Karlsland Class Guided Missile Destroyer (1982)

The Karlsland Class destroyers were a pair of guided-missile destroyers built for the Royal Nordenic Navy in the early 1980s, developed with American equipment to meet Nordenland's requirements for advanced flagship capabilities.

Intended to replace the Eidsvoll-class cruisers, these destroyers were designed as multipurpose ships equipped with advanced missile systems and extensive command-and-control facilities.

Nordenland initially sought to acquire the Kidd-class destroyers after the Iranian Revolution. However, Nordenland turned to an indigenous design with American collaboration when these ships were sold to the Hellenic Kingdom instead. The Karlsland-class served as the primary flagship of the Royal Nordenic Navy until their retirement in 2015.

General Characteristics (As Built)

Displacement:

• Standard: 7,000 long tons

• Full Load: 9,500 long tons

Length: 172.76 m (567 ft)

Beam: 17.4 m (57 ft)

Draft: 6.1 m (20 ft)

Propulsion

4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines for 80,000 shp, 2 shafts

Speed
34+ knots

Range
5,000 nautical miles at 20 knots

Complement
340 officers and crew

Sensors and Processing Systems

• AN/SPS-48E 3D Air Search Radar

• AN/SPS-49(V)5 2D Air Search Radar

• 2 × AN/SPG-51D Missile Control Radars

• 1 × AN/SPG-60 Radar

• AN/SPS-55 Surface Search Radar

• AN/SPQ-9A Gun Fire Control Radar

• AN/SQS-53 hull-mounted sonar

Armaments

• 1 × 127 mm/54 caliber Mark 45 dual-purpose gun

• 2 × Mk 26 launchers for 68 × RIM-66 SM-2MR Block IIIA, RIM-66K-2 and RUR-5 ASROC

• 2 × Goalkeeper 30 mm CIWS

• 2 × quad Mk 141 Harpoon missile launchers

• 2 × triple 324 mm Mark 32 torpedo tubes

Aircraft Carried
2 × Westland SH.10 Lynx helicopters

Hangar and Flight Deck
Enclosed hangar and flight deck to accommodate up to two medium-lift helicopters

Ships
KNM Karlsland
KNM Karlsland was decommissioned in early 2015 and later used as a target ship. In 2018, she was sunk by missiles during the Trident Juncture exercise.

KNM Telemark
KNM Telemark was decommissioned in August 2015. Initially considered for preservation as a museum ship, limited funding led to her eventual scrapping in 2019.