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Royal Danish Navy / Kongelige Danske
Marine Absalon class Frigate former Absalon class Command & Support ships were reclassified to Frigates in 2020 |
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F 341 HDMS Absalon (2004) F 342 HDMS Esbern Snare (2005) |
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Length: 137 meters (449 feet 6 inches) Beam: 19.5 meters (64 ft) Draft: 6.3 meters (20 ft 8 in) Displacement: 6600 tonnes full load Speed: 24 knots (44 km/h) Range: 9000 NM (16700 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) Complement: 100 ship + Aircrew / accommodations for up to 300 Propulsion: CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel) 2 x MTU 8000 20V M70 diesel engines (11150 bhp / 8.3 MW, each) 2 shafts, 2 controllable-pitch propellers, 1 bow thruster
Aviation: flight deck and hangar for 2 helicopters (EH-101 Merlin or MH-60R Seahawk) Boats and Landing Craft: 2 x rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) 2 x Storebro SB90E Landing Craft, personnel (LCP) Systems: Thales SMART-S Mk.2 3D medium-to-long-range surveillance and target designation radar Terma Scanter 2100 surface search radar Atlas ASO 94 hull mounted sonar system 4 x Saab CEROS 200 fire control directors (automatic target detection and lock-on radar) ES-3701 tactical radar electronic support measures (ESM) 4 x 12-barrelled Terma DL-12T 130 mm decoy launchers 2 x 6-barrelled Terma DL-6T 130 mm decoy launchers |
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The Absalon class are frigates of the
Royal Danish Navy, commissioned in 2004. The two ships in the class
may be described as a hybrid between a frigate and military
transport ship with multiple role capabilities, with the capacity to
be transformed from a combat ship with the firepower of a
traditional frigate to a hospital ship within a day. Design: The class is based on a frigate-like design, but built with an internal multipurpose deck (flex deck) and a stern vehicle ramp. The ships can serve as command platforms for a staff of 75 persons (naval or joint staff) with a containerized command and control centre, transport and base of operations for a company-sized landing force of some 200 men with vehicles. Alternatively, the flex deck can be used for mine-laying operations with a capacity of some 300 mines, or be fitted out for mine-clearing operations and launch and recover mine detecting and clearing equipment via a retractable gantry crane, adjacent to the stern vehicle ramp, which also is used for launching and recovering the fast landing craft. Furthermore, the flex deck can support a containerized hospital or simply transport a number of ISO standard containers or some 55 vehicles, including up to seven MBTs. The ships can carry two LCPs (Storebro SB90E), two rigid hull inflatable boats and two EH101 helicopters. The ships have been designed by a joint team from The Royal Danish Navy (RDN), the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) and a group of contractors, primarily Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) to the Royal Danish Navy's requirements for a multi-mission frigate-like ship with an emphasis on flexibility. The ships are built to the naval standards of Det Norske Veritas (DNV GL), an international certification body and classification society, heavily utilizing NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG). The design is built with the aim of a large margin for growth over life-cycle, to a relatively low cost of ownership, with open architecture for ease of upgrades, with a high degree of automation allowing smaller crews, and utilizing StanFlex modules that can be shared across several ship classes in service with the Royal Danish Navy. The hulls were built in highly competitive commercial shipyards using the latest development in the industries shipbuilding technology and cost-effective production procedures and processes. The outfitting and integration of sensor, communication and weapons systems was primarily carried out "in-house" by the RDN and DALO. The standard weapons of the Absalon class can be supplemented through the use of StanFlex mission modules. A special weapons deck (nicknamed the 'Bathtub') is designed with five StanFlex module slots. Because of the Bathtub's position, only missile-firing weapons modules can be installed. History: Production started at Odense Steel Shipyard on 30 April 2003, with the lead ship Absalon laid down on 28 November of that year. Esbern Snare followed on 24 March 2004; they were both launched later that year. They were delivered on 19 October 2004 and 17 April 2005 respectively, and commissioned on 10 January 2005 and 17 June 2005. At this point they had the StanFlex modules installed, but would have to wait until 2007 for full operational capability, with the installation of the 35mm CIWS, Mk32 torpedo launchers and Seagnat/SRBOC decoy systems. For political reasons, the ships were originally launched as "Flexible support ships" to avoid antagonising Russia after the end of the cold war. On the 16th of October 2020, both ships were reclassed as ASW-frigates. Both ships will be upgraded with towed array sonars in addition to the existing, hull-mounted sonar and the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters will be equipped with dipping sonars, sonobuoys and torpedoes.This upgrade is expected to complete in 2026. source: wikipedia |
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class images for more images go to the individual ship-site |
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 HDMS Absalon (F-341 / L-16)  HDMS Esbern Snare (F-342 / L-17) ARMAMENT + DETAILS for more images go to the individual ship-site  weapon and antenna arrangement  Thales SMART-S Mk.2 3D radar (medium-to-long-range surveillance and target designation radar) 2 x Saab CEROS 200 fire control directors (automatic target detection and lock-on radar)  Saab CEROS 200 fire control directors (automatic target detection and lock-on radar)  Oerlikon Millennium CIWS - Terma DL-6T/12T 130mm chaff/decoy launchers  weapons deck with 5 STANFLEX spaces: 2 x Mk.141 tube launchers for RGM-84 Harpoon SSM and 3 x Mk.56 vertical launching systems (VLS) for up to 24 RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM (12 missiles loaded)  weapons deck with 5 STANFLEX spaces - only 2 in use for (empty) Mk.56 VLS  weapons deck with 5 STANFLEX spaces - only 3 in use for 2 x (empty) Mk.56 VLS / 1 x (empty) Mk.141 tube launchers  a RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) was fired from the Mk.56 vertical launching system (VLS)  a RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) was fired from the Mk.56 vertical launching system (VLS)  Mk.56 vertical launching systems (VLS) for up to 12 RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM (6 tubes loaded)  a RGM-84 Harpoon SSM was fired from the Mk.141 tube launcher  Oerlikon Millennium 35mm close-in weapon system (CIWS)  built-in twin torpedo tubes for EuroTorp MU90 Impact torpedoes  large flight deck for helicopters up to EH101 Merlin size  large flex deck with stern gate and ramp  stern gate for Storebro SB90E Landing Craft, personnel (LCP) operations  ramp & gates from inside  bridge  combat information center (CIC)  |
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