Santa María class
 Santa María class
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_051022-N-4374S-012.jpg) Santa María (F81) |
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| Overview | |
| Type | frigate |
| units | 6th |
| Shipyard | |
| Namesake | various |
| period of service |
from 1986 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
3610 ts (max. 4177) |
| length |
138.80 m |
| width |
14.30 m |
| Draft |
8.60 m |
| drive |
2 × GE gas turbines |
| speed |
29+ kn |
| Range |
4,500 nm at 20 kn |
| Armament |
Mk 13 starter for RGM-84 Harpoon and SM-1MR Block VIB (RGM-66D) anti-ship missiles |
| Board helicopter |
2 × SH-60 Seahawk |
The Santa Maria class , also known as the F80 class , is a class of six general-purpose frigates belonging to the Armada Española . The ships are based on the Oliver Hazard Perry frigates of the US Navy . All six ships were built at Bazan (now Navantia ) in northwestern Spain.
history
The ships were built following the Baleares class frigates , which were also based on a USN class, the Knox class . They belong to the 41st escort flotilla, which also included the porter Príncipe de Asturias . This unit, also known as Task Group Alpha , was dissolved in 2002, and the ships have been under the direct control of the fleet manager ever since.
From the early 1990s to the arrival of the Álvaro de Bazán class in the first decade of the 21st century, the ships formed the backbone of the Spanish fleet and were regularly involved in USN or NATO maneuvers. Units of the class were in use in the Second Gulf War , during the Yugoslav Wars and in the anti-terror and anti-pirate missions in the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa from 2001.
technology
The length of the Spanish ships corresponds to that of their sister ships in the US Navy, but they have a slightly larger width and thus an increased displacement. They have fins on the hull for stabilization. The ships were built in two lots, the second lot (ships 5 and 6) received some improvements such as an improved data processing system and partly more modern variants of the sensors and weapons. These include the close-range defense system and for early warning, instead of the American system, a Spanish system was installed that was based on the Italian Nettuno system.
In 2003 a modernization program was started that was implemented from October 2005. Work began with the Victoria and Numancia at Navantia's San Fernando-Puerto Real shipyard in San Fernando . Among other things, the electric motors were replaced, the towing sonar removed, the navigation and fire control radar replaced or modernized, and new devices for electronic warfare scaffolded. The operations center and controls of the 76mm gun were also brought up to date. After the renovation of the first construction section, it became known in 2010 that due to budget problems as a result of the financial crisis, the last two ships would not be modernized for the time being.
units
All ships are based at the Andalusian naval base Rota near Cádiz , they form the 41st Escort Squadron ( 41ª Escuadrilla de Escoltas ). The naming of the first three ships was originally intended to be based on Spanish regions and provinces, analogous to the predecessor ships, in this case León , Murcia and Navarra . Then the plan was changed and the ships would bear the same names as the ships used by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to America, Santa María , Pinta and Niña . This plan was changed again, so that the following mixed picture emerges. The fourth ship bears the name of Queen Sofia . The second construction lot, the last two ships, are then again named after regions.
| Identifier | Surname | Keel laying | Launch | put into service | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F81 | Santa María | May 22, 1982 | November 21, 1984 | December 10, 1986 | active |
| F82 | Victoria | August 16, 1983 | July 23, 1986 | October 29, 1987 | active |
| F83 | Numancia | January 8, 1986 | January 29, 1987 | August 11, 1988 | active |
| F84 | Reina Sofia | October 12, 1987 | July 19, 1989 | October 30, 1990 | active |
| F85 | Navarre | April 15, 1991 | October 23, 1992 | May 30, 1994 | active |
| F86 | Canarias | April 15, 1992 | June 21, 1993 | December 14, 1994 | active |
