Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez

ESPN Méndez Núñez on a Naval Parade
History
Spain
Name: Méndez Núñez
Namesake: Casto Méndez Núñez
Ordered: 31 January 1997
Builder: Navantia
Cost: € 600 millions
Laid down: 16 May 2003
Launched: 12 November 2004
Commissioned: 21 March 2006
Homeport: Naval Base of Ferrol
Identification: Pennant number: F-104
Status: in active service
General characteristics
Class and type: Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate
Displacement: 5,800-6,391 tonnes[1]
Length: 146.7 m (481 ft)[2]
Beam: 18.6 m (61 ft)
Draft: 4.75 m (15.6 ft)
Propulsion:
Speed: 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph)[2]
Range: 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[2]
Complement: 250 (48 officers)[2]
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • 4 × FMC SRBOC Mk36 flare launchers
  • SLQ-25A Enhanced Nixie torpedo countermeasures
  • Indra SLQ-380 EW suite
  • Indra Mk 9500 interceptor
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 × Sikorsky SH-60B LAMPS III Seahawk

Méndez Núñez (F-104) is the fourth ship of the new F-100 class of air defense frigates entering the service with the Spanish Navy in 2006. She is named after the 19th century Spanish Rear admiral Casto Méndez Núñez.

Operational History

The frigate Méndez Núñez was ordered along with the other ships of the class on January 31, 1997 (except F105, that was ordered on 2005). The construction started on May 16, 2003 and was launched on November 12, 2004. It was delivered to the Navy March 21, 2006.

On June 22, 2007, in Hawaiian waters, during the FTM-12 exercise, it became the Spanish Navy's first ship to detect and follow a ballistic missile.[3]

On April 21, 2008, while being part of the British Navy's HMS Illustrious Combat Group in the Red Sea,[4] was ordered to move to Somalia's coast in support of the Bakio Beach tuna vessel, abducted by Somali pirates.[5] After the tuna boat was released, they attempted to seize it again, but the frigate's helicopter and zodiacs maneuvered to prevent it.

In March 2009, she participated in the maneuvers of NATO Loyal Mariner, in the waters of southern Sardinia, along with other Spanish units.

Together with ESPN Álvaro de Bazán and ESPN Navarra of Santa María class, with their respective air units embarked, on September 11, 2009, they made several exercises involving the students of the Naval School in the estuary of Pontevedra.[6]

At the end of October 2009, after concluding its participation in NATO's Active Endeavor operation in the Eastern Mediterranean,[7] she relieved ESPN Canarias frigate in the European Union's Atalanta operation to combat piracy in Somali waters, to enable the latter to carry out its maintenance, refueling of food and fuel.

ESPN Méndez Núñez in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

During the liberation of the Alakrana (a spanish fishing ship), the helicopters of the frigates ESPN Canarias and ESPN Méndez Núñez, tried without success the capture of the last pirates that left the ship, arriving even to shoot against them.[8]

Together with ESPN Patiño, she participated between June 21 and 30, 2010, in Portuguese waters in the Swordfish exercises, together with units from Portugal, Italy and France.[9]

On July 18, 2010, it was delivered its flag of combat by the Infanta Elena in the Port of Vigo[10] and later, she participated that same day and in the exhibition A safe maritime environment for the XXI century held in Vigo next to the vessels ESPN Galicia, ESPN Juan Sebastián Elcano and ESPN Chilreu.

On March 19, 2011, it was announced by the Government of Spain that it would participate in the Forces that it sent to the conflict of Libya, framed in the coalition to impose the 1973 resolution of the Security Council of the UN. The ship returned to its base on June 29, 2011 after 101 days in which it made 22 registrations to ships of different types.[11]

Between 20 and 22 February 2012, it participated in the national air defense exercise Sirio-12, which took place in the south of the Balearic Islands and in the Alboran Sea.[12] Between 2 and 5 July 2012, the frigates ESPN Álvaro de Bazán and ESPN Almirante Juan de Borbón, the logistics supply vessel ESPN Cantabria, the ESPN Galerna submarine and AV-8B aircraft of the 9th Navy squadron participated in the MAR-22 exercise on the Atlantic coast of Galicia.[13]

On 23 November 2012, he sailed course for Somalia, where on 6 December, he relieved ESPN Castilla in the Atalanta anti-piracy operation in which he participated as a leader of the Operation.[14][15]

On 19 December, along with another coalition vessel and after completing its second mission of escort a ship of the world food program, prevented the kidnapping of the North Korean ship Dae San.

