 Blas de Lezo in 2013 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | Blas de Lezo |
| Namesake | Blas de Lezo |
| Ordered | 31 January 1997 |
| Builder | Izar |
| Cost | 600 million € |
| Launched | 16 May 2003 |
| Commissioned | 16 December 2004 |
| Home port | Ferrol |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Álvaro de Bazán-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 5,800–6,391 tonnes[1] |
| Length | 146.7 m (481 ft)[2] |
| Beam | 18.6 m (61 ft) |
| Draft | 4.75 m (15.6 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 28.5knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph)[2] |
| Range | 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[2] |
| Complement | 250 (48 officers)[2] |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 ×Sikorsky SH-60B LAMPS III Seahawk |
Blas de Lezo (F-103) is aSpanish Navyguided missile frigate of theÁlvaro de Bazán class. This is the third ship class ofair defense frigates in the Spanish Navy. It was named after the 18th century SpanishAdmiralBlas de Lezo. The ship was built by Izar Shipbuilding in Ferrol, Spain and entered into service in 2004.[3]
On 16 May 2003Blas de Lezo waslaunched. This was the same day that construction of the frigateMéndez Núñez began.[4]
From 7–11 September 2004Blas de Lezo conducted hersea trials. On 16 December 2004 the frigate was delivered to theSpanish Navy.
In September 2005 the frigate conducted missile launching tests (CSSQT) in theUnited States with the American destroyersUSS Howard andUSS Halsey.[5]
In 2007Blas de Lezo joined the combat group of French nuclear aircraft carrierCharles de Gaulle for two months. She subsequently had an accident on 25 September 2007, during theNATONeptune Warriorexercises offScotland. There were no injuries. An emergency repair was carried out at the Navantia-Ferrol facility inFene, Spain. Then she headed out toDenmark where she took over the command of Permanent Naval Group No. 1 of NATO (SNMG-1). In this group, she replacedÁlvaro de Bazán.
From April 2009 onwardsBlas de Lezo, along with other vessels of SNMG-1, participated in NATO's Allied Protector operation to combat piracy in the waters of theGulf of Aden and theHorn of Africa. On 4 July 2009 during the course of an operation, the crew boarded two vessels suspected of piracy after receiving a warning from the Liberian merchantUnited Lady of a possible attack.[citation needed]
On 9 April 2012 she sailed from Ferrol, Spain to the east coast of the United States to integrate into Task Force 8 of theUnited States Navy. She was joined by the aircraft carrierUSS Dwight D. Eisenhower, aTiconderoga-class cruiser, and threeArleigh Burke-class destroyers with which she trained. Following this drill, she became part of an international group aimed at combating drug trafficking in theCaribbean Sea.[6] On 31 May 2012 she returned to her base at Ferrol.
On 11 June 2013Blas de Lezo sailed from theNaval Station of Rota to take command of NATO Permanent Group No. 2 (SNMG-2) based inAksaz,Turkey, where she arrived on June 15. In the course of this deployment, she participated in Ocean Shield, an anti-piracy operation in theIndian Ocean, and Active Endeavor, part of the fight against terrorism in theMediterranean. On 26 July 2013 she was showcased inIstanbul for The General Directorate of Armaments, Materials of Turkey, and theNavy of Turkey to support Navantia's options in securing a contract for the manufacture of several frigates for Turkey. In early August 2013 the frigate returned to base for maintenance. On 29 August 2013 she departed for the port ofMálaga to start the second phase of her deployment which included the participation on the international exercise Brilliant Mariner 2013. On 13 October 2013Blas de Lezo was relieved inBarcelona byÁlvaro de Bazán.[citation needed]
On 11 July 2014 the frigateCristóbal Colón returned fromOperation Atalanta while the remaining four ships of the F-100 class were based in Ferrol. For the first time, the five F-100 frigates conducted joint training exercises as part of the 31st Escort Squadron.[citation needed]
On 28 June 2015Blas de Lezo received her combat flag inGuecho, offered by the Royal Maritime Club of Abra and the Sports Club; sponsored byAna of Orleans, Duchess of Calabria.[citation needed] In early October 2015 she participated in exercises of International Joint Ventures in Scottish waters; followed by participation in the multinational exercises Trident Juncture 2015, which took place inSpain,Italy andPortugal.
On 22 January 2022, amid theRusso-Ukrainian crisis,Blas de Lezo left Ferrol to join theStanding NATO Maritime Group 2, expected to be deployed in theBlack Sea.[7]
From June to July 2025,Leonor, Princess of Asturias, completed her naval military training at the ship.[8]