Belgian minehunter Lobelia

Lobelia starting its journey at Flensburg, 1988
History
Belgium
Name	Lobelia
Namesake	Lobelia
Builder	Mercantile-Belyard Shipyard, Rupelmonde
Launched	3 February 1988
Christened	25 February 1989
Identification	MMSI number: 205209000 Callsign: ORGL
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class & type	Tripartite-class minehunter
Displacement	536 t (528 long tons) empty 605 t (595 long tons) full load
Length	51.5 m (169 ft)
Beam	8.96 m (29.4 ft)
Height	18.5 m (61 ft)
Draught	3.6 m (12 ft)
Propulsion	1 × 1370 kW Werkspoor RUB 215 V12 diesel engine 2 × 180 kW ACEC active rudders 1 × HOLEC bow propeller
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h)
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × rigid-hulled inflatable boats 1 × Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV
Complement	4 officers, 15 non-commissioned officers, 17 sailors
Sensors & processing systems	1 × Thales Underwater Systems TSM 2022 Mk III Hull Mounted Sonar 1 × SAAB Bofors Double Eagle Mk III Self Propelled Variable Depth Sonar 1 × Consilium Selesmar Type T-250/10CM003 Radar
Armament	3 × 12.7 mm machine guns

Lobelia (M921) is a Tripartite-class minehunter of the Belgian Naval Component, launched on 3 February 1988 at the Mercantile-Belyard shipyard in Rupelmonde and christened by Anne Van De Kerckhof, the wife of the then Mayor of Diest, on 25 February 1989. The patronage of Lobelia was accepted by the city of Diest. It was the seventh of the Belgian Tripartite-class minehunters. The Belgian Naval Component announced on its website on 5 November 2007 that Mrs. Van De Kerckhof, the godmother of Lobelia, had died on 27 October. A delegation of the crew of Lobelia attended her funeral. ^{[1] [2]}

In September 2025 Belgium decided that it will donate Lobelia to Bulgarian Navy, along with Belgium's three other remaining Tripartite-class minehunters (Bellis, Crocus, and Primula). ^{[3] [4]}

References

1. "Meter M921 Lobelia overleden" (in Dutch). The Belgian Naval Component. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
2. "Décès de la marraine du M921 Lobelia" (in French). The Belgian Naval Component. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
3. "Belgium and the Netherlands to transfer 7 MCM vessels to Bulgaria". Naval News. 12 September 2025.
4. Jérôme Brahy (15 September 2025). "Belgium donates last four Tripartite-class minehunters to Bulgaria to secure Black Sea naval routes". Army Recognition.