The Fridtjof Nansen
class of frigateA frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and manoeuvrability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, for the Royal Norwegian NavyThe Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 3 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 6 corvettes, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection...
, are a derivative of the SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Alvaro de Bazán class
The Álvaro de Bazán class are a new class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defense frigates entering service with the Spanish Navy...
of
Aegis combat systemThe Aegis combat system is an integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and now produced by Lockheed Martin...
-equipped air defence frigates.
NavantiaNavantia , formerly Bazán or IZAR, has become Spain's leading shipbuilding firm, offering its services to both military and civil projects....
,
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer, global security and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed with Martin Marietta. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 146,000 people...
and the
US NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
are conducting final systems integration. A total of five will enter service between 2006 and 2010. The total projected cost for all five ships is . Both the class of ship as well as the lead ship are named after
Fridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner....
, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.
Fridtjof Nansen
is unofficially considered to be the flag ship of the Royal Norwegian NavyThe Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 3 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 6 corvettes, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection...
.
The new frigates will prove a great improvement over their predecessors, the Oslo
classOslo class frigates are a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate design, based on the U.S. Navy Dealey class destroyer escorts. The forward hull was customized to suit Norwegian sea conditions better and several sub-systems were European built....
frigates, not only in size, but also in personnel, capabilities and equipment.
Discussion
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The Fridtjof Nansen
class of frigateA frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and manoeuvrability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, for the Royal Norwegian NavyThe Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 3 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 6 corvettes, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection...
, are a derivative of the SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Alvaro de Bazán class
The Álvaro de Bazán class are a new class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defense frigates entering service with the Spanish Navy...
of
Aegis combat systemThe Aegis combat system is an integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and now produced by Lockheed Martin...
-equipped air defence frigates.
NavantiaNavantia , formerly Bazán or IZAR, has become Spain's leading shipbuilding firm, offering its services to both military and civil projects....
,
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer, global security and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed with Martin Marietta. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 146,000 people...
and the
US NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
are conducting final systems integration. A total of five will enter service between 2006 and 2010. The total projected cost for all five ships is . Both the class of ship as well as the lead ship are named after
Fridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner....
, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.
Fridtjof Nansen
is unofficially considered to be the flag ship of the Royal Norwegian NavyThe Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 3 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 6 corvettes, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection...
.
Improvements
The new frigates will prove a great improvement over their predecessors, the Oslo
classOslo class frigates are a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate design, based on the U.S. Navy Dealey class destroyer escorts. The forward hull was customized to suit Norwegian sea conditions better and several sub-systems were European built....
frigates, not only in size, but also in personnel, capabilities and equipment. Compared to the old Oslo
class vessels, the new ships will be 35 meters longer, nine meters taller and two meters deeper below water. They will also be five meters broader and have three times the water displacement of the old ships. This will go a great way to solving one of the problems with the Oslo
class: lack of space and much discomfort for the crew. The frigates will also operate six new NFH NH90 helicopters, with the role as an extended "arm" of the frigates' ASWAnti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
and ASuWAnti-surface warfare, or ASUW is a type of naval warfare directed against surface ships...
capabilities.
Current Activities
The Fridtjof Nansen
class will be doing extensive service with NATO's permanent Atlantic forces as of 2008, and one of the frigates will be permanently sailing as part of the command as of that year. Until then, Norway will, as in the past, continue to contribute to this force, but is unable to retain a permanent presence.
On 26 February 2009, the Norwegian government decided to deploy HNoMS Fridtjof Nanse
n to the Gulf of AdenThe Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in the Horn of Africa...
, thereby participating in the ongoing Operation AtalantaOperation Atalanta is a campaign of the European Union to stop the piracy off the Somali coast. The joint naval patrol will include vessels from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Norway announced on February 27, 2009, that it will send one frigate...
, the European Union's counter-piracy campaign in Somalia. HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen joined the campaign in August 2009.
Fridtjof Nansen's engagement in Operation Atalanta is for the time being carried out without a permanently stationed helicopter. Mainly due to delays in delivery of the new NH-90, the ship is equipped with two ultra-fast
RHIBsA rigid-inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat, is a light-weight but high performance and high capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy...
as a replacement.
List of ships
The ships are named after explorers Fridtjof Nansen,
Roald AmundsenRoald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912. He was also the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage...
,
Otto SverdrupOtto Neumann Sverdrup was a native of Bindal, Nordland county, Norway, known for his achievements within the areas of Arctic science and exploration.-Early life:...
,
Helge IngstadHelge Marcus Ingstad was a Norwegian explorer. After mapping some Norse settlements, Ingstad and his wife Anne Stine, an archaeologist, in 1963 found remnants of a Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in the Province of Newfoundland in Canada...
and
Thor HeyerdahlThor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a scientific background in zoology and geography...
.
Fridtjof Nansen class — significant dates
| # |
Name |
Ordered |
Laid down |
Launched |
Commissioned |
| F310 |
Fridtjof Nansen |
23 June 2000 |
9 April 2003 |
3 June 2004 |
5 April 2006 |
| F311 |
Roald Amundsen |
23 June 2000 |
3 June 2004 |
25 May 2005 |
21 May 2007 |
| F312 |
Otto Sverdrup |
23 June 2000 |
25 May 2005 |
28 April 2006 |
30 April 2008 |
| F313 |
Helge Ingstad |
23 June 2000 |
28 April 2006 |
23 November 2007 |
29 September 2009 |
| F314 |
Thor Heyerdahl |
23 June 2000 |
23 November 2007 |
11 February 2009 |
Expected in autumn 2010 |
External links