This is a list of the active vessels of the Royal Danish Navy . [1]
Class | In service | Origin | Picture | Type | Ship | No. | Comm. | Builder | Displacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frigates (9) | ||||||||||
Absalon class | 2 | Denmark | ASW Frigate | Absalon | F341 | 2004 | Odense Staalskibsværft | 6,600 tonnes | [2] [3] Flexible mission capabilities through modules. [4] (naval warfare, land attack, command ship, hospital ship, disaster relief) | |
Esbern Snare | F342 | 2005 | ||||||||
Iver Huitfeldt class | 3 | Denmark | Air-defence frigate | Iver Huitfeldt | F361 | 2011 | Odense Staalskibsværft | 6,645 tonnes | [5] [3] Flexible mission capabilities through modules. [4] (naval warfare, land attack, command ship, hospital ship, disaster relief) | |
Peter Willemoes | F362 | 2011 | ||||||||
Niels Juel | F363 | 2011 | ||||||||
Thetis class Stanflex 3000 | 4 | Denmark | Oceanic patrol frigate | Thetis | F357 | 1991 | Svendborg Skibsværft | 3,500 tonnes | [6] [3] To be replaced by a frigate with ASW capacity. [7] | |
Triton | F358 | 1991 | ||||||||
Vædderen | F359 | 1992 | ||||||||
Hvidbjørnen | F360 | 1992 | ||||||||
Offshore patrol vessels (9) | ||||||||||
Knud Rasmussen class | 3 | Denmark | Arctic patrol ships | Knud Rasmussen | P570 | 2008 | Karstensens Skibsværft | 1,720 tonnes | [4] [3] | |
Ejnar Mikkelsen | P571 | 2009 | ||||||||
Lauge Koch | P572 | 2017 | ||||||||
Diana class | 6 | Denmark | Patrol vessel | Diana | P520 | 2007 | Faaborg Værft A/S Karlskrona Varvet | 246 tonnes | [3] | |
Freja | P521 | 2007 | ||||||||
Havfruen | P522 | 2008 | ||||||||
Najaden | P523 | 2008 | ||||||||
Nymfen | P524 | 2009 | ||||||||
Rota | P525 | 2009 | ||||||||
Light boats | ||||||||||
SB90E class | 4 | Sweden | Landing Craft Personnel | – | LCP1 | 2003 – 2004 | Storebro Bruk | 7.2 tonnes | [8] Used with Absalon class | |
– | LCP2 | |||||||||
– | LCP3 | |||||||||
– | LCP4 | |||||||||
2 | Illustration, same variant, fully orange | Search and rescue boat | Dagmar | SAR1 | 2007 | Used with Knud Rasmussen class, modified with ice-reinforcements and upgraded engines. | ||||
Naja | SAR2 | 2007 | ||||||||
MHV RHIB | 29 | – | RHIB Rigid-hulled inflatable boats | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Mine warfare ships (6) | ||||||||||
Holm class | 2 | Denmark | Minesweeper | Hirsholm | MSD5 | 2007 | Danish yacht | 125 tonnes | [9] | |
Saltholm | MSD6 | 2008 | ||||||||
MSF class Mindre standardfartøj | 4 | Denmark | Remote controlled mine-sweeping drones | – | MSF1 | 1998 | Danyard | 125 tonnes | [10] | |
– | MSF2 | 1998 | ||||||||
– | MSF3 | 1999 | ||||||||
– | MSF4 | 1999 |
Class | In service | Origin | Picture | Type | Ship | No. | Comm. | Builder | Displacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Logistic support | ||||||||||
Sleipner class | 1 | Denmark | Logistic support ship | Sleipner | A559 | 1986 | Åbenrå Shipyard A/S | 465 tonnes | [1] [11] [12] | |
Stena 4Runner I class | 1 | Italy | RO/RO | Ark Forwarder | A98 | 2007 | Societa Esercizio Cantieri | 21,104 tonnes | Launched in 1998, chartered by Danish Navy since 2007 as part of NATO Response Force . [13] | |
– | 1 | France | RO/RO | Tor Dania | – | 2007 | Societé Metallurgique & Navale Dunkerque-Normandie | 21,491 tonnes | Launched in 1978, rebuilt in 1995, chartered by Danish Navy since 2007 as part of NATO Response Force . [14] | |
– | 1 | Italy | RO/RO | Tor Futura | – | 2004 | Cantiere Navale Visentini | 18,469 tonnes | Launched in 1996, chartered by Danish Navy since 2004 as part of NATO Response Force . [15] | |
