_underway_in_the_Atlantic_Ocean_off_the_coast_of_Greenland_on_16_August_2019_(190816-N-TJ319-1251).JPG) Absalon in 2019 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Denmark | |
| Name | Absalon |
| Namesake | Absalon |
| Ordered | November 2001 |
| Builder | Odense Staalskibsværft |
| Laid down | 28 November 2003 |
| Launched | 25 February 2004 |
| Completed | 1 July 2004 |
| Commissioned | 19 October 2004 |
| Home port | Frederikshavn |
| Identification | |
| Status | In active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Frigate |
| Displacement | 6,300 tonnes |
| Length | 137.6 m (451 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 19.5 m (64 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 24knots (44 km/h) |
| Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Complement | 169 |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×EH-101[1] or 2 ×Westland Lynx |
| Aviation facilities | Aft helicopter deck and hangars |
HDMSAbsalon (F341) and her sister shipEsbern Snare of theRoyal Danish Navy (RDN) are the two members of theAbsalon class.[2] The lead ship of the class is named after Danish archbishop and statesmanAbsalon and received full operational status in 2007. Originally named with thepennant number L16, the ship was reclassified from a "flexible support ships" to anASWfrigate in October, 2020.[3]
The ships are the first in a series of RDN vessels tasked with carrying out new types of missions, and are to form the backbone of the international operations that the RDN is increasingly focusing on.[4]
TheAbsalon-class ships are primarily designed for command and support roles, with a largero-ro deck, but with their many offensive weapons and new anti-submarine weapons and tasks, the class was changed to frigates in 2020.
The threefrigates of the succeedingIver Huitfeldt class are similar to theAbsalon-class vessels but without the large ro-ro deck.[5]
Absalon is one of a number of vessels to have been filmed by documentary makers to appear on theMighty Ships TV programme, detailing the capabilities and stories of the ship and crew.[6]
Starting in 2008, HDMSAbsalon participated in theUN-ledcounter-piracy mission offSomalia and the east coast ofAfrica, acting as flagship to the Danish Task Group which ledTask Force 150.[7] In September 2008, as part of the task force,Absalon was involved in the capture of 10 pirates, who were eventually set free. On 3 December 2008, after the mandate had been extended,[8]Absalon rescued a disabledskiff with suspected pirates aboard in theGulf of Aden, 90 miles off the coast ofYemen;[9] the Somali craft was reported to holdrocket-propelled grenades andAK-47 assault rifles, and to have been adrift for several days.Absalon took the sailors and weapons aboard, sank the craft, and turned the sailors over to the Yemeni Coast Guard.[10]Absalon was reportedly the most successful counter-piracy warship in theGulf of Aden, capturing 88 out of the 250 pirates detained.[11]
On 16 March 2009,Absalon, along with theTurkish frigateTCG Giresun, successfully prevented pirates from capturing theVietnamesecargo shipMV Diamond Falcon.[12][13]Absalon's counter-piracy mission with NATO Task Force 150 in Somali waters ended 1 April 2009, after resulting in the capture of over 80 pirates, some of whom were transferred to theNetherlands for trial.[14]
On 5 February 2010,Absalon helped to rescue the crew of theAntigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant vesselAriella, which was being hijacked by six armed pirates.Absalon dispatched a helicopter and a special forces team, deterring the pirates.[15] On 1 March 2010,Absalon was reported to have sunk a Somali piratemother ship carrying several pirate speedboats in theIndian Ocean.[16]
On 7 January 2012,Absalon intercepted and boarded a Somali pirate mother ship in the Indian Ocean. The boarding crew freed 14 Iranian and Pakistani fishermen who had been held as hostages for over two months.[17]
On 30 November 2015,Minister of DefencePeter Christensen, announced thatAbsalon was to be moved to theMediterranean Sea, in order to accommodateTurkey's request toNATO, for a larger military presence in the area.[18]
From 7 May to 13 May 2022,Absalon took part in Exercise Mjolner 2022 held in theArctic region.[19]
Media related toIMO 9284441 at Wikimedia Commons