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The ''Baleares'' class are a group of five
All ships were built in Ferrol. They made up the 31 Escort Squadron, based in Ferrol. The Spanish Navy adopted the Standard SAM, providing the class an anti-air (A/A) capability, which the American ''Knox'' class lacked.
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s built for the Spanish navy
The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...
in the 1970s. The ships are a modified version of the American s. The key differences are the replacement of the Sea Sparrow PDMS and ASW helicopter facilities by Standard SAM and associated radars. They received a SPS-52
The AN/SPS-52 is a United States Navy long-range air search 3D radar that is capable of providing contact bearing, range and altitude. It was used on and s, and s, and s, , and s and other ships. It was replaced by the AN/SPS-48 on newer ship ...
B 3D search radar and one SPG-51
The AN/SPG-51 is an American tracking / illumination fire-control radar for RIM-24 Tartar and RIM-66 Standard missiles. It is used for target tracking and Surface-to-air missile guidance on s, s, and s.
The Italian Navy used it aboard their ' ...
illuminator for the Standard SM-1 medium range SAM, fired from a Mk22 16-round single arm launcher. The SQS-26 long range LF sonar was replaced by a SQS-23G MF sonar, while two Mk25 tubes for Mk37 torpedoes were mounted in the transom. The SQS-35 variable depth sonar
A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sour ...
was maintained.
The five ships were upgraded several times during their service lives. They received a Spanish TRITAN combat data system and the EW suite was upgraded with Spanish equipment. Mk36 SROC decoy launchers were also added, as well as two quadruple Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the t ...
launchers amidships. Two Meroka CIWS
The Meroka CIWS is a Spanish Navy 12 barrelled 20 mm Close-in weapon system, CIWS, using twelve Oerlikon Contraves, Oerlikon 20 mm/12 guns mounted in 2 rows of 6 guns each. The system's primary purpose is defence against anti-ship missi ...
gun system were also fitted. The old SQS-23G sonar was replaced by a modern DE-1160LF set built in Spain (a larger, lower frequency version of the SQS-56 sonar) and the Mk25 tubes were removed to allow for female crewmember berthing.
The ships have recently been retired, in order to assume the costs of the F100 frigates (the Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate
The ''Álvaro de Bazán'' class, also known as the F100 class, is a class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defence frigates in service with the Spanish Navy. The vessels were built by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia in Ferrol, with the lead shi ...
), which will replace the ''Baleares'' class on a one-to-one basis.
Ships in class
All ships were built in Ferrol. They made up the 31 Escort Squadron, based in Ferrol. The Spanish Navy adopted the Standard SAM, providing the class an anti-air (A/A) capability, which the American ''Knox'' class lacked.
References
*Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947 -1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Baleares-class frigate Frigates of the Spanish Navy Frigate classes Ships built in Spain