Belgian frigate Westdiep (F911)

Westdiep at Zeebrugge
History
Belgium
Name:	Westdiep
Builder:	Cockerill Yards, Hoboken, Antwerp
Laid down:	2 September 1974
Launched:	8 December 1975
Christened:	20 January 1978
Decommissioned:	5 October 2007
Out of service:	Sold to Bulgaria in February 2008
Homeport:	Zeebrugge Naval Base
Motto:	"Altum est Regnum Meum"
Bulgaria
Name:	Gordi
Acquired:	February 2009
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Class & type:	Wielingen-class frigate
Displacement:	2,200 tonnes
Length:	106.38 m (349.0 ft)
Beam:	12.30 m (40.4 ft)
Draught:	5.60 m (18.4 ft)
Propulsion:	Combined Diesel or Gas Turbine 2 × ABC type DZC Diesel engines providing 4,200 hp (3,130 kW) each 1 × Rolls Royce Olympus T M - 3 B gasturbine providing 27.575 hp (21 kW) 2 inverted screws with variable pitch
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h)
Range:	6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	14 officers, 84 NCO's and 59 sailors
Armament:	1 100 mm Creusot-Loire automatic cannon 1 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launcher with 8 missiles 1 MM-38 Exocet launcher with 4 missiles 1 375mm Bofors depth charge launcher 2 Ecan Type l5 torpedo tubes with 10 torpedoes

Westdiep was a Wielingen-class frigate of the Belgian Navy. She was launched on 8 December 1975 at the Cockerill Yards in Hoboken, and christened by Princess Astrid of Belgium, on 20 January 1978. The patronage of the Westdiep was accepted by the city of Sint-Niklaas. Westdiep was the second ship in the Wielingen class. She had the pennant number F911.

On 5 October 2007 Westdiep, by then the last commissioned frigate of Belgian construction in the Belgian Navy, was withdrawn from service.

She was sold to the Bulgarian Navy together with her sister, Wielingen. Another sistership, Wandelaar has already been sold to Bulgaria. Westdiep entered service with them under the name Gordi (Горди - Proud), and with the pennant number 43.

External links

• information & pictures of the decommissioning and handover ceremony