Logbook 1999

Saturday 17 April 1999

Pictures from the christening Saturday 17 April 1999.

Week 15 (12 - 18 April) Christening and commissioning

Mon-Fri: Preparations, installations, seremonial training, preparation to work up
Sat: Christening, commissioning, transit from Gismerøya to Mandal City.
Sun: Work up around Kristiansand

Entrance to Mandal City for the first time.

Week 16 (19 - 25 April) Exercise Blue Game '99

Mon: Ship's company muster
Tue: Brief exercise Blue Game in Marvika naval base, tests alongside, demotour in Kristiansandfjord
Wed: Exercise Blue Game started. Transit inner leads Kristiansand -Risør - alongside a cliff until the next morning
Thur-fri: Tactical scenario in exercise Blue Game - ended in Oslo
Sat-Sun: Alongside in Oslo - guided tours for groups all the weekend.

Full speed in the skerries of South Coast of Norway.

Week 17 ( 26 April - 2 May) Exercise Blue Game '99

At anchor with a Willemoes- and a Hauk-class alongside - Danish Sehested ond Norwegian KNM Jo.

Mon-Fri: Tactical scenario in exercise Blue Game. Crossed Skagerak 6 times during the week. The highest average speed was clearly above 50 knots. The exercise ended in Århus, Denmark.
Sat-Sun: Alongside in Århus, Denmark - guided tours for groups all the weekend.

Week 18 (3 - 9 May) Demotours in Oslo

Mon: Transit Aarhus, Denmark - Oslo with tests underway
Tue-Fri: 2 demotours in Inner Oslofjord pr day with invited guests.
Sat-Sun: Alongside in Oslo - guided tours for groups all weekend. Participated in the 700 year jubilee for the Akershus Fortress.

Week 19 (10 - 16 May) Tests

Mon: Transit Oslo - Haakonsvern with a stop at the yard in Mandal to pick up reserve parts etc.
Tue: Demotour for press, radio og TV at Haakonsvern
Tue-Fri: Tests
Sat-Sun: Weekend in Bergen

KNM Skjold in inner Oslo, Akershus Fortress in the background

Week 20 (17 - 23 May) Tests

Mon: 17 May (Norwegian constitution day) selebrated in Bergen
Tue-Fri: Tests in and aruond Haakonsvern
Sat-Sun: Tests of seakeeping performances in the North Sea - the waves were up to 9 meters high

Week 21 (24 - 30 May) Tests/ Defence exhibition in Oslo

Mon-Thur: Tests around Haakonsvern
Fre: Transit Haakonsvern - Oslo. 400 nautical miles in 10 hours, including fuelling in Arendal!
Sat-Sun: Ship open to the public - more than 800 visitors.

KNM Skjold alongside in Oslo.

Week 22 (31 May - 6 June) Demotours/ tests

Mon-Tue: Demotour for invited guests in Oslo and Mandal
Wed-Fri: Tests around Haakonsvern
Sat-Sun: Weekend in Haakonsvern

The commanding officer eats a marchmallow grilled at the gas turbine exhaust. Everything should be tested! It tasted better than it appears at the picture.

Week 23 (7 - 13 June) Tests

Mon-Fri: Tests around Haakonsvern
Sat-Sun: Weekend in Haakonsvern

Southbound through Toskasund.

Week 24 (14 - 20 June) Tests

Mon-Fri: Tests around Haakonsvern
Fri: Transit to Haugesund
Sat-Sun: Weekend in Haugesund - the Royal Norwegian Navy's championship '99

KNM Skjold alongside the traditional MTB lunch-break quay in Brandasund.

Week 25 (21 - 27 June) The Royal Norwegian Navy's championship/ maintenance

Team Skjold at the athlethic meeting during the Royal Norwegian Navy's championship.
Startphoto of Seaman Overvik. We were mainly better on the start photos than on the finishing photos.

