Vasco da Gama-class frigate

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.

NRP Corte Real
Class overview
Name: Vasco da Gama , MEKO 200 PN
Builders:
Operators:  Portuguese Navy
In commission: 1991 - present
Completed: 3
Active: 3
General characteristics
Type: Frigate
Displacement:
  • 2,920 tons standard
  • 3,200 tons full load
Length: 115.9 and 142 m (380 and 466 ft)
Beam: 14.8 m (49 ft)
Draught: 6.2 m (20 ft)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 32 knots (59 km/h) (gas turbines)
  • 20 knots (37 km/h) (Diesel only)
Range: 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement:
  • 180
  • 19 officers
  • 40 petty-officers
  • 102 enlisted
  • 13 air crew
  • 6 boarding team
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • 1 APECS II/700 ESM
  • Countermeasures: SRBOC launcher
Armament:
  • 1 x 100 mm Mod68 CADAM polyvalent artillery piece
  • 1 x Phalanx CIWS 20 mm Vulcan anti-ship missile defence system
  • 2 x 3 12.75-inch Mk32 torpedo tubes in triple mountings
  • 2 x Mk 141 quad-pack Launcher for a maximum of 8 RGM-84 Harpoon
  • 1 x MK 21 Guided Missile Launching System for 8 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow
Aviation facilities: Flight deck and hangar for 2 Super Lynx Mk.95 helicopters

The project for the construction of three frigates of this class was authorized by the Portuguese Government in 1985, five years after the request of the Portuguese Navy for the acquisition of new surface ships. According to Conway's, 60% of the funding for these ships came from NATO military aid. Similar ships have been built for the navies of Greece, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.

Ships
Pennant Name Laid down Shipyard Launched Commissioned
F330 Vasco da Gama 2 February 1989 B&V, Hamburg 26 June 1989 18 January 1991
F331 Álvares Cabral 2 June 1989 HDW, Kiel 6 June 1990 24 May 1991
F332 Corte-Real 20 October 1989 HDW, Kiel 22 November 1991 1 February 1992

Similar ships

See also

References
  • (in Portuguese) Vasco da Gama class, Portuguese Navy website
  • Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995
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