The Royal Dutch Navy’s De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate HNLMS Evertsen has returned to her homeport at naval base Den Helder after a six-month deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1).
The air defense and command frigate spent the majority of her deployment in the Baltic Sea patrolling the area which has seen an uptick in Russian naval activity.
Shortly after arriving in the Baltic Sea in May this year, HNLMS Evertsen was buzzed by two Russian Su-24 fighter aircraft. The jets flew so close to the Dutch frigate that sailors on board were able to take videos and photos of the aircraft with easily readable tail codes .
In addition to efforts to improve the security situation in the region, HNLMS Evertsen also took part in a number of exercises with regional navies. More notable ones included Baltops, Dynamic Mongoose and Northern Coasts.
Outside of the Baltic Sea, Evertsen joined the French-hosted exercise Noble Mariner and NATO’s Mediterranean Sea operation Sea Guardian. The frigate also joined NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, which aims to contribute to the security and stability of the Mediterranean region. The dialogue was initiated in 1994 and consists of seven partner nations in the region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
HNLMS Evertsen is the final of four De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates which entered service with the Dutch Navy between 2002 and 2005.