Mon: Royal Norwegian Navy's championship '99 in Haugesund (Norwegian west coast)
Tue-Fri: KNM Skjolds first maintenance periode in Haakonsvern
Fri: Demotour for the Chief of Defence, General Sigurd Frisvold
Sat-Sun: Weekend in Haakonsvern

Week 26 (28 June - 4 July) Demonstration/ ship open to public/ South Norway tour

Mon: Tests in Haakonsvern
Tue: Demotour - test in the evening/night
Wed: Ship open to Haakonsvern employees/ demotour for invited guests
Thur: Ship open to Haakonsvern employees/demotour for invited guests - tests in the evening - transit to Stavanger
Fri: Demotour in Stavanger/ transit to Krisitansand
Sat-Sun: Alonside in Kristiansand

SS Norway, partly hidden behind KNM Skjold.
At the demotour tuesday KNM Skjold tied up outside SS Norway in Bergen. KNM Skjold became small in the comparison.

Late Tuesday KNM Skold finished the testprogramme planned for the spring. The sand (ballast) was unloaded Wednesday to give room for the gun which will be lifted on board after the summer. All testdata will later be presented in reports from the Norwegian Navy Material Command. So far we can reveal that the test data all seem good.

Week 27 (5 - 11 July) South Norway tour/ FPB training course

Mon: Kristiansand-Risør
Tue: Risør-Copenhagen, Denmark
Wed: Copenhagen-Fredrikshavn-Tønsberg
Thur: Tønsberg-Marvika, Kristiandsand-Kragerø
Fri: Kragerø-Skien
Sat-Sun: Alongside in Skien - ship open to the public - more than 500 visitors

Champagne party on the aft deck in Skien.

This week KNM Skjold sailed partly together with 26 FPB Squadron which carried out the FPB familiarisation course for officers starting their duty on the FPBs. Skjold made a flying visit to Copenhagen for a demonstration for the Naval Surface Craft Technical Commitee.

Week 28 (12 - 18 July) South Norway tour

Mon: Skien - Oslo
Tue: Oslo - Marvika, Kristiansand - Mandal
Wed -Sun: Alonside at the yard Kværner Mandal, Gismerøya by Mandal

KNM Skjold will be alongside at the yard during the summer.

Week 29 - 32 (16 July - 16 Aug) Summer holiday

A picture of the ship's company at the end of a season.

An ancient tradition in the Royal Norwegian Navy is that persons who leave their duty at sea have to take a bath in the sea fully dressed in uniform. A few do it voluntary.

Week 33 (16 - 22 Aug) Preparations/ maintenance at the yard

In Mandal. Departure from Mandal friday afternoon - transit to Stavanger. The voyage off coast between Lindesnes and Tananger was bumpy as always. Skjold kept an average speed of 45 knots in sea state 3 to 4. We stayed in Stavanger for the week end.

Operations room

KNM Skjold was at the yard, Kværner Mandal, through the summer holiday. Some warranty work and maintenance was carried out, and some preparations for the gun. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace mounted 2 of the 6 multifunction concoles that Skjold eventually will be equipped with. Consoles are put in for demonstration purposes only.

Week 34 (23 - 29 Aug) FORACS tests/ gun was lifted on board

FORACS is by Stavanger, Norway. Tte tests this week should confirm accuracy of sensors and navigation equipment.

Transit home to Haakonsvern tuesday afternoon. A fuel stop in Haugesund. A new top speed was noted between Haugesund and Haakonsvern; 55,7 knots.

The rest of the week was used to lift on board the gun.

OTO Melara 76mm Super Rapid lifted onm board. The gunb was equipped with a stealth-shield in correct coulor the next week.

Week 35 (30 Aug - 5 Sep) Change of gun shield/ maintenance

In Haakonsvern.

Stealth shield on the gun was monted monday. Wednesday KNM Skjold was docked to adjust a seawater inlet. She was launched monday week 36.

Week 36 (6 - 12 Sep) Prepartations for and transit to London

Mon-wed: Preparations for transit to London - and participation on DSEi.

Thur-fri: KNM Skjold left Haakonsvern thursday 5 pm. On the way she took a break in Tananger (SW coast Norway) to fuel and rest. Skjold departed Tananger 10 pm and arrived River Thames 7 am (local). The crossing of the North Sea took 10 hours and Skjold kept an average speed of 43 knots! The journey was an impressive demonstration of Skjold's seakeeping capabilities.

