was deployed for the first time off Gulf of Aden in May 2023. In February 2024, the ship was used to launch two Zolfaghar or Dezful anti-ship ballistic missiles.^[9] The ship crossed the Equator for the first time in its latest deployment.^[10] The ship was converted from a container ship, formerly known as Sarvin into warship at the ISOICO Shipyard.^[11][1]

Shahid Mahdavi has been described as a 'Q-ship'. Q-Ships are commercial ships that were outfitted with weapons, allowing them to ambush weaker ships or submarine during the World Wars.^[12] This multipurpose warship is designed specifically for long-range operations and is equipped with missiles, air defense systems, and advanced radar.^[10]