When we were on our way to see Defender last Saturday, we spotted
this Spanish frigate moored at West India Docks. I was able to get
back to see her in a bit more detail on Monday. Images follow:
cc-by-sa on
everything.
Things one does not expect to see in Docklands.
The F100 (Álvaro de Bazán) frigates are general-purpose ships with a
focus on anti-air warfare, mounting the American AEGIS system and SM2
Standard missiles with plans to add SM3s at some point. They're an
interesting design, taking fairly stock American parts (the SPY-1,
Mk41 VLS, 5" gun, Harpoon rack and Seahawk) and combining them in
slightly unusual ways.
Méndez Núñez had been on exercises in the North Sea with the Royal
Navy during previous weeks, and was now pausing on her way home. (Our
guides' English was not always of the best, and I sometimes ended up
translating since I may not speak Spanish but I do speak Navy; but
that was the impression I got.)
The antenna plates for the SPY-1D radar are clearly visible on the
superstructure. The original plan was to use the SPY-1F, which is
smaller and rather less capable, but the -1D was squeezed in instead.
5" lightweight gun.
Portside Harpoon mount.
Boat davits, port side.
Squadron marking (all five of the F100s are in the 31st Escort
Squadron).
Port forward corner of flight deck.
Flight deck with SH-60B.
Aft superstructure, over the hangar. In theory the ship's capable of
being equipped with a Phalanx anti-missile system, though this hasn't
been done; I assume it would go somewhere around here.
Tops of superstructure, from aft.
Nameplate on hangar block.
I haven't been able to identify these arms.
The ship wasn't open for viewing on Saturday, but I was able to get
back on a rather sunnier Monday for a tour. The 5" gun mount:
Harpoons and davits:
Flight deck railings and nameplate:
Waterling with various lading markers (somewhat hard to read).
SH-60B LAMPS III Seahawk on the flight deck.
APS-124 Surface-search radome.
Nose with FLIR turret.
An unexpected protrusion in the flight deck. Might be for operations
in bad weather?
Hangar entrance. The hangar seems to take up less than half the width
of the ship.
Inside the hangar (and our guide, Jésus).
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence badge;
STELLAR ATHENA FTM-12
was a missile interception exercise conducted in June 2007.
Hangar details.
Internal details. They asked me not to take photographs inside, so I
stopped; they didn't seem to realise that if someone's holding up a
phone that goes "ker-click" it is probably taking a photograph.
48-cell VLS deck, which doesn't protrude from the deck quite as much
as the one aboard Defender. ("Danger, keep clear of launcher area.")
Ship's bell. I didn't have the heart to ask why it wasn't polished
like the RN ones.
Bridge from foredeck. We were actually allowed to walk around the
bridge, though not (officially) to photograph. The only "real" control
was the engine telegraph, carefully enclosed in a perspex box; some
keyboards and trackballs were built in, some lying around loose on
desktops. There was a paper chart of the Docks, though it was out of
date (it didn't show the Crossrail construction that now blocks access
to West India North Dock).
5" gun. It's integrated with the air defence system, in theory, but
mostly it's there as on Middleton and Defender for menacing
surface ships. One can't readily point a VLS at a miscreant, or use it
to fire a shot across his bows.
Every cannon in the Spanish armed forces has its own name, apparently.
Though I imagine that they are not unique names.
A rather fine ceremonial muzzle cap.
Foredeck.
Warning on portside Harpoon launcher.
Between the two superstructure segments, including the starboard
Harpoon launcher. (American ships with the same mount tend to have the
pair of them in a V shape on the centreline, and a heavy pad to
prevent the deck being melted by backblast. These ships hang the
launcher over the side, so that the port launcher fires missiles to
starboard, and thus avoid the backblast problem completely.)
More of the SH-60B.
Pennant number rather more visible in bright sunlight than it had been
on the dull Saturday.
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