Wielingen-class frigate

Basic information

Type:

Frigate

Operators:

Belgian Marine Component of the Belgian Armed Forces

Bulgarian Navy

Country of build:

Belgium

Builder:

Boelwerf (formerly J. Boel & Zonen)

Planned:

Completed:

Retired:

In service:

1978 – present (46 years)

Ship measurements

Displacement:

2,200 t

Length:

106.4 m

Beam:

12.3 m

Draft:

5.6 m

Machine

Propulsion system:

CODOG

Propulsion:

2 * ABC type DZC diesel engines of 4,000 hp each
1 * Rolls Royce Olympus TM – 3B gas turbine 27,575 hp
2 * inverted screws with variable pitch

Speed:

28 knots

Range:

6000 nm at 16 knots

Personnel

Complement:

159

Combat assets

Electronics:

Kelvin-Hugues type 1007 navigation radar
DA-05 surveillance radar from HSA (Hollandse Signaal Apparaten)
WM-25 fire-control radar from HSA (Hollandse Signaal Apparaten)
2 * EOMS IR/Video optical targeting cameras
AN/SQS-510 sonar

Armament:

1 * 100 mm Creusot-Loire Mod 68 main gun
1 * Mk29 launcher with 8 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles
4 * MM38 Exocet surface-to-surface missiles
1 * 375 mm Bofors ASW rocket launcher (6 barrels)
2 * Ecan L5 single torpedo launchers (10 × 533 mm torpedos)

The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigatesbuilt for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in theNorth Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead shipis named after the Wielingen sandbank.

Project studies hadalready begun in 1964 with the advice of the Dutch Navy and continued in 1971 in cooperation with the two Belgian shipyards, Boelwerf, at Temse, and Cockerill, at Hoboken, Antwerp. The construction of the ships began in 1974. The four ships: F910 Wielingen, F911 Westdiep, F912 Wandelaarand F913 Westhinder, were commissioned in the following years.

The fourth frigate, Westhinder, was decommissioned in 1993. She had previously been damaged during an ASW exercise.

All other ships were sold to the Bulgarian Navy between 2004 and 2008.