Stricken Norwegian Frigate Has Almost Completely Sunk

The state of Helge Ingstad as of Nov. 13, 2018. Forsvaret

Warzone/The Drive: Stricken Norwegian Frigate Has Almost Completely Sunk After Its Anchor Wires Snapped

It is increasingly unlikely that Norway's navy will be able to put the ship, which collided with an oil tanker last week, back in service.

The Royal Norwegian Navy's frigate Helge Ingstad has almost completely sunk in the waters near the Sture oil and gas terminal outside of Bergen Norway. Norwegian authorities insist they still intend to salvage the warship, which suffered serious damage and was intentionally ran aground after colliding with the oil tanker Sola on Nov. 8, 2018, but the vessel's future looks increasingly bleak.

On Nov. 13, 2018, Rear Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes, head of Norway's navy, disclosed that multiple steel wires anchoring the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate to the shore had snapped overnight. At present, only a portion of ship's main mast, which holds its advanced AN/SPY-1F radar, a key component of its version of the Aegis Combat System, along with a small portion of the rear superstructure, remain above the waterline. On Nov. 11, 2018, the Norwegian Armed Forces, or Forsvaret, had said the ship was "stable." Over the weekend, workers had also added two additional anchor wires between the vessel and the shore, for a total of seven.

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WNU Editor: I doubt that she will be brought back to service.