Diving vessels (1) | ||||||||||
Flyvefisken class SF300 – Serie 3 | 1 | Denmark | Diving support vessel | Søløven | Y311 (former P563) | 1996 | Danyard | 487 tonnes | [16] Surveillance diving support since 2012 | |
Research vessels | ||||||||||
Supply class | 2 | Denmark | Environmental protection vessel | Gunnar Thorson | A560 | 1996 | Ørskov Christensen Stålskibsværft A/S | 1,660 tonnes | [1] | |
Gunnar Seidenfaden | A561 | 1996 | ||||||||
Holm class | 2 | Denmark | Hydrographical survey craft | Birkholm | A541 | 2006 | Danish yacht | 125 tonnes | [1] | |
Fyrholm | A542 | 2006 | ||||||||
Seatruck class | 2 | Denmark | Environmental protection vessel | Mette-Miljø | A562 | 1996 | Carl B Hoffmann A/S (Esbjerg) | 247 tonnes | [17] [18] | |
Marie-Miljø | A564 | |||||||||
Miljø class | 3 | Denmark | Environmental protection vessel | Miljø 101 | Y340 | 1996 | Eivinds plasticjolle- og bådeværft | 16 tonnes | [19] | |
Miljø 102 | Y341 | 1996 | ||||||||
Miljø 103 | Y342 | 2008 | ||||||||
Training vessels (2) | ||||||||||
Holm class | 2 | Denmark | Training boat | Ertholm | A543 | 2006 | Danish yacht | 159 tonnes | [1] 2 training boats (HOLM class) 2 hydrographical survey craft (HOLM class) | |
Alholm | A544 | 2007 | ||||||||
Tugboats | ||||||||||
Arvak class | 2 | Denmark | Tugboat | Arvak | Y344 | 2002 | Hvide Sande Skibs- & Baadebyggeri | – | [20] | |
Alsin | Y345 | 2002 | ||||||||
– | 2 | Denmark | – | Harbour tugboat | Balder | – | 1983 | Assens Skibsværft | 32 tonnes | [21] |
Hermod | – | 1983 |
Class | In service | Origin | Picture | Type | Ship | No. | Comm. | Builder | Displacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrol and SAR vessels (29) | ||||||||||
MHV 800 class | 17 | Denmark | Patrol and rescue vessel | Aldebaraan | MHV801 | 1992 | Søby Værft | 83 tonnes | [22] | |
Carina | MHV802 | 1992 | ||||||||
Aries | MHV803 | 1993 | ||||||||
Andromeda | MHV804 | 1993 | ||||||||
Gemini | MHV805 | 1994 | ||||||||
Dubhe | MHV806 | 1994 | ||||||||
Jupiter | MHV807 | 1994 | ||||||||
Lyra | MHV808 | 1995 | ||||||||
Antares | MHV809 | 1995 | ||||||||
Luna | MHV810 | 1996 | ||||||||
Apollo | MHV811 | 1996 | ||||||||
Hercules | MHV812 | 1997 | ||||||||
Baunen | MHV813 | 1997 | ||||||||
Budstikken | MHV814 | 1998 | ||||||||
Kureren | MHV815 | 1999 | ||||||||
Patrioten | MHV816 | 2000 | ||||||||
Partisan | MHV817 | 2000 | ||||||||
MHV900 class | 12 | Denmark | Patrol and rescue vessel | Enø | MHV901 | 2003 | Søby Værft | 87 tonnes | [23] | |
Manø | MHV902 | 2004 | ||||||||
Hjortø | MHV903 | 2005 | ||||||||
Lyø | MHV904 | 2005 | ||||||||
Askø | MHV905 | 2006 | ||||||||
Fænø | MHV906 | 2007 | ||||||||
Hvidsten | MHV907 | 2008 | ||||||||
Brigaden | MHV908 | 2008 | ||||||||
Speditøren | MHV909 | 2009 | ||||||||
Ringen | MHV910 | 2009 | ||||||||
Bopa | MHV911 | 2009 | ||||||||
Holger Danske | MHV912 | 2011 |
Class | In service | Origin | Picture | Type | Ship | No. | Comm. | Builder | Displacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yacht | ||||||||||
– | 1 | Denmark | Royal Yacht | Dannebrog | A540 | 1932 | Orlogsverftet | 1,238 tonnes | [1] Can participate to surveillance and sea-rescue missions | |
Sailing yachts | ||||||||||
– | 2 | – | Illustration comparable vessel | Sailing vessel | Svanen | Y101 | – | – | – | [1] |
Thyra | Y102 | – |
Class | In service | Origin | Picture | Type | Comm. | Builder | Displacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Offshore patrol vessels | ||||||||
