Enforcer (ship design)

{{short description|Ship design}}

{{Infobox ship begin}} {{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Ship LPD-Castilla-(L52).jpg |Ship caption=Castilla in 2009 }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=Enforcer |Builders=*Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding Damen Shipyards Galați Empresa Nacional Bazán Swan Hunter BAE Systems Maritime |Operators=*{{navy|Netherlands}} {{navy |UK}} {{navy |AUS}} {{navy|Spain}} |Class before= |Class after= |Subclasses=*Galicia-class Rotterdam-class Bay-class |Cost= |Built range=1996-2006 |In service range= |In commission range=1998-present |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=8 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active=8 |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships scrapped= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class= |Ship type=Landing Platform Dock |Ship displacement= |Ship length= |Ship beam= |Ship draught= |Ship draft= |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship ramps= |Ship ice class= |Ship power= |Ship propulsion= |Ship speed= |Ship range= |Ship endurance= |Ship boats= |Ship capacity= |Ship troops= |Ship complement= |Ship time to activate= |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament= |Ship aircraft= |Ship aircraft facilities= |Ship notes= }}

The Enforcer is a ship design created by Royal Schelde (now Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding) following the design and building of HNLMS Rotterdam. HNLMS Rotterdam was jointly developed by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Spanish Navy.{{cite web |url=https://www.sfu.ca/casr/mp-sealift-rotterdam.htm |title=Sealift: Rotterdam/Galicia (Enforcer) Class LPD |publisher=Canadian American Strategic Review |accessdate=5 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226135956/http://www.sfu.ca/casr/mp-sealift-rotterdam.htm |archivedate=26 December 2007}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sfu.ca/casr/bg-sealift-rotterdam.htm |title=Sealifter Comparisons — Rotterdam Class LPD |publisher=Canadian American Strategic Review |accessdate=5 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125175613/http://www.sfu.ca/casr/bg-sealift-rotterdam.htm |archivedate=25 January 2008}}

Development began in the 1980s, when the Royal Netherlands Navy began investigating ways to provide an amphibious transport capability.{{cite news|url=http://www.amiinter.com/samples/netherlands/NL3301.html |title=Netherlands - Rotterdam Class Landing Platform, Dock (LPD) |publisher=AMI International |date=October 2001 |accessdate=5 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729083944/http://www.amiinter.com/samples/netherlands/NL3301.html |archivedate=29 July 2012 }} In 1994, preliminary design work began. The Spanish government proposed in 1990 to collaborate on the design. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in June 1992. Development of the base design occurred during 1993, after which the navies turned to local companies for further design work and construction: Royal Schelde in the Netherlands, and Bazán (which became Navantia in 2005) in Spain.

Royal Schelde completed one ship to the Rotterdam class, with {{HNLMS|Rotterdam|L800|6}} constructed between 1995 and 1998. Bazan/Navantia completed two ships to the Galicia-class design.

After building Rotterdam, Royal Schelde developed the "Enforcer Family": four variants of the Enforcer design intended for export sale. Increased modularity, less powerful propulsion systems, and {{clarify|text=increased use of commercial construction standards|reason=Increased over what of standard?|date=February 2021}} allowed the company to offer the export variants at lower prices.

The Enforcer design also served as the basis of a second ship for the Royal Netherlands Navy; {{HNLMS|Johan de Witt|L801|6}}, which was laid down in 2003 and commissioned in 2007.{{cite book |title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems |editor=Wertheim, Eric |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |date=2007 |edition=15th |isbn=9781591149552 |oclc=140283156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJunjRvplU4C |page=495}} The design was used for the British Bay-class landing ships.{{cite book |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 2008–2009 |editor-last=Saunders |editor-first=Stephen |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Surrey |year=2008 |edition=111th |series=Jane's Fighting Ships |isbn=978-0-7106-2845-9 |oclc=225431774 |page=876}} Four vessels were built for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by two shipyards between 2002 and 2007, with one sold in 2011 to the Royal Australian Navy.

The Enforcer design was considered a contender for the Indian Navy Multi-Role Support Vessel programme.{{cite web |title=Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/l-mrss.htm |accessdate=12 September 2015 |work=Global Security}}