Spanish frigate Navarra

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The Santa María class are a series of six guided missile frigates based on the American {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate|4}}.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}} The Oliver Hazard Perry class had been conceived as a way to reduce unit costs while maintaining an anti-air warfare (AAW) platform with anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface warfare capabilities.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=600}} The Oliver Hazard Perry class came in two forms, the short-hulled and long-hulled, with the Santa María class being of the later with additional beam to allow for more top weight for future modifications.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|pp=436, 600}} The class came in two batches, with the first four being of batch one and the final two of the second. The first batch of ships have a displacement of {{convert|2851|t|LT|lk=on}} light, {{cvt|3160|t|LT}} standard and {{cvt|4017|t|LT}} at full load. The second batch have the same light and standard displacements, with a full load displacement of {{cvt|4107|t|LT}}. The frigates measure {{convert|138.8|m|ftin}} long overall and {{cvt|125.9|m|ftin}} at the waterline with a beam of {{cvt|14.3|m|ftin}} and a standard draught of {{cvt|4.52|m|ftin}} and a maximum draught at the sonar dome of {{cvt|6.6|m|ftin}}.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}} The ships have a complement of 223 sailors including 13 officers.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}}

The Santa María class is propelled by a controllable pitch propeller powered by two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines creating {{convert|41000|shp|lk=on}}, giving the vessels a maximum speed of {{convert|29|kn|lk=in}}. The frigates stow {{cvt|587|t}} of fuel and have a range of {{convert|5000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|18|kn}}{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}} or {{cvt|4500|nmi}} at {{convert|20|kn}}.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}} The ships have four 1,000 kW Kato-Allison 114-DOOL diesel generator sets creating a total of 4,000 kW. These can power two {{cvt|350|shp|lk=out|order=flip}} retractable, rotatable auxiliary propulsion motors.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}} The vessels have fin stabilisers fitted.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}}

Frigates of the Santa María class are armed with a single-armed Mk 13 missile launcher serviced by a 40-round magazine that can handle 32 SM-1MR anti-air/ship missiles and 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The Harpoon missiles have a range of {{cvt|50|nmi}} at Mach 0.9 carrying a {{convert|227|kg|adj=on}} warhead. The SM-1R missiles have a range of {{cvt|20.5|nmi}} at Mach 2. The vessels also mount a single Otobreda 76 mm capable of firing 85 rounds per minute up to {{cvt|8.7|nmi}} with each shell carrying a {{cvt|6|kg}} warhead.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}}{{efn|/62 refers to the length of the gun in terms of calibres. A /62 gun is 62 times long as its bore diameter.}} For AAW defence, the ships mount a single Meroka {{cvt|20|mm}}/120 12-barrelled close-in weapons system (CIWS) capable of firing 3,600 rounds per minute up to {{cvt|2|km}}. For ASW, the frigates are armed with two triple-mounted Mark 32 torpedo tubes for Mod 5 Mark 46 torpedoes.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=745}}

The vessels are equipped with AN/SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar, RAN-12L (being replaced by RAN-30) 2-D low horizon air search radar for the Meroka CIWS, SPS-55 surface search radar and a Mk 92 fire-control radar. For ASW, the ships have SQS-56 sonar, SQR-19(V)2 towed array. For weapons fire control, they have Mk 13 weapons control, Mk 92 and SPG-60 STIR missile control, SQQ-89 ASW systems. For electronic warfare they have Nettunel Mk-3000 intercept, a SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy, and Mk36 SROC decoy launchers.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}}

As long-hulled versions of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, the Santa María-class frigates have twin hangars to accommodate up to two Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) III helicopters though only one is usually embarked. The helicopter deck, located aft, is equipped with the RAST helicopter deck-handling system designed to handle LAMPS helicopters.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}}

File:Asalto al So Sang.jpg

The frigate was one of the final pair of hulls ordered on 26 December 1989.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=600}} The keel was laid down on 15 April 1991 by Izar (now Navantia) at Ferrol, Spain. Navarra was launched on 23 October 1992 and commissioned on 30 May 1994. Navarra was given the pennant number F85 and assigned to the 41 Escort Squadron based at Rota, Spain. The Santa Maria-class frigates were tasked with escorting the aircraft carrier {{ship|Spanish aircraft carrier|Príncipe de Asturias||2}}.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=672}}

On 9 December 2002, Navarra intercepted the unflagged freighter So San several hundred miles southeast of Yemen at the request of the United States government, possibly associated in some fashion with the U.S. Proliferation Security Initiative. The frigate fired across So San{{'}}s bow after the freighter ignored hails and attempted to evade the frigate. The freighter's crew was North Korean; 23 containers containing 15 complete Scud ballistic missiles, 15 high-explosive warheads, and 23 nitric acid containers were found on board. Yemen claimed ownership of the shipment and protested the interception and U.S. officials released the vessel after receiving assurances that the missiles would not be transferred to a third party.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2569687.stm |title=Scud affair draws US apology |work=BBC News |date=12 December 2002 |access-date=17 November 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/12/11/us.missile.ship/ |title=U.S. lets Scud ship sail to Yemen |work=CNN |date=12 December 2002 |accessdate=17 November 2014}}

On 23 March 2010, she sank a Somali pirate mothership lifeboat and captured two skiffs,{{cite press release |url=http://www.mde.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100323_Navarra_intercepta_piratas.html |title=La 'Navarra' intercepta dos esquifes y un barco nodriza |trans-title=The 'Navarra' intercepts two skiffs and a mother ship |language=es |publisher=Spanish MoD |date=23 March 2010 |access-date=17 November 2014}} after private security forces successfully defended {{MV|Almezaan}} from a pirate attack.{{cite news |title= 'Pirate' dies as ship's guards repel attack off Somalia |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8584604.stm |work=BBC News |date= 24 March 2010 |access-date= 24 March 2010 }} The six suspected pirates were later released, when the master and crew of Almezaan refused to testify.{{cite news |title= EU force frees Somali 'pirates' |work= BBC News |date= 25 March 2010|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8586729.stm |access-date=17 November 2014}}

In November 2016, while patrolling off the Libyan coast as part of the EUNAVFOR's Operation Sophia, the frigate recovered 227 migrants from inflatable boats in the Mediterranean Sea.{{cite news |url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2425817&CategoryId=12395 |title=Spanish Navy Frigate Rescues 227 Migrants off Libyan Coast |newspaper=Latin American Herald Tribune |date=26 November 2016 |access-date=26 November 2016 |archive-date=25 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125213625/http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2425817&CategoryId=12395 |url-status=dead }}

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{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Chumbley |editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last3=Budzbon |editor-first3=Przemysław |name-list-style=amp |year=1995 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-132-7}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Saunders |editor-first=Stephen |year=2009 |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 |publisher=Jane's Information Group Inc. |edition=112 |location=Alexandria, Virginia |isbn=978-0-7106-2888-6}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Wertheim |editor-first=Eric |year=2013 |title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World |edition=16th |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=9-7-815911-4954-5}}

{{Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarra}}

Category:Ships of the Spanish Navy

Category:1992 ships

Category:Santa María-class frigates

Category:Ships built in Ferrol, Spain