Lindormen-class minelayer

The Lindormen class is a class of two minelayers built for the Royal Danish Navy to replace the Lougen-class minelayers that dated from World War II. The Lindormen class was designed to lay controlled controlled minefields in the Baltic Sea during the Cold War as part of NATO's defence plan for the region. They were taken out of service by the Danish in 2004, put up for sale in 2005 and transferred to Estonia in 2006.

ENS Tasuja passing Clydebank on her way to KGV Dock in Glasgow, Scotland
Class overview
NameLindormen class
BuildersSvendborg Skibsværft
Operators
Preceded byLougen class
Built1977
In commission1978–present
Planned2
Completed2
Active1
Laid up2
Retired1
General characteristics as built
TypeMinelayer
Displacement575 t (566 long tons) full
Length44.5 m (146 ft 0 in)
Beam9.0 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught2.65 m (8 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 4,200 bhp (3,100 kW) Frichs diesel engines
  • 2 x propellers
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement27
Armament

Design

The ships have a steel hull[1] and were originally designed to lay controlled minefields. They have a full load displacement of 575 tonnes (566 long tons) and measure 44.5 metres (146 ft 0 in)[2] long overall with a beam of 9.0 m (29 ft 6 in) and a draught of 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in).[3][lower-alpha 1] The ships were initially propelled by two Frichs 7AX diesel engines turning two shafts creating 3,100 kilowatts (4,200 bhp).[3][5][lower-alpha 2] This gave them a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[4][3] They were later replaced with two MTU diesel engines, providing 1,600 kW (2,100 hp) of power in total.[1] The ships were initially armed with two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons - one fore and one aft. In 1985, another 20 mm cannon was added to the fore. In 1997, a pair of FIM-92 Stinger launchers were also added. The weapons were removed when they were sold to Estonia. Estonian Navy later equipped the ships with M2 Browning machine guns. They are also equipped with two I-band navigation radars, two cranes (one 2 tonne crane fore and one 2.8 tonne crane aft) and two boats. The ships have a large mine deck, sufficient for carrying 50–60 naval mines, but can also be used for diving support, training or command duties.[1][6] Their initial complement was 27 in Danish service[5] which increased to 29 in Estonian service.[1]

Ships in class
Lindormen class construction data[5]
Danish name Pennant no. Builder Laid down Launched Danish service Estonian name Pennant no. Estonian service
Commissioned Decommissioned Commissioned Status
Lindormen N43 Svendborg Skibsværft, Svendborg, Denmark 20 January 1977 20 September 1977 26 October 1977 22 October 2004 Tasuja A432 Laid up 2016
Lossen N44 22 June 1977 11 November 1977 30 January 1978 Wambola A433 12 April 2006[7] In service

Service history

Danish service

Following the Danish entry into NATO, the Royal Danish Navy was tasked with defending the Baltic Sea against the Soviets during the Cold War. To fulfill this objective, the Danish Navy placed an emphasis on the acquisition of torpedo boats, submarines, minelayers and minesweepers.[8] The class consists of two ships, Lindormen (transl. Dragon) and Lossen (transl. Lynx). The purchase of the cable-minelayers was approved in the 1973 defence bill[9] as a replacement for the World War II-era Lougen-class minelayers for the Royal Danish Navy.[4] The ships were built by Svendborg Skibsværft in 1977.[5] Lindormen served as a command and support ship in NATO's Standing Naval Force Channel (STANVAFORCHAN) in 1989 and again in 1990.[10] Lossen served with STANAVFORCHAN in 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1992.[11] Lossen was also used as a submarine depot ship.[5]

Estonian service

Both ships were decommissioned by the Danish Navy on 22 October 2004 and sold to Estonia in 2006. They were renamed EML Tasuja (A432) and EML Wambola (A433). Tasuja was first placed in service with the Estonian Navy while Wambola was lent to the Estonian Maritime Academy as a civilian training vessel.[3] Wambola was held in reserve until it replaced Tasuja in Estonian Navy service in 2016.[6][9] Wambola served with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1in 2017.[7]

Notes
  1. The class' basic measurements vary between sources. The ships have a length overall of between 43.30 m (142 ft 1 in)[3][4] to 44.3 m (145 ft 4 in)[5] and the draught from 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[5] to 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)[1]
  2. Again, the sources disagree on the power output of the diesel engines, with some claiming 1,200 kW (1,600 hp).[2]

Citations
  1. Estonian Navy.
  2. Saunders 2009, p. 229.
  3. Wertheim 2013, p. 182.
  4. Couhat 1986, p. 91.
  5. Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 80.
  6. Olsen, Gunnar; Storgaard, Svenn (1998). Flådens skibe og fartøjer 1945-1995 (in Danish). Marinehistorisk selskab. ISBN 87-87720-13-2.
  7. "EML Wambola" (in Estonian). Estonian Navy. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  8. Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 73.
  9. Krudttårnet (PDF) (in Danish), vol. 9, November 2004, p. 13, retrieved 2018-01-24
  10. Balsved, Johnny. "Lindormen (1978-2004)". Danish Naval History (in Danish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  11. Balsved, Johnny. "Lossen (1978-2004)". Danish Naval History (in Danish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.

Sources
  • Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • "Lindormen klass" [Lindormen class] (in Estonian). Estonian Navy. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  • Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.
  • Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9-7-815911-4954-5.
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