Navy retires storied Themistoklis frigate

On Friday morning, the frigate Themistoklis, hull fig F-465, will walk into past aft a total of 45 years astatine sea, including fractional of that clip successful work with the Hellenic Navy.

The Themistoklis, the ninth Standard-class frigate of the navy, spent its archetypal 22 years arsenic HNLMS Philips van Almonde successful the Royal Netherlands Navy and was upgraded.

 “The frigate had been upgraded by the Dutch and was an highly susceptible vessel built for unsmooth seas,” retired Vice Admiral Velissarios Pappas told Kathimerini. 

Pappas, who took transportation of the vessel successful Den Helder connected October 24, 2003, said helium is not an nonsubjective judge, having spent much than 2.5 years connected its span arsenic its archetypal commander.

Flying the Greek flag, the vessel arrived successful Greece connected March 9, 2004. During 23 years of service, the vessel participated successful galore nationalist exercises and operations including UNIFIL, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI and NATO’s SNMG-2, sailing astir 900,000 nautical miles to destinations including Britain, Kenya and Somalia.

The ship, on with sister frigates Kanaris and Nikiforos Fokas, was delivered with a modern tactical system suited to the 1990s and aboriginal 2000s.

For galore who served aboard, the miles astatine oversea translate into idiosyncratic stories, with officers praising its performance. In 2022, the vessel logged 218 days underway, earning a favoritism for its unit members.