.jpg) HNLMSTromp at sea | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Tromp |
| Namesake | Maarten Tromp andCornelis Tromp |
| Laid down | 3 September 1999 |
| Launched | 7 April 2001 |
| Commissioned | 14 March 2003 |
| Identification |
|
| Honours and awards | KNMI Medal |
| Badge | .jpg) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | De Zeven Provinciën-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 6,050 tonnes (full load) |
| Length | 144.24 metres (473.2 ft) |
| Beam | 18.80 metres (61.7 ft) |
| Draft | 5.18 metres (17.0 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Complement | 174 (202 incl. command staff) |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 xNH90 NFH helicopter |
HNLMSTromp (F803) (Dutch: "Zr. Ms.Tromp") is the secondDe Zeven Provinciën-classfrigate of theRoyal Netherlands Navy. The ship was laid down in 1999, launched in 2001, and commissioned in 2003. The frigate is named afterDutchnaval heroesMaarten Tromp (1598–1653) andCornelis Tromp (1629–1691).[1]
As of 18 June 2010, Commander René Tas is HNLMSTromp's commanding officer.[2]
In November 2006, HNLMSTromp participated in a live Theatre Ballistic Missile (TBM) Tracking Exercise (TRACKEX). The event took place on the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Hawaii. For the TRACKEX,Tromp was equipped with the experimental Extended Long Range (ELR) modification to itsThales NederlandSMART-L radar. During the exercise, a ballistic missile surrogate was launched from Kauai Island and was successfully tracked by HNLMSOS2 Vincent Li using its ELR-modified SMART-L radar. Another successful TRACKEX was held in December 2006.[3]
Tromp deployed to the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa as part ofOperation Atalanta, which is composed ofEuropean Union naval units. The operation is tasked with suppression of piracy in the region.[4]
On 14 March 2010,Tromp responded to a distress call from the transport shipMV Lubeck, which was under attack from two pirateskiffs.Tromp launched her helicopter, which forced thewhaler mother ship to stop.Tromp then sent a boarding party to secure the vessel. The following day,Tromp tracked down the two skiffs about 100 km (62 mi) from the whaler and stopped them. Crew fromTromp sank the mother ship,[5] and confiscated satellite phones,AK-47s, arocket launcher, and boarding equipment.[4]
Three days later, on 17 March 2010,Tromp was involved in an incident with suspected pirates off the coast of eastern Africa. Two small boats approached the frigate at high speed. After realizingTromp was a warship, the pirates fled. However,Tromp pursued and captured the two boats, along with a mother ship. The frigate destroyed the two boats and released the pirates to the mother ship, after it had been cleared of weapons.[6]
On 5 April 2010,Tromprescued the container ship MVTaipan by rappelling six Marines from itsLynx helicopter (under covering fire from the helicopter andTromp) to the deck ofTaipan, resulting in the capture of 10 pirates. The 13 crew (2 German, 3 Russian, 8 Sri Lankan) were unharmed having taken refuge in a secure location after stopping the ship's engines.[7][8][9]
On 1 June 2010,Queen Beatrix visitedNorway aboardTromp for a 3-daystate visit.[10]
On her return to her homeport in February 2011 through theMediterranean, the ship was deployed to theGulf of Sidra to potentially assist in the safe return of Dutch nationals during the2011 Libyan civil war. While performing an evacuation mission near the town ofSirte, a Lynx helicopter and its three-man crew were captured by members of theLibyan Army. The Dutch engineer and Swedish woman they were trying to rescue were allowed to leave Libya; negotiations yielded the crew's release.[11]
Tromp along with sister shipDe Ruyter participated in Exercise Formidable Shield 2017 off the coast of Scotland. She fired anSM-2 missile and aRIM-162 ESSM at a supersonic target fired byUS Air ForceF-16 aircraft.[12][13]
On 11 September 2022,Tromp departedNieuwe Haven to joinStanding NATO Maritime Group 1. This was the first deployment forTromp since undergoing a midlife update from 2018 to 2021.[14]
On 9 March 2024,Tromp, embarking anNH90 NFH departed for her six-month deployment, sailing first to the Red Sea to deploy underOperation Prosperity Guardian whilst providing associated support forOperation Aspides.[15][16] She entered the area of operations in late March 2024, and continued on to theIndo-Pacific in late April 2024. During the deployment, the ship was once raised togeneral quarters, the first such incident in the Royal Netherlands Navy since theYugoslav Wars. During its patrols in theEast China Sea the ship was circled by two Chinese warplanes several times.[17][18][19]Tromp participated inRIMPAC 2024 and on 23 July 2024, she fired aHarpoon anti-ship missile as part of aSINKEX against a decommissioned US Navy vessel.[20]
In January 2025,Tromp, as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, took part in Baltic Sentry, protecting undersea cables in the Baltic.[21]
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Media related toF803 Zr.Ms. Tromp (ship, 2003) at Wikimedia Commons