Norway has begun raising the elite warship that sank after getting rammed by an oil tanker
At the time of the collision the tanker was full and displaced about 113,00 tons — more than an aircraft carrier. The frigate displaces just under 5,300 tons.
The collision tore a large hole in the starboard side of the frigate's hull, flooding interior compartments.
The $400 million, 442-foot-long warship was returning from NATO's massive, multinational Trident Juncture military exercise when it collided with the 820-foot-long tanker.
Trident Juncture, the first NATO exercise of its size since the Cold War, also saw other ships get banged up in the rough waters of the Arctic and North Sea.
In a preliminary report released at the end of November, Accident Investigation Board Norway said control of the frigate's rudder and propulsion systems was lost, which caused it to drift toward shore and run aground about 10 minutes after the collision.
According to the preliminary report, the frigate's automatic identification system was turned off, which made it harder for other ships to recognize it, and there was confusion on the bridge due to a change in watch. The report also found that warnings to the frigate, which was headed into the port, went unheeded until too late, allowing the outbound tanker to run into it.
Read more about the report's findings here.
Since the accident, personnel have been working to wrap lifting chains around the hull. Two barges have now been anchored next to the frigate, and four large hoists on the barges will slowly lift the warship. The ship will be put on a sub-surface barge and then raised to the surface.
Once aboard the barge, the frigate will be shipped to Haakonsvern naval base in Bergen and could arrive some time during the weekend of March 1 to March 3 if the operation goes according to plan. Norway's armed forces have said they are evaluating whether the warship can be repaired or if a replacement needs to be ordered.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Nerijus Adomaitis; editing by Jason Neely)
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