HNLMS Tromp (F803)
| HNLMS Tromp (F804) The HNLMS Tromp at sea | |
| Career (Netherlands) | Netherlands Jack |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 3 September 1999 |
| Launched: | 7 April 2001 |
| Commissioned: | 14 March 2003 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | De Zeven Provinciën class frigate |
| Displacement: | 6,050 tonnes (full load) |
| Length: | 144.24 m |
| Beam: | 18.80 m |
| Draft: | 5.18 m |
| Propulsion: |
2 propeller shafts, controllable pitch propellers 2 Wärtsilä 16V6ST diesel engines, 8.4 MW each 2 Rolls Royce Spey SM1C gas turbines, 18.5 MW each 4 GEC Alsthom Paxman diesel-generators, 1650 kW each |
| Speed: | 30 knots |
| Complement: | 174 (202 incl. command staff) |
| Armament: |
5×8 Mk41 vertical launch system with 8 cells each Standard armament: 8×4 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles Another 8 cell MK41 VLS can be added 2 Goalkeeper CIWS guns 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers 1 Oto Melara 127 mm/54 dual-purpose gun 2 Oerlikon Contraves 20 mm machine guns 2 twin MK32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers with Raytheon MK46 Mod 5 torpedoes |
HNLMS Tromp (F803) (Dutch: "Hr. Ms. Tromp") is a De Zeven Provinciën class frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was laid down in 1999, launched in 2001, and commissioned in 2003.
Since January 2008, the frigate is commanded by Captain Hans Lodder.[1] Previously it was commanded by Captain H. Itzig Heine.[2]
The frigate is named after naval heroes Maarten Tromp (1598–1653) and Cornelis Tromp (1629–1691).[3]
It should not be mistaken with the HNLMS Tromp (F801), a Tromp class frigate.
Deployment to the Indian Ocean, 2010
Tromp deployed to the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa as part of Operation Atalanta, which is composed of European 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 ship MV Lubeck, which was under attack from two pirate skiffs. Tromp launched her helicopter, which forced the whaler mother ship to stop. Tromp sent a boarding party to secure the vessel. The following day, Tromp tracked down the two skiffs about 100 km from the whaler and stopped them. Crew from Tromp sank the mother ship,[5] and confiscated satellite phones, AK-47s, a rocket 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 realizing Tromp was a warship, the pirates fled. Tromp, however, pursued and captured the two boats, along with a mother ship. The frigate destroyed the two boats and released the pirates in the mother ship, after it had been cleared of weapons.[6]
On 5 April 2010, Tromp rescued the container ship MV Taipan by rappelling 6 Marines from its Lynx helicopter under covering fire from the helicopter and Tromp to the deck of the Taipan and capturing 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]
References
- ↑ (Dutch) Commandant. Royal Netherlands Navy. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
- ↑ (Dutch) "Koninklijke Marine - "Hr. Ms. Tromp"". http://www.marine.nl/schepen/eskader/fregatten/lcf/tromp. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
- ↑ (Dutch) Naam & embleem. Royal Netherlands Navy. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Pirates apprehended by Dutch navy". Expatica.com. March 16, 2010. http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-rss-news/pirates-apprehended-by-dutch-navy_31343.html. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ↑ "EU NAVFOR Destroys 2 more Pirate Action Groups (PAG)". Defense Professionals. March 17, 2010. http://www.defpro.com/news/details/13832/. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ↑ Jason Straziuso (18 March 2010). "Somali Pirates Try to Hijack Dutch Warship, Then Flee". Associated Press. http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/somali-pirates-try-to-hijack-dutch-warship-then-flee/19405251?icid=main. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ↑ "Dutch sidestep EU red tape to rescue German ship". AP. 5 April 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9ETSR1O2.
- ↑ "Dutch Navy frees hijacked containership". Marinelog (has excellent photo of operation). 5 April 2010. http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2010apr00052.html.
External links
- (Dutch) Hr. Ms. Tromp, official website
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