MPV80 class | 6 | Denmark | – | Modular Offshore patrol vessel and research vessels | 2029 | Odense Maritime Technology, Terma | 1,100 tonnes [24] | Agreement signed in June 2023 for the development of the ships. [25] Expected to feature anti-surface warfare missiles as of 2024. [26] |
In June 2023, Denmark announced considering to reintroduce submarines into its navy. The need to secure the Faroe Islands, Greenland, the Arctic and the Baltic Sea justifies this consideration. [27] An alternative mentioned by Denmark would be a close cooperation with allies. [28]
In May 2024, several ministries and industry representatives unveiled a report for the long-term strategy of the Danish Navy. [29] [30] The plan is focusing on a 20-25 year time period. During that period, 15 frigates and offshore patrol vessels would need to be acquired, and 40 lighter vessels would be needed.
Denmark is considering its options regarding the future replacement of the Thetis class and the Absalon class. [31] A potential successor of the Thetis class was unveiled in September 2023 by OSK Design, the Arctic Frigate. The Danish Navy mentioned that it would need the successor of the Thetis to enter service in 2032. [32]
The Royal Danish Navy is the sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters. Other tasks include surveillance, search and rescue, icebreaking, oil spill recovery and prevention as well as contributions to international tasks and forces.
The Danish Home Guard (HJV) is the fourth service of the Danish Armed Forces. It was formerly concerned only with the defence of Danish territory, but since 2008, it has also supported the Danish military efforts in Afghanistan and Kosovo. The Danish Home Guard has also provided training to Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Service is voluntary and unpaid, though members' loss of income from time taken off work, transport expenses and other basic expenses are compensated. However, workshop and depot staff plus clerks and senior officers are all paid. The unarmed Women's Army Corps (Lottekorpset) was merged in 1989 with the then all-male Home Guard to form the present, armed unisex Home Guard.
HDMS Absalon (F341) and her sister ship Esbern Snare are the two members of the Absalon class. The lead ship of the class is named after Danish archbishop and statesman Absalon and received full operational status in 2007.
HDMS Esbern Snare (F342) is an Absalon-class frigate and is, along with her sister ship, the HDMS Absalon, amongst the largest combat vessels currently commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy.
The Thetis-class ocean patrol vessels or ocean patrol frigates, also called Stanflex 3000, is a class of large patrol vessels built for the Royal Danish Navy. The class comprises four ships, all built and commissioned in the early 1990s. The ships' tasks are mainly maintenance of sovereignty, search and rescue, fishery inspection and support to local authorities. The operation areas are normally Greenland and the Faroe Islands, but the vessels also operate near Iceland on transit between Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and near Denmark.
Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 34-nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, board, inspect, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the "War on Terror" and in the Horn of Africa region (HOA) includes operations in the North Arabia Sea to support operations in the Indian Ocean. These activities are referred to as Maritime Security Operations (MSO).