KNM Skjold by the Canary Wharf in Docklands, London.

Week 37 (13 - 19 Sep) Participated on exhibition in London (DSEi '99)

KNM Skjold alongside Thames Quay in West India Docks in London. During the 4 day long exhibition there were many visitors on board.

Week 38 (20 - 26 Sep) Back from London/ Preparations for test firing

The journey back home was 12 hours delayed before it started due to an oiler that never appeared. We got underway from River Thames at 10 pm. On our way to Bergen we stopped in Hirtshals, Denmark to fuel and pick up some equipment. Arrival Haakonsvern naval base - 4 hours late only - tuesday evening. KNM Skjold impressed again.

KNM Skjold in the lock at West India Docks together with the Swedish corvette HMS Kalmar.

Week 39 (27 Sep - 3 Oct) Preparations for test firing/ test firing

Mon-wed: Preparations for test firing.
Thurs-fri: Test firing. 80 rounds were fired in exercise areas outside Bergen. It was an succesful tests where all desired test data were logged.

From the firing 30 Sep.

Video from the firing (1,1 Mb)

Week 40 (4-10 Oct) Dismantling of the gun/ demotour - tests

Mon-Wed: The gun was removed after completed firing trials. The gun was sent back to the factory in Italy.
Thurs: Demotour for PTK Visby/ Measuring of the gearboxes.
Weekend in Haakonsvern.

The gun before it was removed and with standard OTO-shield. This shield was used during the test firing.

Week 41 (11-17 Oct) Maintenance/ repairs

Mon: Haakonsvern-Mandal
Tue-Sun: At the yard in Mandal.

Week 42 (18-24 Oct) Maintenance/ Demotour

Mon-Wed: At the yard in Mandal.
Thurs: Returned to Haakonsvern. The voyage took 4 hours and 10 minutes. That is an average speed of 46 knots. The best speed was logged to 57,1 knots between Haugesund and Bergen. This is the highest speed achieved so far.
Fri: Demotour in Bergen.
Weekend in Haakonsvern.

Week 43 (25-31 Oct) DnV tests

Mon-Wed: Installation of sensors - inside the mountain docks at Haakonsvern
Thurs: Tests by Det norske Veritas (DnV) in areas around Bergen
Weekend in Haakonsvern.

Week 44 (1-7 Nov) Exercise Flotex ’99

Exercise Flotex '99.

Exercise Flotex is an annual exercise involving most of the Norwegian navy. KNM Skjold participated for the first time as an integrated part of an opeational FPB squadron. KNM Skjold's high speed and the good seakeeping capasities really enhanced the tactical repetoir within the squadron.

KNM Skjold stayed in Kristiansund over the weekend.

Week 45 (8-14 Nov) Exercise Flotex ’99

Exercise Flotex

This week KNM Skjold sailed an important part of the Norwegian coast, from Kristiansund to Ramsund. Some of the leads under way is narrow and it was important to test whether KNM Skjold could sail through the narrow leads or not. KNM Skjold is almost doble the beam as the Hauk-class MTBs. The picture shows the wake after KNM Skjold passing through the traditionally narrowest MTB-lead, called "Søyleleden" (="Iron pole lead"). The speed was 45 knots. Skjold's enhanced manoeuvering capasities compared to former MTBs made this passage possible.

KNM Skjold stayed the weekend over in Ramsund Naval Base for repairs in the deck midship.

Week 46 (15-21 Nov) Exercise Flotex ’99

Exercise Flotex

KNM Skjold stayed in Tromsø for the weekend

Week 47 (22-28 Nov) Transit from Tromsø to Bergen

Mon-Wed: Tests of propulsion in areas around Tromsø.
Thurs: Tromsø-Brønnøysund
Fri: Brønnøysund-Bergen
Sat-Sun: Haakonsvern

Week 48-52 (29 Nov - 3 Jan) Adjustments/ Christmas- and New Years Holiday

Alongside in Haakonsvern.
6-12 Dec: Repairs and adjustments on the main shafts.
Mon 13 Dec: A successful trial in 55 knots after adjustments on both main shafts.
17 Dec - 3 Jan: The crew's Christmas- and New Years Holiday