Absalon class (HDMS Absalon & Esbern Snare)

The Absalon class have been variously described as combat support ships or even as transport frigates.
In Danish service, the Absalon class are termed Kommandostøtteskib or Command and Support ships.
The Absalons were jointly conceived by the Danish Navy (specifically, the KDM Søværnets
Materielkommando) and the Odense Lindø Shipyard (Odense Staalskibsværft, a part of the AP Møller
Group). The contract was signed with the Odense Lindø in November of 2001.

Construction of the first Absalon hull began in May of 2003. The

first ship was delivered in June 2004 and named Absalon
(founder of Copenhagen) by HM Queen Margrethe II. The ship
was ready to sail but not yet fitted with all of its military hardware –
although the ship was already equipped with its BAE 127mm main
gun. HDMS Absalon then went to a naval base for its first fit of
government-supplied naval hardware. After its initial fitting out, the
new ship was sent out into the Atlantic for two months of sea trials
including climatic tests. Absalon travelled south of the equator
before turning west towards North America, visiting Norfolk,
Baltimore, and then Halifax (arriving 28 October 2005).

Upon the ship’s return to Denmark, KDM personnel installed and tested the remaining hardware,
cables, electronic units, etc. All ship tests are now complete and Absalon has been declared fully
operational. She will join Combined Task Force 150, the multinational maritime security operation in
the Indian Ocean, in August 2008. The second ship in the class, HDMS Esbern Snare (named after the
brother of Absalon, Esbern the Resolute), has already
undergone sea trials and partici- pated in NATO exercises.
She will most likely be declared operational during the
autumn 2008.[1]

Both Absalon (L16) and Esbern Snare (L17) have been

active for some
time. However, both
vessels were
delivered without
their complete systems for reasons of economy. The full
weapons and sensor suites have now been installed and
containerized hospitals are being completed. So, what exactly
are the Absalon class?
Similar in size and
armament to
a modern frigate, Absalon lacks the sensors to meet that standard.
Instead, the Absalon class have Roll- On, Roll-Off ramps and
interior space for vehicles.

The Absalons have 900 square metres (240 lane-metres)

of multi-use interior space. Measuring 84m x 10.9m x 5m, this so-
called “flex-deck” would normally carry military vehicles. Using
the RO/RO ramp which extends from the stern, vehicles as heavy as the 62-ton Leopard 2A5 DK main
battle tank (right), can be embarked. The capacity
of this cargo deck is around 450 t. Along with vehicular cargo, the containerized hospital and extra
living quarter modules for troops can also accommodated on this deck.

The door for the RO/RO ramp is on the starboard side of the
transom. On the port side is another door for two fast landing craft
and their retractable launch/recovery gantry. These waterjet-
propelled LCP-class landing craft can hit
40 knots and have a range of 200 nm (370 km). The LCPs have
crews of 2-3 and can carry 10 fully-equipped troops
or 4 stretcher cases. LCPs are based on a Swedish design but are
basically crew boats. [2] When not needed, both LCPs are stored
in a bay beside the vehicle loading ramp.

Above the vehicle deck and LCP

bay is an 850 square metre
helicopter landing deck. This
deck can accommodate 20-t
helicopters (including
Chinooks) but was sized
specifically for two EH-101s (the KDM has 4 EH-101s on order for the
Absalon class) as were the twin-bay hangars.
When helicopters are not in use (or weren’t embarked) the landing
deck serves as further vehicle parking space and container storage.
The Absalon class was
designed to accommodate up to 200 soldiers (a company-sized force
with a command staff). Living quarters or a hospital module can be
fitted on the RO-RO deck in a day.
The armament for the Absalon class follows the Danish Standard Flex
approach but the guns are permanently mounted. The main gun
is the US 5" (127mm) Mk 45 Mod 4 by BAE Systems (United Defense) which was installed at the
shipyard. The Mk 45 Mod 4
is the largest calibre gun fitted to any Danish warship [3] and for good reason. The Absalon class gun
must be able to engage land targets. To do that, a 127mm gun was chosen for the weight of its shell –
up to 32 kg compared with only 6 kg for the 76mm/62 gun used on most Danish ships. Range was
another consideration.[4]

Mounted later were two close-in weapons system turrets – one mounted behind and above the main
gun, the other mounted on top of the rear hangar. The CIWS are 35mm Millenium revolver cannons by
Rheinmetall (formerly Oerlikon) which can fire up to 1000 rounds per minute (cyclic).

At the same time as the 35mm CIWS guns were added, launchers were
installed for decoys and torpedos. There are four six-tubed Mk 36
launchers for the Seagnat / SBROC chaff decoys and two Mk 32 twin
launchers for MU90 (M/04) anti-submarine torpedos. Forward of the
torpedo launchers, in a sunken mid section, there are five Standard Flex
armament container slots for Harpoon [5] surface-to-surface cruise
missiles (16 Harpoons in two groups of paired quad cannisters) and three
rows of six vertically-launched NATO Sea Sparrow or twelve ESSM
surface-to-air missiles. [6]

One of the reasons that the Absalon class was attainable, was a willingness to accept systems being
installed in phases. This meant a delay in acheiving full operational status but both ships were
available for limited operations in the meantime. It has also resulted in some confusion over costs.
Prices as low as 1.256 billion Kroner (Cdn $263M) have been quoted. The actual cost for the entire
Absalon class program, completely equipped, is quoted as 2.7B Kroner (Cdn $565M).

Absalon class Command & Support

Ship
6.300 tonnes
Displacement:
Dimensions: length 137m, beam 19.5m, draught 6.5m
Complement: 100 crew (accommodation for up to 300 )
2 x 8,200 kW (11,000 hp) MTU 8000
Propulsion:
M70
diesel engines, 2 x props, 1 x bow thruster
9,000 nautical miles (10,356 mi / 16,666
Range:
km)
Performance: service speed 23 knots (42.5 km/h)
1 x 127 mm main gun (5"/62 / M/02
LvSa)
Armament:
2 x 35 mm CIWS (Millenium / M/04
LvSa)
16 x SSM, 3 x SAM (VLS), 4 x SAM
(light),
2 x twin torpedo launchers, 7 x heavy mgs

[1] A third Knud Rasmussen class will probably be included in the next defence agreement (there were
three Agdlek class cutters in service although one has now been decommissioned and sold off). There is
also speculation that a fourth Knud Rasmussen class might be added to replace the Beskytteren, a
1,970-t OPV decommissioned in 2000 and transferred to Estonia as Admiral Pitka.

[2] The LCPs are essentially enlarged equivalents of the CF diver recovery boats. The design is based
on the 12m Swedish SRC 90E rescue boat (hence the stretcher capability). The SRC 90E is also used as
a fast insertion boat making it suitable as a light landing craft. Hull construction is of composite
laminate (carbonfibre with vinyl ester resin). In a strengthened, ice-resistant form, the LCP is the
same boat chosen for search and rescue duties from Knud Rasmussen class OPVs.

[3] The retired Peder Skram class frigates had twin mount 127mm M/60 LvSa2 (US 5"/38 Mk12s).

[4] The Danes were relying on the steerable EX-171 Extended-Range Guided Munition to boost the
gun’s range from 36 km to 117 km. Unfortunately, the ERGM was cancelled in March of 2008.

[5] Denmark was the first international customer for the Harpoon Block II upgrade – 50 in 2002,
Canada followed in 2004. Along with anti-shipping, Block II missiles can also attack land targets.

[6] As with the CF, Sea Sparrows will be replaced by ESSMs (Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missiles).
Further reading: Danish Naval History (Absalon class, Absalon, Esbern Snare, CIWS, & MU90).