The ''Elli''-class frigates are a series of

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s operated by the

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, 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 Independ ...

. The ships are of Dutch origin and are also known as or ''Standard-class'' or ''S-class'' frigates. The first two ships (''Elli'' and ''Limnos''), which have lengthened

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s and different armament were built specifically for the Hellenic Navy. The remaining ships are ex-

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

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. , for which the class is named, is itself named after two famous Greek

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s, one of which was sunk during peacetime before the Greco-Italian War.

Mid-life modernization project

There was a mid life modernization programme for six of the ten Greek ships which started in 2004 and was completed in 2009. The program was performed at Hellenic Shipyards and the upgraded frigates were the following: ''Kountouriotis'' (F-462), ''Adrias'' (F-459), ''Navarinon'' (F-461), ''Limnos'' (F-451), ''Elli'' (F-450), and ''Aegaeon'' (F-460). The main modernization work included the following: *Replacement of the combat management system with the

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TACTICOS *Installation of new sensors, like the Thales Mirador electro-optical target tracker *Installation of Thales Scout MkII LPI navigation radar *Overhaul and improvement of radars (WM25 and LW08 long range air-search radar) *Installation of EDO (now part of

Harris Corporation Harris Corporation was an American technology company, defense contractor, and information technology service (economics), services provider that produced wireless equipment, tactical radios, electronic systems, night vision device, night visi ...

) CS-3701 ESM system *Replacement of navigation systems and upgrade of communications systems *Replacement of propulsion control system and of defined platform systems. ''Bouboulina'' (F-463) was decommissioned on 18 February 2013. It will be used as a source for spare parts.

Incidents at sea

On 2 November 2017 ''Kanaris'' ran aground near the islet Atalanti, southwest of Psyttaleia in the

Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of C ...

, on the way back to the Salamis Naval Base. There were no personnel injuries and no fuel leaks but there was serious hull damage which according to news reports affected the SONAR shell. After 8 months of absence for repairs the ship was again operational in July 2018 using the SONAR and dome from decommissioned ''Bouboulina'' (F-463).

Ships

Gallery

File:HS-F-459-Adrias-at-Patras-port.jpg, HS ''Adrias'' (F-459) anchored in the old (north) port of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

(June 2020) File:20080702-Faliron-HS Kanaris-F464.jpg, HS ''Kanaris'' (F-464) File:HS Limnos F451.jpg, HS ''Limnos'' (F-451) File:Greek frigate Nikiforos Fokas (F466) at sea in August 2014.JPG, HS ''Nikiforos Fokas'' (F-466) at sea in August 2014 File:Themistocles F465.jpg, HS ''Themistocles'' (F-465)

References

External links

Elli class frigates
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070331155302/http://www.defencenet.gr/defence/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=695&Itemid=51 Παράδοση Φ/Γ ΚΟΥΝΤΟΥΡΙΩΤΗΣ F462
hellenic-shipyardsHS ELLI (F-450)3d video
{{Kortenaer class frigate Frigate classes