Two warships belonging to the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, on Friday, June 18, entered Odessa seaport.
According to Odessa-based Dumskaya online publication with reference to its own correspondent, British destroyer HMS Defender D36 and Dutch HNMLS Eversten F805 entered the port. The ships were escorted by the port tugboats Bulat and Patriot.
“This is not the first time that British Type 45 destroyers have been to Odessa – a few years ago HMS Duncan [2017 and 2019] and HMS Dragon [2020] visited us, but the Defender is in the Black Sea for the first time. The Defender joined the Royal Navy in March 2013. The total displacement is 8,500 tonnes, length is 152 meters, width is 21, draught is over 7 meters, and speed is over 30 knots,” the journalists said.
They add that the Defender is equipped with such naval gun systems as a 114-mm Mark 8 Mod, a pair of 20-mm Mark 15 Phalanx and two 30-mm Oerlikon.
“Missile armament is 2×4 launchers for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 48 launchers for Aster-15 or Aster-30 missiles. There are two Lynx helicopters or one Merlin in the hangar,” the message said.
It notes that the Eversten entered the Black Sea region in 2019, but visited Trabzon, Poti and Constanta. The ship joined the Netherlands Navy in June 2005. Its length is 144 meters, width is 19, and draught is 5 meters. Total displacement is over 6,000 tonnes, its crew consists of over 200 people, and speed is over 28 knots.
The artillery armament of the Dutch vessel consists of one 127-mm main-caliber gun, a seven-barreled 30-mm gun Goalkeeper, a pair of Oerlikon, and Browning machine guns.
“Missile armament consists of eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 40 vertical launch launchers MK41 for the Standard SM2 missile defense system SM2 Block IIIA [32 missiles ammunition], Sea Sparrow RIM-7R [four cells, 32 missiles ammunition]. Torpedo armament consists of two twin-tube 324-mm torpedo tubes MK32 [for torpedoes MK46]. There is an NH-90 helicopter in the hangar,” the journalists said.
It is noted that the ships are part of the escort of the newest British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, which recently launched a round-the-world voyage, and shortly before entering Odesa, they both conducted joint maneuvers with American destroyer USS Laboon DDG58.
