The ''Hauk''-class patrol boats were a series of
Norwegian fast attack craft
A fast attack craft (FAC) is a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordable warship armed with anti-ship missiles, gun or torpedoes. FACs are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the seakeeping and all-round defensive ...
. ''Hauk'' means
hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
in
Norwegian. They were ordered in the 1970s and the first boat, ''Hauk'', was
commissioned on 17 August 1977. Designed as a development of the and classes, by Lieutenant commander (later Captain) Harald Henriksen, the 14 ''Hauk''-class vessels made up the Coastal Combat
Flotilla, responsible for protecting the rugged
coast
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
line of Norway. The ships were modernized frequently and in their later form were known as "Super-''Hauks''." The
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...
deployed four of these warships for anti-terror patrol in the
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
.
To ensure that their capability met contemporary standards the ''Hauk''-class boats were modernized to Super-Hauk standard with the arrival of the new and more modern MTBs. This modernization included incorporation of the Senit 8 CMS, Link 11 (receive only), modifications of the Penguin missiles and upgrades to the navigation equipment.
All the boats were decommissioned by 2008.
International operations
The vessels were used as escort for allied vessels through the Strait of Gibraltar as part of
Operation Active Endeavour. The Norwegian contribution consisted of 21 MTB Squadron and its four vessels. The squadron was stationed in
Cadiz along with two Danish vessels of ''Flyvefisken'' class. The mission lasted from April to October 2003, and the vessels were widely praised for their efforts.
In November 2006, the vessels were probably once called for international duty when 22 MTB squadron became part of UNIFIL II - a maritime UN contributions in the coastal area outside Lebanon that would prevent arms smuggling in the area. The vessels were stationed in
Limassol
Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...
, Cyprus.
Vessels
* ''Hauk'' (P986) - commissioned 17 August 1977
* ''Ørn'' (P987) - commissioned 19 January 1979
* ''Terne'' (P988) - commissioned 13 March 1979
* ''Tjeld'' (P989) - commissioned 25 May 1979
* ''Skarv'' (P990) - commissioned 17 July 1979
* ''Teist '' (P991) - commissioned 11 September 1979
* ''Jo'' (P992) - commissioned 1 November 1979
* ''Lom'' (P993) - commissioned 15 January 1980
* ''Stegg'' (P994) - commissioned 18 March 1980
* ''Falk'' (P995) - commissioned 30 April 1980
* ''Ravn'' (P996) - commissioned 20 May 1980
* ''Gribb'' (P997) - commissioned July 1980
* ''Geir'' (P998) - commissioned 16 September 1980
* ''Erle'' (P999) - commissioned 10 December 1980
Gallery
File:Hauk MTBer.jpg, Five ''Hauk''-class patrol boats at quay in 2001, viewed from . To right of the ''Hauk''-class vessels is a CB90-class fast assault craft.
File:Hauk MTBer2.jpg, ''Hauk''-class patrol boats at quay in 2001
File:MTB Ravn.jpg, HNoMS ''Ravn'' passing HNoMS ''Horten''
File:MTB Ravn2.jpg, HNoMS ''Ravn'' passing HNoMS ''Horten''
See also
*
List of Royal Norwegian Navy ships
This article is a list of Royal Norwegian Navy fleet units and vessels, both past and present.
Ships from the years 1509 to 1814 might be listed under Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy.
Fleet units and vessels (present)
Frigates
*
** Mo, Sver ...
References
* ''Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-05'', p. 516.
{{Norwegian patrol boats
Patrol boat classes
Missile boats of the Royal Norwegian Navy
Patrol vessels of the Royal Norwegian Navy