Norway: frigate Helge Ingstad will be raised from the rocky bottom

[related1] The collision occurred in Hjeltefjord, north of Sotra Island. Built last year, a vessel with a length of 249.97 m, a width of 44.03 m and a gross capacity of 62 557 units had just left the Stage fuel terminal (owned by Equinor, formerly Statoil) in Øygarden, carrying a 23-man crew and full tanks of raw material for the British recipient. On the other hand, the ship, also modern (entered service in 2009), measuring 134 m and displacing 5300 tonnes, along with 137 crew members, returned from the great NATO maneuvers "Trident Juncture" to the base at Haakonsvern. The tanker struck the frigate from the starboard side, in the hangar area, at an angle, penetrating its hull plating below the waterline as well over it. Sam didn't get much damage.

For Helge Ingstad, the collision proved fatal. With the help of tugboats that assisted Sol TS leaving the port, they managed to place the frigate on a rocky bottom just off the shore, in a place of low depth. It's the only reason the unit wasn't executed instantly and irretrievably. Eight sailors were injured and the rest of the crew were evacuated. The tugs pushed the sinking ship to shore, eventually settling at the bottom, relying on it in three places. Soon it was connected by three steel ropes and land, but this did not prevent the still-grabbing hull from defeating this resistance and on 13 November Helge Ingstad almost completely sank. Above the surface of the sea lies the upper part of the mast and a fragment of the hangar overturned to the starboard side of the ship. According to Sjøforsvaret, there is still a risk that the unit will slip down the rocks to the depths, which is why its location is monitored and measured on an ongoing basis.

After examining the underwater part of the frigate hull, damage was estimated and the decision was made to raise the ship. The operation started with pumping fuel (about 460 m³), which lasted two days and ended on 25 November, and then gathering forces and resources. It involves, among others, naval forces, Coast Guards, BOA Management and Scaldis, while DNV GL performs as a consultant.

[related2] A floating crane, Gulliver, has already reached the site of the accident, which can lift up to 4000 tonnes, and a second crane soon appeared – Rambiz. Both belong to the Belgian company Scaldis, specialising in lift work, including the raising of wreckage. Before they start their operations, it is necessary to determine the connection points of hoses for pumping water. Divers are working on marking and drilling inspection holes in the hull to determine where to mount them. Control holes were marked, drilled and blinded after checking. Detailed mapping of seabed conditions, its topography and the contact of the ship with rocks is also performed. The hull strength calculations were also made to ensure that the unit can be safely lifted without breaking it. Then the steel ropes and chains will be attached to the frigate hull. Work is underway on the selection and preparation of their installation sites. They will help lift and straighten the frigate. Then the semi-sun boat of the Norwegian company BOA Management will enter the action. It's the ship that's going to be planted. Later the team will be towed to Hanøytangen, where there is a floating dock and equipment necessary for further work. The operation has already started and will take up to three weeks to end in early December at the above-mentioned base. A similar method was used to extract the wreck of the Russian atomic submarine Kursk, which sank after the explosion of its own torpedo weapon on August 12, 2000, dragging 118 crew members down with it.

Upon arrival in Hanøytangen, naval services will discharge ammunition from the ship (artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-shipcraft and torpedoes) and other sensitive equipment. The ship will then be towed to Haakonsvern. There work according to already established priority lists will begin teams for dismantling important equipment. Today, it is difficult to assess the impact of flooding for several weeks with cold, salty water of ship's electronic devices, and whether they can be renovated.

[related3] Meanwhile, there is an investigation into the causes of the disaster. This is another collision of a modern submarine with a ship on a typical water trail under normal navigational conditions. In 2017, US Navy destroyers: USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain also ran into civilian vessels, unfortunately 17 sailors died in those cases. In this context, the spice adds the information given by The Washington Post that an American officer resided on Helge Ingstad as part of the Army Staff Exchange Program. It is "twisted" by the media, as well as the secret kept by both defence ministries concerning the personalities of this soldier and the function which he performed on the Norwegian ship during a terrible cruise and accident. On November 24, however, divers undertook from the wreck a computer unit with a hard drive of the navigation system from one of the consoles on the navigation platform and handed it over to investigators.

[related4] Fregate KNM Helge Ingstad (F 313), named after the famous Norwegian researcher and writer, who discovered the remains of the Victorian settlement L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland in 1960, belongs to the Fridtjof Nansen type. It is the penultimate of five units of the series designed and built by the Spanish shipyard Navantia in Ferrol. The navel of the ship was laid down on 28 April 2006, launched on 23 November 2007, and entered service on 29 September 2009. Unfortunately, modern Norwegian Polish Navy She's experienced similar disasters. On January 24, 1994, the frigate of Oslo, after the boiler's power pump failed, lost its drive and entered the shallows. The rescue operation failed and the ship sank. It was lifted from the bottom, but the damage proved too severe to be repaired and the wreckage scrapped. The second lost ship was a trawler with the construction of the Orkla type Alta ski lifter, which burned down on November 19, 2002.

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