On February 19, 2013, he participated together with the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter in the arrest of 9 pirates.[16]

On 9 March, she assisted the Royal Grace tanker, who was released after being abducted on 11 May 2012. After receiving assistance from Méndez Núñez, the Royal Grace continued his voyage escorted by the ESPN Rayo, bound for the port of Salalah in Oman.[17]

On July 11, 2014 she returned to her base in Ferrol and took advantage of her arrival, and the other four ships of the class were at her base in Ferrol, so that for the first time, the five frigates of the class made a joint training exercises as part of the 31st Escorted Squadron of which they are part.[18]

In September 2014, together with ESPN Álvaro de Bazán participated in the exercises of the Air Force DACEX-14 (Canary Air Defense).[19] In mid-October it participated in the exercise of NATO Noble Mariner-14 in Cartagena waters along with 24 other surface vessels, 6 submarines from 16 countries.

On 6 April 2015 she sailed from her base in Ferrol to participate in Scottish waters in the NATO Joint Warrior exercises after which he is scheduled to stop at the port of London before returning to her base.[20]

At the beginning of June, the ship was incorporated to the NATO permanent group SNMG1 as a command vessel, relieving ESPN Álvaro de Bazán.[21] In the course of this deployment, the frigate participated in the Northern Coasts 16 exercises in Baltic waters, involving 38 vessels from 8 countries.[22] She arrived at its base in Ferrol after this participation in the NATO SNMG1 after being relieved by the ESPN Álvaro de Bazán on September 30, 2016.[23]

On February 2, 2017, the ESPN Méndez Núñez joined the permanent NATO force SNMG2 along with ESPN Patiño.[24] This deployment ended on May 12, 2017.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "La fragata F-105 «Cristóbal Colón» pasa a disposición de la Armada Española". abc.es. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Fragatas Clase 'Álvaro de Bazán' (F-100) - Fragatas clase 'Álvaro de Bazán' - Buques - Armada Española - Ministerio de Defensa - Gobierno de España". armada.mde.es. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  3. ↑ España negocia la participación de las Fragatas F-100 en el escudo antimisiles
  4. ↑ Despliegue cooperativo “Orion 08”
  5. ↑ La fragata Méndez Núñez se dirige a la zona del atunero vasco apresado por piratas en Somalia
  6. ↑ Unidades aeronavales de la Flota realizan ejercicios en la ría de Pontevedra
  7. ↑ La fragata Méndez Núñez releva a la fragata Canarias en la operación Atalanta
  8. ↑ Así fue liberado el 'Alakrana'
  9. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ y el buque de aprovisionamiento ‘Patiño’ finalizan su participación en el ejercicio “Swordfish 2010”
  10. ↑ La Infanta Elena entrega a la fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ la Bandera de Combate
  11. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ finaliza su participación en la operación de embargo de armas a Libia
  12. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ participa en el ejercicio nacional de Defensa Aérea Sirio-12
  13. ↑ Finaliza el ejercicio de la 31ª escuadrilla de Escoltas ‘MAR-22’ en aguas atlánticas
  14. ↑ La fragata Méndez Núñez zarpa a Somalia para tomar el mando de la operación Atalanta
  15. ↑ España volverá a tomar el mando de la 'Operación Atalanta' con la 'Méndez Núñez', que está ya rumbo al Indico
  16. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ interviene en la detención de nueve presuntos piratas en aguas del Índico
  17. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ asiste al buque ‘Royal Grace’ tras su liberación
  18. ↑ Las cinco fragatas F-100, juntas en la mar por primera vez
  19. ↑ Las fragatas ´Álvaro de Bazán´ y ´Méndez Nuñez´ recalan en la capital
  20. ↑ La fragata ‘Méndez Núñez’ zarpa desde Ferrol para participar en los ejercicios de la OTAN ‘Joint Warrior’
  21. ↑ Fragata española Méndez Núñez toma el mando de agrupación naval de la OTAN
  22. ↑ La «Méndez Núñez» participa en los ejercicios Northern Coasts 16 como buque de mando de la SNMG-1
  23. ↑ La “Méndez Núñez” llega a puerto tras su despliegue con la OTAN
  24. ↑ Fragata M. Núñez y buque Patiño se integran en fuerza OTAN en el Mediterráneo
  25. ↑ El “Patiño” y la “Méndez Núñez” regresan a Ferrol tras finalizar su integración en la Agrupación Naval Permanente de la OTAN nº 2
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