World · Europe · 7 hrs ago
Australian officer finds Spanish frigate shares his ship’s design
Australian officer Nicholas Newton boarded Spain’s Álvaro de Bazán during the Pacific Dragon exercise near Hawaii.
He served aboard as an operations officer with a multinational command team, while the exercise focused on air and missile defence.
The frigate’s layout closely matched his own ship, HMAS Sydney, an Australian destroyer.
That was because Australia’s three Hobart-class destroyers were based on Spain’s F-100 frigate design, developed by Navantia.
The shared design does not mean identical ships: the two navies use different equipment, capabilities and procedures.
As a hurricane approached, seven ships needed fuel before heading to safety, and Newton helped coordinate their movements and refuelling from the Spanish frigate.
The US supply ship Washington Chambers refuelled the seven vessels before the hurricane, whose winds reached up to 121 kilometres per hour, hit the area.
Australian navy officer Nicholas Newton recognized the Spanish frigate Álvaro de Bazán as sharing the design of his ship, the destroyer HMAS Sydney.
The Australian Hobart-class destroyers were based on Spain’s F-100 frigate design, developed by Navantia.
Newton boarded the Spanish frigate during the multinational Pacific Dragon exercise, which focused on air and missile defence.
Although the ships share a design lineage, their equipment, capabilities and naval procedures differ.
Newton also helped coordinate refuelling for seven ships as a hurricane approached.
- Who
- Lieutenant Nicholas Newton, a surface warfare officer aboard the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney.
- What
- He recognized that the Spanish frigate Álvaro de Bazán shared his ship’s design and later helped coordinate refuelling for seven vessels.
- When
- During the Pacific Dragon exercise; the sources do not state when the exercise took place.
- Where
- Aboard the Álvaro de Bazán during an exercise near Hawaii.
- Why
- Australia’s Hobart-class destroyers were based on the design of Spain’s F-100 frigates.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The HMAS Sydney entered service as the third and final Hobart-class destroyer.
Newton boarded the Álvaro de Bazán as an operations officer with the multinational staff aboard.
Newton helped coordinate refuelling for seven ships, with the USNS Washington Chambers supplying fuel.
- Australian ship
- HMAS Sydney, a Hobart-class destroyer
- Spanish ship
- Álvaro de Bazán, an F-100 frigate
- Design origin
- The Hobart-class design was based on Spain’s F-100 frigates, developed by Navantia.
- Exercise
- Pacific Dragon focused on air and missile defence.
- Refuelling operation
- Seven ships were refuelled before moving to safer waters.
- Hurricane winds
- Up to 121 km/h
3 sources
Un militar australiano subió a la gran fragata española y se quedó a cuadros: era un calco del diseño de su propio destructor
Un huracán, siete buques y un barco que ya conocía: la rara jornada de un teniente australiano en una fragata española
Un alto mando naval australiano, asombrado al probar una fragata española: "Fui capaz de arrancar un motor sin saber español"
What people are saying
It was exactly the same ship as the Sydney
His day-to-day life was completely different
There were some tense moments as we coordinated the at-sea replenishment of seven ships and directed them towards safe areas, for sure. But it was also a very interesting problem-solving exercise and a great experience