A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy it was known as the Royal Hellenic Navy.
The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination". It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction.
Hydra generally refers to:
The history of the Hellenic Navy begins with the birth of modern Greece, and due to the maritime nature of the country, this force has been the premier service of the Greek Armed Forces.
The Elli-class frigates are a series of frigates operated by the Hellenic Navy. The ships are of Dutch origin and are also known as Kortenaer-class or Standard-class or S-class frigates. The first two ships, which have lengthened hangars and different armament were built specifically for the Hellenic Navy. The remaining ships are ex-Royal Netherlands Navy S-frigates of the Kortenaer class transferred to the Hellenic Navy in the 1990s and early 2000s. These robust and reliable ships constitute the backbone of the Hellenic Navy. Elli, for which the class is named, is itself named after two famous Greek cruisers, one of which was sunk during peacetime before the Greco-Italian War.
Greek frigate Elli (F450) is the lead ship of the Greek Elli class of frigates and the third Hellenic Navy ship by that name. The class is based on the Royal Netherlands Navy's Kortenaer class and was built in a Dutch shipyard; however, unlike later members of its class in the Hellenic Navy, it was not originally in Dutch service, but was sold directly to Greece.
HNLMS Jan van Brakel (F825) was a frigate of the Kortenaer class in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1983 to 2001. She was renamed HS Kanaris (F464) on transfer to the Hellenic Navy in 2002.
The Vasco da Gama class is a class of frigates of the Portuguese Navy. Named in honor of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the ships are based on the German MEKO 200 design, and are Portugal's major surface ships. Portugal operates three ships of this class, which were built in Hamburg by Blohm + Voss (B&V) and by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, using modular construction techniques.
The Kortenaer class was a class of anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Like other frigate types of the 1970s and 1980s, they featured a COGOG propulsion system with separate cruise and sprint gas turbines. Ten were built by De Schelde in Vlissingen and two by Wilton-Fijenoord in Schiedam between 1978 and 1982. Only ten served with the Royal Netherlands Navy: two were sold to Greece's Navy while still under construction and replaced by two Jacob van Heemskerck-class frigates which were an air defence variant of the Kortenaer class. The Greek frigates were renamed the Elli class. After service with the Dutch ended, eight of the frigates were sold to Greece in 1992 and the remaining two to the United Arab Emirates. Three of the ships have since been retired from active military service with one converted into the superyacht Yas.
The Greek frigate Hellas was the flagship of the Revolutionary Hellenic Navy. After an arbitration hearing in New York due to financial default by the Greek government, she was delivered to Greece in 1826. She was burned in 1831 by the Greek Admiral Andreas Miaoulis when the government of Ioannis Kapodistrias ordered her turned over to the Russian navy.
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.
The Hydra class are a group of four frigates in service with the Hellenic Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design. The programme was authorised in 1988 and partially paid for with FMS aid and provisioned for the commission of six vessels. The first ship was built in Germany and commissioned in 1992 but suffered a serious fire while working up near Portland, England. Repairs were completed in 1993. The Greek built warships were delayed due to financial problems on the part of the Hellenic Shipyards completing in the late 1990s which also led to limiting the total number of vessels to four mainly after the acquisition of eight Kortenaer-class frigates from the Netherlands in the late 1990s.
Hydra (F-452) is the lead ship of the Greek Hydra-class frigate and flagship of the Hellenic Navy. The ship was built in the same shipyard as the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class, on which its design was based. Three more vessels were built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas in following years. It is the fifth ship in the Hellenic Navy to bear the name Hydra.
The Greek frigate Psara (F-454) is the third ship of the Greek Hydra-class frigates. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramangas as part of the programme. She has participated in various NATO and international operations such as Sharp Guard, Decisive Enhancement, Operation Enduring Freedom, EU Operation Atalanta.
The Greek frigate Spetsai (F-453) is the second ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. She is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas. She is the fifth ship of the Hellenic Navy to be named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses. She has participated in international operations such as Enduring Freedom.
The Greek frigate Salamis (F-455) is the fourth ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas. It is the third ship of the Hellenic Navy to be named after Salamis Island and the famous Battle of Salamis, the first being the uncompleted dreadnought Salamis.
At least four ships of the Hellenic Navy have borne the name Themistoklis, sometimes rendered as Themistocles, after the ancient Athenian statesman: