Castor class coastal patrol vessels of the Belgian Navy (plus PHOTO GALLERY #36)

Written by D-Mitch

The two coastal patrol vessels of the Belgian Navy

The Belgian Navy, officially the Belgian Maritime Component (Marinecomponent) of the Belgian Armed Forces, provides the maritime component of Belgium’s defence capabilities. The Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces consists currently of two frigates, five mine hunters, two offshore patrol vessels, one command and support ship and one oceanographic ship, all located in the Belgian naval base in Zeebrugge. The Navy also operates a sail training ship, a number of tugs and a large number of rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), the majority of them carried by the naval units. It is a small but modern and very capable naval force and will be even more capable in the future thanks to two major projects which will provide six new multi-mission large minehunters and two multi-mission frigates. In this article we will analyze the patrol boats.

PHOTO GALLERY #35: Binzhou, frigate of the People's Liberation Army Navy

Binzhou, Type 054A-class frigate of the PLAN

Another photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2018, on the first weekend of the 136th Kiel Week. More galleries will follow from 2018-19 Kiel Weeks. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. This post is about a very unique visitor to Kiel, a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 054A class frigate (Jiangkai II), Binzhou (515)! The Type 054A (NATO codename Jiangkai II) frigate is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates, the first of which entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2007. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate (2 ships), using the same hull but with improved sensors and weapons (such as a VLS instead of a trainable launcher, new CIWS and main gun). This is the second frigate of the class I visited after the Yuncheng (see here) in 2015. Binzhou was commissioned in December 2016 and she is the 23rd vessel (Batch III) in a class of total 30 ships (pus the two Type 054s) until now. A new frigate that is under development will succeed the class. Binzhou is 134 meters long and has a full displacement around 4,000 tons. Enjoy the photos!

CNV P355GR, the new coastal patrol vessels of the Hellenic Coast Guard

Written by D-Mitch

The first two P355s at CNV shipyard in Italy

One of the new boat designs that will join the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) (Λιμενικό Σώμα - Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή) naval forces in the near future (ream more here) is the P355GR, a coastal patrol vessel design by the Italian shipbuilder Cantiere Navale Vittoria (CNV) SpA. On Jan 22, 2019, the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy signed a €42 million contract with Cantiere Navale Vittoria, through the exclusive representative of the company in Greece, Gladius PC, for the supply of three (3) state-of-the-art patrol boats to the HCG and an option for a fourth vessel. This day marked the beginning of an ambitious mini-armament program for HCG, a program that aims to strengthen the organization with modern boats with increased capabilities and new equipment but also to modernize existing equipment such as craft and aircraft.

MAGNA 960RIB Invader, the workhorse of Hellenic Army Amphibious Special Forces

Written by Γ.Μ.

Motomarine Magna 960RIB Mk I Invader

The Hellenic Army Amphibious Raider (Special) Forces (Δυνάμεις Αμφίβιων Καταδρομών, Ελληνικός Στρατός) which were developed in the islands of the eastern Aegean after 1974, are the most elite part of the Greek defense against the threat from the east to these islands. The main and, at present, the most capable and most numerous floating mean available to the Amphibious Special Forces, are the high speed rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) Magna 960RIB Invader. The procedures for their acquisition began immediately after the events in Imia between Greece and Turkey in 1996, under the urgent need to replace the old boats of the types L19, L27 and L30 used by the Special Forces of the Hellenic Army of that time.

SuperTermoli (ST) 60 - The best fast interceptor craft of the Hellenic Navy Underwater Demolition Command

Written by D-Mitch

 

The SuperTermoli (ST) 60 ΣΑΠ 11 returns into active
service fully modernized and upgraded!

