The Greek frigate ''Psara'' (F-454) () is the third ship of the Greek s. It is based on the
Blohm + Voss Blohm is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Hans Blohm C.M. (born 1927), photographer and author
* Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), German businessman and co-founder of German company Blohm+Voss
* Irma Blohm (1909–1997), German pol ...
MEKO 200
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.
Variants
''Anzac'' class (MEKO 200ANZ)
Ten MEKO 200 frigates were built to the Anzac-class frigate, ''Anzac''-class design: ei ...
frigate class and was built by
Hellenic Shipyards Co. at
Skaramangas
Skaramagas (also spelled Skaramangas; ) is a port town in the western part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Haidari. It is known for its large shipyard. It took its name by the Chiot merchant Amvrosios Skar ...
as part of the programme.
She has participated in various
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and international operations such as
Sharp Guard,
Decisive Enhancement,
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
, EU
Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the ...
.
On 29 March 2009, as
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of EU NAVFOR Atalanta, ''Psara'' was involved in the capture of
Somalian pirates
Horn of Africa
* Somali Peninsula, a region of East Africa, also known as "The Horn of Africa"
* Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region
** Greater Somalia
** Somali language, a Cushitic language
** Somali culture ...
fleeing from an unsuccessful hijack attempt on the , along with , the and .
On 19 June 2024, in response to the
Red Sea crisis
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Red Sea crisis
, width =
, partof = the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present), and the Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
, image ...
, ''Psara'' was deployed to the Red Sea to protect shipping from
Houthi
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely ...
attacks as part of the European Union's
Operation Aspides
Operation Aspides, also known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, is an EU military operation in response to Houthi engagements with international shipping in the Red Sea. Named after the Greek word for shields (), Operation Aspides—unlike the US-led Ope ...
. The ship was equipped with new electronic warfare and anti-drone systems for the mission.
On July 7, 2024 in the Gulf of Aden, HS PSARA, while providing close protection to a merchant vessel, engaged 4 UAVs which were posing a significant threat to the freedom of navigation. As a result, 2 UAVs were downed, while the rest of them changed their course.
References
External links
Official Hellenic Navy page for Hydra Class Frigates (English)SNMG-1 Press release on ''Spessart'' incident
Video of capture, by the Hellenic Navy
1994 ships
Ships built in Greece
Hydra-class frigates
Frigates of Greece
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