New Force Headquarter (FHQ) Sails For Somalia Anti Piracy Mission

At 11.00 on the 13 of March, the next Flagship of EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation Atalanta, the Swedish Warship HMS CARLSKRONA (P 04), departed from Karlskrona in the south of Sweden.

It was a sunny morning with a blue sky but some ice remained on the water. Soon the conditions will be very different with temperatures around +30 degrees. On board CARLSKRONA the next Force Commander, Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Jan Törnqvist, will be embarked and take command of the FHQ EU NAVFOR  on 14th April.

Before the ship sailed the OHQ representative, Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauza, took part in the traditional prayers in the Admiralty Church in Karlskrona for the ship’s crew. Thereafter, a short press conference was held on board the ship. Rear Admiral Bauza, in talking to the members of the press, expressed the gratitude of the European Union for Sweden’s contribution to EU NAVFOR operation Atalanta. He stated that “The Force Commander, the ship and its crewmembers are well prepared to fulfil their mission off the coast of Somalia.” Rear Admiral Bauza also said that EU NAVFOR is grateful for the Swedish Coastguard, the Maritime Patrol Aircraft, deployed since 8 March and already contributing greatly to the disruption of pirate attack groups.

On departure, HMS CARLSKRONA (P 04) was escorted by the Corvette HMS STOCKHOLM that participated in Sweden’s previous contribution to EU NAVFOR last year.

HMS CARLSCRONA (P 04) will proceed to the Gulf of Aden, where RAdm (LH) Thörnqvist is to relieve the present Force Commander Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero onboard the EU NAVFOR Italian warship ITS ETNA who has been controlling operations in the area for the last four months. The ships will meet in the Gulf of Aden in the middle of April and formally hand over command of the EU NAVFOR Task Force.

HMS Carlskrona (P04) is the second largest vessel in the Swedish Navy (after Belos, the submarine rescue vessel). She was originally designed as a minelayer also used for exercise expeditions.Carlskrona was refitted in 2002. The refit left the ship fit for active service until at least 2018-20. Shortly thereafter she was decomissioned. In 2009-2010 she was modified for the Ocean Patrol Vessel (OPV) role and redesignated from M to P (P04).

HMS Carlskrona (P04), tidigare (M04), är ett örlogsfartyg tillhörande den svenska marinen. Från början byggdes fartyget som minfartyg och användes även från 1982 till 2005 som flottans långresefartyg. År 2002 genomgick fartyget en halvtidsmodifiering och 2007 beslutades att fartyget skulle byggas om till signalspaningsfartyg för att ersätta HMS Orion (A201). Dessa planer ändrades emellertid och fartyget byggs istället om för att i framtiden användas som stödfartyg. Bestyckningen består av en 57 mm och två 40 mm allmålskanoner.

Under april till augusti år 2010 tar Carlskrona över som stridsstödsfartyg över ledningen för EU:s insats Operation Atalanta, som har som syfte att bekämpa pirater i Adenviken. För detta kastar HMS Carlskrona loss den 13 mars 2010. Efter ombyggnaden ändrades också fartygsnumret från M04 till P04.