Belgian frigate Louise-Marie

Louise-Marie (F931) is a Karel Doorman-class frigate of the Marine Component of the Belgian Armed Forces that was commissioned in 2008. It is the second of the two frigates of this class that were purchased from the Royal Netherlands Navy on 22 December 2005. It was originally commissioned in 1991 in the Netherlands, where it served as HNLMS Willem van der Zaan (F829).

For other ships with the same name, see HNLMS Willem van der Zaan.
HNLMS Willem van der Zaan (F829) in 1995
History
Netherlands
NameWillem van der Zaan
NamesakeSchout-bij-nacht Willem van der Zaan
BuilderKoninklijke Schelde Groep, Flushing (Netherlands)
Laid down6 November 1985
Launched21 January 1989
Commissioned28 November 1991
Decommissioned25 August 2006
FateSold to Belgium on 22 December 2005
Belgium
NameLouise-Marie
NamesakeQueen Louise-Marie of Belgium
Christened8 April 2008
Acquired22 December 2005
Commissioned8 April 2008
HomeportZeebrugge Naval Base
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeKarel Doorman-class frigate
Displacement2,800 tonnes
Length122.325 m (401.33 ft)
Beam14.37 m (47.1 ft)
Draught6.2 m (20 ft)
Speed30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement15 officers, 70 NCO's, 60 sailors
Armament
Aircraft carried1 x NH-90 NFH helicopter

Service
Louise-Marie (F931) in Belgian service

HNLMS Willem van der Zaan was rechristened Louise-Marie (F931) on 8 April 2008 in Antwerp by Queen Paola of Belgium.[1] It was named after Louise-Marie, the name of a naval vessel purchased by the Belgian navy in 1840, which in turn was named after Queen Louise-Marie of Belgium, the wife of Leopold I.

Missions

In September 2010, Louise-Marie was reported to be preparing for a second deployment to the Horn of Africa.[2]

On 29 November 2013, the ship arrived in London, UK as part of the preparations for the centenary of the start of World War I delivering soil from 70 World War I battlefields collected by British and Belgian schoolchildren for the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden in London's Wellington Barracks.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Nederlands fregat voortaan onder Belgische vlag" (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  2. "defence.professionals". Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  3. "WW1 'sacred soil' ceremony takes place in London". BBC News. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2015.


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