HDMS ''Absalon'' (F341) and her sister ship are the two members of the . The lead ship of the class is named after Danish archbishop and statesman
Absalon and received full operational status in 2007.
Design
The ships are the first in a series of RDN vessels tasked with carrying out new types of missions, and are to form the backbone of the international operations that the RDN is increasingly focusing on.
[
]
The ''Absalon''-class ships are primarily designed for command and support roles, with a large
ro-ro deck, but with their many offensive weapons and new anti-submarine weapons and tasks, the class was changed to frigates in 2020.
The three
frigates of the succeeding are similar to the ''Absalon''-class vessels but without the large ro-ro deck.
''Absalon'' is one of a number of vessels to have been filmed by documentary makers to appear on the ''
Mighty Ships'' TV programme, detailing the capabilities and stories of the ship and crew.
Service
Somali counter-piracy mission
Starting in 2008, HDMS ''Absalon'' participated in the
UN-led
counter-piracy mission off
Somalia and the east coast of
Africa, acting as flagship to the Danish Task Group which led
Task Force 150. In September 2008, as part of the task force, ''Absalon'' was involved in the capture of 10 pirates, who were eventually set free. On 3 December 2008, after the mandate had been extended, ''Absalon'' rescued a disabled
skiff with suspected pirates aboard in the
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
, 90 miles off the coast of
Yemen; the Somali craft was reported to hold
rocket-propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...
s and
AK-47 assault rifles, and to have been adrift for several days. ''Absalon'' took the sailors and weapons aboard, sank the craft, and turned the sailors over to the Yemeni Coast Guard. ''Absalon'' was reportedly the most successful counter-piracy warship in the
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
, capturing 88 out of the 250 pirates detained.
On 16 March 2009, ''Absalon'', along with the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
frigate , successfully prevented pirates from capturing the
Vietnamese
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
.
[ ]
''Absalon''s counter-piracy mission with NATO Task Force 150 in Somali waters ended 1 April 2009, after resulting in the capture of over 80 pirates, some of whom were transferred to the
Netherlands for trial.
On 5 February 2010, ''Absalon'' helped to rescue the crew of the
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...
-flagged merchant vessel , which was being hijacked by six armed pirates. ''Absalon'' dispatched a helicopter and a special forces team, deterring the pirates. On 1 March 2010, ''Absalon'' was reported to have sunk a Somali pirate
mother ship carrying several pirate speedboats in the
Indian Ocean.
On 7 January 2012, ''Absalon'' intercepted and boarded a Somali pirate mother ship in the Indian Ocean. The boarding crew freed 14 Iranian and Pakistani fishermen who had been held as hostages for over two months.
On 30 November 2015,
Minister of Defence Peter Christensen, announced that ''Absalon'' was to be moved to the
Mediterranean Sea, in order to accommodate
Turkey's request to
NATO, for a larger military presence in the area.
From 7 May to 13 May 2022, ''Absalon'' took part in Exercise Mjolner 2022 held in the
Arctic region.
References
External links
*
360° images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Absalon (L16)
Absalon-class support ships
Ships built in Odense
2004 ships
Amphibious warfare vessels of Denmark
Piracy in Somalia