The Underwater Demolition Command (UDC) (Greek: Διοίκηση Υποβρυχίων Καταστροφών), abbreviated as DYK) is the Hellenic Navy's elite special warfare unit. The DYK is organized into sections called Underwater Demolition Teams (Greek: Ομάδες Υποβρυχίων Καταστροφών), commonly known in their abbreviated form as OYK, that specialize in a particular area. DYK integrates Special Operation Forces (SOF) teams, Amphibious Reconnaissance Teams, Explosive Ordnance Teams (EOD), Special Operation Craft (SOC, ΣΑΠ in Greek) and Underwater Vessels (UV), the Underwater Demolition School (UDS), and the Underwater Demolition Base (UDB) according to the Operation Planning and under the orders of Hellenic Navy General Staff and Hellenic Navy Fleet Command. Among the several boats of different types (unfortunately) in the Command's inventory, there is one that distinguishes from all the rest thanks to its performance and size. This is the ST60 interceptor, the only real interceptor craft actually in the SOC fleet, designed by the Italian manufacturer SuperTermoli and built in Greece.

VIKING Norsafe MUNIN S1200 Extended Cabin ambulance boat of the Hellenic Coast Guard

Written by D-Mitch

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin

As I had reported in early February, in the article VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part B: Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard), the VIKING Norsfafe Hellas was manufacturing that time three (3) VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin offshore, high-performance, ambulance boats, for the the Hellenic Coast Guard at its facilities in Theba, Greece. The boats are designed to support emergency services in the Aegean Sea. The international tender was concluded after cooperation between the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek Emergency Response Organization (E.K.A.B), in an initiative supported and financed by the European Union under the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program 2014-2020. The cost for the three boats reached the 1,398,000 euros. All three ambulance boats are scheduled for delivery during the summer of 2020 and will operate in remote Greek islands of the Aegean. This post will walk you through the first boat that was delivered on August 3 and will be stationed in Naxos island, the largest of the Cyclades island group. Τhe other two vessels will be stationed in Rhodes and Leros.
UPDATE: By February 2022, the Hellenci Coast Guard has receive eight (8) vessels.

PHOTO GALLERY #34: Karathanasis, fast attack craft of the Hellenic Navy

Ypoploiarchos Karathanasis, the new FACM of Greece

In this new photo gallery I share the photos I took on two different days of the new 6th Roussen-class fast attack missile craft (FACM) of the Hellenic Navy, Ypoploiarchos Karathanasis (P-78). The new boat was named after Lieutenant Christodoulos Karathanasis who was killed on 31 January 1996, during the Imia crisis, when the AB 212 helicopter PN 21 crashed into the sea. The first six photos were taken while I was onboard the new general support ship Heracles (A-472) on July 2 during a Photographic Exercise (Photex), when Karathanasis was on her final sea trials. The rest of the photos, 30 in total, were taken during the naming ceremony of the ship on July 28. Finally, I have included also at the end of the post seven photos which were taken on these two days by the Hellenic Navy. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to visit the ship neither I had enough time to take more photos; I hope I will do that in the near future and thus to learn more about her differences from her older sisters in the class and subsequently to enrich this article with more photos. Enjoy!

FLEETS #28: Royal Swedish Navy, Royal Norwegian Navy, Argentine Navy and Royal Canadian Navy in WWII

The following images illustrate the most important classes of warships that were in service with the navies of Sweden, Norway, Canada and Argentina during the World War II. All the images are created by www.naval-encyclopedia.com. In that page you can read some excellent naval history articles, to download other graphs or you can purchase the same graphs in high resolution in the online shop! More posts will follow for your collection of current naval fleets but also of fleets from the past.

Royal Swedish Navy (Svenska marinen) in WWII

Click to enlarge and save the image to view the details - Royal Swedish Navy in WWII

PHOTO GALLERY #33: Mount Whitney, amphibious command ship of the United States Navy

USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), flagship of the the U.S. 6th Fleet

This is another photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the visiting ships, was the U.S. 6th Fleet (Commander Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti) Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20). The ship is named for Mount Whitney, a peak in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).

