Absalon

Type

Frigate

Period

21st Century

Nation

Denmark

Overview: HDMS Absalon (F341) is the lead ship of the two-vessel Absalon class, a hybrid command-and-support ship/frigate built for the Royal Danish Navy by Odense Steel Shipyard. Along with sister ship Esbern Snare, she and her sister are the largest ships ever built to serve the Royal Danish Navy. Originally commissioned as a "flexible support ship," she was formally reclassified as an anti-submarine warfare frigate in October 2020. Specifications: The ship measures roughly 137.6 m in length with a 19.5 m beam and 6.3 m draught, and displaces about 6,300 tonnes at full load. Propulsion is via two MTU 8000 M70 diesel engines driving two shafts for about 22,300 bhp, giving a top speed near 24 knots and a range of roughly 9,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. Standard armament centers on a 127mm Mk 45 Mod 4 gun, two 35mm Oerlikon Millennium CIWS mounts, Harpoon Block II and ESSM/Sea Sparrow missile systems fitted via StanFlex modules, Stinger man-portable SAMs, and twin Mk32 torpedo launchers for MU90 torpedoes, plus a hangar and flight deck for embarked helicopters and Storebro SB90E fast landing craft. Service History: Commissioned in 2004 and reaching full operational status in 2007, Absalon gained international attention for extensive counter-piracy patrols off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden beginning in 2008, serving as flagship of the Danish Task Group leading Combined/Task Force 150 and taking part in numerous pirate captures and rescues. She later deployed to the Mediterranean and has participated in NATO exercises such as BALTOPS and At-Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield, remaining in active service into the mid-2020s. Notable Facts: The design's hallmark feature is a large internal roll-on/roll-off "flex deck" served by a stern vehicle ramp, allowing rapid reconfiguration between troop/vehicle transport, mine-laying, hospital-ship duties, or command-staff accommodation via modular StanFlex weapon and mission packages. Following the 2020 ASW reclassification, both Absalon-class ships have been receiving upgraded Terma Scanter radars and towed array sonars to complement their hull-mounted sonar, with full ASW capability expected by 2026. For modelers, kits exist in multiple scales, including a 1:100 Billing Boats wooden/plastic hybrid kit and various 1:700 waterline/resin offerings.