Fridtjof Nansen class frigate
Encyclopedia
The Fridtjof Nansen-class
frigate
s are the main surface combatant units of the Royal Norwegian Navy
. The ships are named after famous Norwegian explorers, with the lead ship of the class
bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen
, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.
Five ships were ordered from Spanish
shipbuilder Bazan (now Navantia
). As of 2011, five ships are in active service. The total projected cost for all five ships is .
s, with a primary focus on antisubmarine warfare (ASW)
. Eventually, the need for a robust anti-aircraft
defense as well as the possibility of incorporating the Naval Strike Missile
SSM
produced by Norwegian
company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
led to a more multi-role design. The selection of Navantia as prime contractor led to the design being very similar to the Spanish Navy's
Alvaro de Bazan-class
frigates, including the incorporation of Lockheed Martin's
AEGIS combat system
.
and ASuW
capabilities.
, thereby participating in the ongoing Operation Atalanta
, the European Union's counter-piracy campaign in Somalia
. Fridtjof Nansen joined the campaign in August 2009.
Fridtjof Nansens engagement in Operation Atalanta was carried out without a permanently stationed helicopter. Mainly due to delays in delivery of the new NH-90, the ship was equipped with two ultra-fast RHIBs
as a replacement for its onboard contingent of marine infantry. In November 2009 she became involved in a firefight with suspected pirates after being attacked while inspecting a fishing vessel.
, Roald Amundsen
, Otto Sverdrup
, Helge Ingstad
and Thor Heyerdahl
.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s are the main surface combatant units of the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The 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 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
. The ships are named after famous Norwegian explorers, with the lead ship of the class
HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310)
HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen is a frigate of the Royal Norwegian Navy. Launched on April 5, 2006, she is the lead ship of the Fridtjof Nansen class of warships.-Counter Piracy:...
bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.
Five ships were ordered from Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
shipbuilder Bazan (now Navantia
Navantia
Navantia, formerly Bazán or IZAR, is a Spanish shipbuilding firm, which offers its services to both military and civil sector. It is the fifth largest shipbuilder in Europe, and the ninth largest in the world with shipyards all over Spain....
). As of 2011, five ships are in active service. The total projected cost for all five ships is .
Design
The frigates were originally intended as a replacement for the aging Oslo-class frigateOslo class frigate
The Oslo class frigate is a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate design, based on the US Navy Dealey class destroyer escorts. The forward hull was customized to suit Norwegian sea conditions better and several sub-systems were European built.- Construction :All ships were built at the Navy Main Yard in...
s, with a primary focus on antisubmarine warfare (ASW)
ASW
ASW, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to:*Air Southwest, a British airline*Ambrosia Software, a predominantly Macintosh software company.*Anti-submarine warfare*Artificial seawater*Aswan International Airport...
. Eventually, the need for a robust anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
defense as well as the possibility of incorporating the Naval Strike Missile
Naval Strike Missile
The Naval Strike Missile is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace , and whose initial serial production contract was signed in June 2007. It has been chosen by the Royal Norwegian Navy for its new Fridtjof Nansen class frigates and...
SSM
Surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket motor or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving...
produced by Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace , one of two operating companies of Kongsberg Gruppen of Norway, is a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications...
led to a more multi-role design. The selection of Navantia as prime contractor led to the design being very similar to the Spanish Navy's
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
Alvaro de Bazan-class
Álvaro de Bazán class frigate
The Álvaro de Bazán class are a new class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defense frigates entering service with the Spanish Navy...
frigates, including the incorporation of Lockheed Martin's
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
AEGIS combat system
Aegis combat system
The 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...
.
Improvements
The new frigates will prove a great improvement over their predecessors, the Oslo-class 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
Anti-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 ASuW
Anti-Surface Warfare
Anti-surface warfare is a type of naval warfare directed against surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's surface ships....
capabilities.
Current activities
On 26 February 2009, the Norwegian government decided to deploy Fridtjof Nansen to the Gulf of AdenGulf of Aden
The 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. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
, thereby participating in the ongoing Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta is a current military operation undertaken by the European Union and the European Union Naval Force. It is part of a larger global action by the EU in the Horn of Africa to deal with the Somali crisis; for example World Food Programme ships food aid to ports in Somalia and...
, the European Union's counter-piracy campaign in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Fridtjof Nansen joined the campaign in August 2009.
Fridtjof Nansens engagement in Operation Atalanta was carried out without a permanently stationed helicopter. Mainly due to delays in delivery of the new NH-90, the ship was equipped with two ultra-fast RHIBs
Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or rigid-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 for its onboard contingent of marine infantry. In November 2009 she became involved in a firefight with suspected pirates after being attacked while inspecting a fishing vessel.
List of ships
The ships are named after explorers Fridtjof NansenFridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
, Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald 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 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
, Otto Sverdrup
Otto Sverdrup
Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer.-Early and personal life:...
, Helge Ingstad
Helge Ingstad
Helge Marcus Ingstad was a Norwegian explorer. After mapping some Norse settlements, Ingstad and his wife Anne Stine, an archaeologist, in 1960 found remnants of a Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in the Province of Newfoundland in Canada...
and Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
.
| # | Name | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F310 | Fridtjof Nansen HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310) HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen is a frigate of the Royal Norwegian Navy. Launched on April 5, 2006, she is the lead ship of the Fridtjof Nansen class of warships.-Counter Piracy:... |
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 | 18 January 2011 |
External links
- Official Royal Norwegian Navy website on the class
- Official Royal Norwegian Navy website on the class
- Andrew Toppan's Haze Gray and UnderwayHaze gray and underwayHaze gray and underway is a United States Navy saying that refers to surface ships in arduous duty at sea, in contrast to submarines or naval units in ceremonial roles or in port...
page for the Royal Norwegian Navy - Lockheedmartin:Spy-1F makes waves during debut, makes the furthest ESSM intercept ever, outstanding sea skimmer detection
- Norway order Sting Ray mod 1 torpedo for frigates
- Sea Protector remote weapon systems ordered (march 2009) for Nansen frigates
- Norway ordering the AN/SSQ-62E DICASS sonobuoy acoustic emissions detection system (Jan 2010)
- http://www.defpro.com/news/details/18513/ - Reutech radar installed aboard Norwegian frigate (Oct 2010)