VIKING Norsafe wins Hellenic Navy tender for 11 RIBs

Each MEKO 200/Hydra class frigate carriers a single RIB

On Wednesday, April 1, VIKING Norsafe Life-Saving Equipment Hellas S.A. was officially declared the winning bidder in a Hellenic Navy tender covering eleven (11) customized METIS Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) between 6 and 7 meters in length. The eleven boats will replace existing RIBs, already in service with MEKO/Hydra class, Kortenaer/Elli class frigates and/or other ships in the Fleet. Each frigate carriers a single RIB and one (Kortenaer) or two (Hydra) workboats. The new RIBs will be deployed predominantly to support search and rescue (SAR) operations. The delivery of the  vessels is scheduled for Summer 2020. The boats will be fabricated using the successful design of the VIKING Norsafe METIS. Six (6) of them will be fitted with a single outboard engine and five (5) with twin outboard engines, as well as with state-of-the-art navigation navigation equipment. They will be able to sustain a top speed of at least 30 knots, even fully loaded and can carry at least ten persons on board.

INFOGRAPHICS OF COAST GUARD VESSELS #7: The new boats of the Hellenic Coast Guard 2020-2024

Written by D-Mitch

The first CNV P355GR PCB under construction

This is the seventh post about infographics of various coast guard vessels and coast guard fleets from around the world.  The following infographic depicts the boats the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) will commission by 2024. On March 18, 2020, the Greek Minister for Shipping and Island Policy announced that the HCG will purchase 54 vessels by 2023. It is expected though a delay in the delivery of the vessels due to COVID-19 pandemic. That is the reason why I postponed the deliveries by 2024. Note that the following graph includes only the new vessels and not the old vessels of which many of them have been modernized. Information about some of the largest HCG vessels can been found in the following links: Stan Patrol 5509, Sa'ar 4 class and Vosper Europatrol 250 Mk1. Currently the Hellenic Coast Guard fleet in its totality consists of approximately 240 vessels of all types (see more here).

The new boats for the Hellenic Coast Guard. High resolution infographic here.

PHOTO GALLERY #32: Bonn, replenishment ship of the German Navy

Bonn, replenishment ship of the German Navy

This is the ninth photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the German ships moored at the Base, was the final vessel in the giant Berlin-class replenishment ships, Bonn (A1413), a ship that was commissioned in 2013. Her sisters are Berlin and Frankfurt am Main; both have a rear mast and until some years ago they lack of the Thales Variant radar. Berlins are combat support ships which serve the logistical and medical support of mixed task forces. They are the largest ships of the German Navy and named after cities in which German parliaments were or are based. In Canada , the design of the Berlin class was selected in a competition on June 2, 2013 for the two new "Joint Support Ships" ( Protecteur (II) class) of the Royal Canadian Navy. Her length is almost 174m, the beam 24m, while the displacement reaches the 21,000t at full load. Berlin class's capacity is 9,330 tonnes in total, consisting of fuel oil (7,600), aviation fuel (490), fresh water, ammunition, consumer goods and others. There are 84 container parking spaces on board. The ships of the class can take care of the disposal of waste water and waste from the supplied units. The flight deck is quite large while the hangar can accommodate two 10t helicopters, Sea King or NH90, which are used to transport people and materials. The flight deck also allows the use of even larger helicopters. For self-defense, the ship is armed with four (4) Rheinmetall MLG 27 remote weapon 27mm gun systems, Stinger MANPADS and a variety of machine guns. The ships can be equipped with a so-called Naval Rescue Center (MERZ) for medical support as a hospital ship. The MERZ system consists of a network of 26 ISO special containers , which form a two-story deck house and are connected to the on-board supply network. The containers contain examination rooms, operating rooms, diagnostic and therapeutic facilities and laboratories. A bed station below deck instead of a hold is designed for the care of 45 patients. The ships are equipped also with two big cranes, each 22 t lifting load. The crew is about 150 people. Enjoy the photos!

VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part B: Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard - MUNIN S1200 CABIN, MARATHON 900RIB-D, MUNIN S1200 EXT. CABIN, METIS 600RIB, METRON 850)

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 armed with Kongsberg's Sea
Protector RWS. Original photo by Kongsberg

This is the 2nd part of our visit to the manufacturing plant of VIKING Norsafe Hellas in Thiva, Greece, in order to learn at first hand its world-famous products and especially those that are/will be in service with the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Hellenic Coast Guard. Founded in 1974, VIKING Norsafe Hellas is the Greek subsidiary of the leading global maritime safety solutions provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S. VIKING Norsafe Hellas produces high quality marine life-saving appliances – lifeboats, rescue boats and davits, using the latest technologies and materials in order to protect seafarers and offshore workers worldwide. In the 1st Part, we showed the large facilities of VIKING Norsafe in Greece as well as a presentation of a new RIB, Munin S1200 Open, that is offered to the Hellenic Army Special Forces. In this article, we will see the Munin S1200 Cabin and other boats of VIKING Norsafe that serve or will serve with the Hellenic Coast Guard and Hellenic Navy.

VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part A: Hellenic Army Special Forces - MUNIN S1200 OPEN)

The first VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 in high speed in 2018

Naval Analyses, visited the manufacturing plant of VIKING Norsafe Hellas in Thiva, Greece, in order to learn at first hand its world-famous products and especially those that are/will be in service with the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Hellenic Coast Guard. Founded in 1974, VIKING Norsafe Hellas is the Greek subsidiary of the leading global maritime safety solutions provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S. VIKING Norsafe Hellas produces high quality marine life-saving appliances – lifeboats, rescue boats and davits, using the latest technologies and materials in order to protect seafarers and offshore workers worldwide. 

Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part Β: waship models)

Visiting the IMMH - Part B:ship models!

This is the second part, about my visit to the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg (IMMH, International Maritime Museum of Hamburg), a private museum in a former warehouse (Kaispeicher B) in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The museum houses predominantly Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs on 12,000m2 (130,000 sq ft). It is the world's largest private collection of maritime artifacts. Three thousand years worth of maritime history are displayed on nine ‘decks’ with precious exhibits, model ships, armor, photographs, maps, paintings and much much more. To learn more about the IMMH you can visit Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part A: general impressions) because in this Part B (and final part), we will focus on the ship models and almost mainly those of WWII. Ι repeat that I had a great time there and I wish I could have more time to examine more other ship models (yes, there are not only those ship models I post here) as well as other details, paintings and maps, and to visit some sub-floors in between the nine floors which I missed. I could say that the museum is "nine floors of naval awesomeness"! An amazing well-maintained maritime museum worth visiting again and again! For the moment enjoy more than 200 photos of various warships accompanied by useful information!

Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part A: general impressions)

The impressive IMMH building in Hamburg

The Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg (IMMH, International Maritime Museum of Hamburg) is a private museum in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The museum houses predominantly Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs on 12,000m2 (130,000 sq ft). It is the world's largest private collection of maritime artifacts. It opened in a former warehouse in 2008. The private collection was started in 1934 by Peter Tamm (12 May 1928 – 29 December 2016) - former editor for naval themes at the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper and chairman of the board of the Axel Springer AG - when Tamm was six years old. As Tamm retold the history, the initial event was when his mother presented him his first model ship. From his collection, he founded the Wissenschaftliches Institut für Schifffahrts- und Marinegeschichte (Academic Institute for Shipping and Naval History) located in a mansion at the Elbchaussee street and only open by appointment. Later, on December 10th 2002, the Peter Tamm Sen. Stiftung foundation was established, which is the owner of the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg. In 2004 the Hamburg Parliament approved a €30 million grant for a new museum in the HafenCity quarter unanimously. In 2005, the building was given to the foundation by lease for free for 90 years by the senate of Hamburg. On 25 June 2008, the museum was opened by the German president Horst Köhler.