HDMS Esbern Snare (L17)

For other ships of the same name, see HDMS Esbern Snare.

300px HDMS Esbern Snare in Gdynia Harbour
Career (Denmark)
Name:	HDMS Esbern Snare
Ordered:	November 2001
Builder:	Odense Staalskibsværft
Laid down:	June 2004
Launched:	18 April 2005
Commissioned:	2007
Status:	in active service, as of 2024
General characteristics
Class and type:	Absalon-class command and support ship
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:	2 × MTU 8000 M70 diesel engines; two shafts 22,300 bhp (16.4 mW)
Speed:	>24 kn (44 km/h)
Range:	9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Boats and landing craft carried:	2 × SB90E LCP 2 × RHIBs
Complement:	169
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales SMART-S Mk2 3D volume search radar Terma Scanter 2100 surface search radar Atlas ASO 94 sonar 4 Saab CEROS 200 fire control radars ES-3701 Tactical Radar Electronic Support Measures (ESM)
Electronic warfare and decoys:	4 × 12-barrelled Terma DL-12T 130 mm decoy launchers 2 × 6-barrelled Terma DL-6T 130 mm decoy launchers Seagnat Mark 36 SRBOC
Armament:	1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/54 Mark 45 mod 4 gun 7 × 12.7 mm Heavy machine gun VLS with up to 36 cells RIM-162 ESSM/RIM-7 Sea Sparrow (Mk 56/Mk 48 VLS) 8 × Harpoon Block II SSM Later: 2 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun Systems CIWS MU90 Impact ASW torpedoes 4 × Stinger Point-defence SAM
Aircraft carried:	2 × EH-101
Aviation facilities:	Aft helicopter deck and hangars

HDMS Esbern Snare (L17) and her sister ship HDMS Absalon (L16) are the biggest ships ever in the Royal Danish Navy ^{[citation needed]} and are the two members of the Absalon-class command and support ships.

The ships are the first signs of the changes taking place in the Royal Danish Navy. The primary objective for the Royal Danish Navy will in the future be international operations, and these two ships will be the backbone of these operations. The ships are primarily designed for command and support roles, with a large ro-ro deck, while the planned three new Ivar Huitfeldt class frigate will be equipped for a fighting role, and the possibility to use Tomahawk cruise missiles,^{[citation needed]} a first for the Danish Navy. The new frigates will be very similar to the Absalon-class vessels, but without the large ro/ro deck. The frigates which will be completed in 2008 and 2009, and receive full operational status in 2010 and 2011, replacing the Niels Juel-class of corvettes.

The two ships in the Absalon-class received full operational status in 2007.

• HDMS Esbern Snare (L17).JPG

  HDMS Esbern Snare in Portsmouth for the International Fleet Review, 27 June 2005

• HDMS Esbern Snare.jpg

  HDMS Esbern Snare In Copenhagen, 21 September 2006