The Absalon class are frigates of the Royal Danish Navy, commissioned in 2005. The two ships in the class may be described as a hybrid between a frigate and military transport ship with multiple role capabilities, with the capacity to be transformed from a combat ship with the firepower of a traditional frigate to a hospital ship within a day.
HDMS Thetis is a Thetis-class ocean patrol vessel belonging to the Royal Danish Navy.
The Iver Huitfeldt class is a three-ship class of air defence frigates that entered service with the Royal Danish Navy in 2012 and 2013.
StanFlex is a modular mission payload system used by the Royal Danish Navy. Originally conceived during the 1980s as a way of replacing several classes of minor war vessel with a single class of multi-role ships, the StanFlex system consists of weapons and equipment mounted in standardised containers, which can be loaded into slots on the ships. These containers can be swapped out in a short period of time, allowing the ship to switch between roles when needed. The success of the modular payload system led the Royal Danish Navy to design all new warships with StanFlex slots, and to install slots on older vessels during major refits. By 2012, nine ship classes capable of carrying StanFlex payloads were in service.
Maritime domain awareness (MDA) is defined by the International Maritime Organization as the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment. MDA is said to work as a ‘key enabler’ for other maritime security issues, such as anti-piracy patrols, in the way that in order to do effective patrols you need to have the ability of conducting effective MDA. The maritime domain is defined as all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the Danish armed forces at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations. In wartime all Danish military units would have come under the joint West German/Danish NATO command Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP). BALTAP was a principal subordinate command under the Allied Forces Northern Europe Command (AFNORTH). The commander-in-chief of (BALTAP) was always a Danish Lieutenant General or Vice Admiral, who had the designation Commander Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (COMBALTAP). In peacetime BALTAP had only a few communication units allocated and all other units remained under national command of West Germany's Bundeswehr and Denmark's Forsvaret.
The MHV900 class is a series of ships in service with the Danish Home Guard. It is a further development of the MHV800 class. These ships are about 3.5 metres longer and 10 tons heavier than the preceding class. The ships are primarily used for monitoring at sea, search and rescue, and environmental protection at sea. The increased size allows the ship class to carry two float locks of 180 m (590 ft), which gives the Danish pollution preparedness a noticeable lift upward. In addition, the class is equipped with several fire pumps and a water cannon, which can be used for firefighting.
The following ships of the Royal Danish Navy have borne the name HDMS Diana:
The Diana class, also known as the Minor Standard Craft Mk II, are a class of six patrol boats in service with the Royal Danish Navy. Built by Faaborg Værft A/S, the ships displace 280 tonnes and have a maximum speed of 18 knots knots. The class was intended to replace the aging Barsø class of patrol boats. The lead ship of the class, HDMS Diana, entered Danish service in 2007. The Diana-class vessels were initially tasked with fisheries protection, patrol and search and rescue but are currently tasked with international and combat operations.
A number of vessels of the Royal Danish Navy have borne the name Peter Willemoes, after Peter Willemoes.
A number of vessels of the Royal Danish Navy have borne the name Iver Huitfeldt or Iver Hvitfeldt, after Iver Huitfeldt.
HDMS Thetis was a frigate of the Royal Danish Navy, which she served from 1842 to 1864. She is best known for being one of the ships that picked up some of the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's artworks and other belongings in Rome, some forty years after another Danish naval vessel by the same name had transported him the other way. In the meantime he had achieved international fame for his Neoclassical sculptures. Thorvaldsen, who had been back in Rome since September 1841, after moving back to Copenhagen in 1838, was also supposed to return with the ship. He did however, miss its departure by one day. The Royal Danish Navy's first music corps played its first performance on board the Thetis in 1857.
HDMS Thetis was a Fifth rate frigate of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy, which she served from 1790 to 1850. She is remembered as the ship that carried a young Bertel Thorvaldsen to Malta in 1796. The sculptor ended up living and working in Rome the next more than forty years. He created a large number of small portrait drawings of the officers on board the ship.