24 hours in stormy weather

On his way to the United States to train with a U.S. carrier strike group, frigate Iver Huitfeldt was caught in a violent storm. For 24 hours, the frigate sailed in 15-meter high waves. She suffered some damages and lost its sonar dome. Watch the video at the bottom of the article here.

An exceptionally severe stormy weather hit the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt when it sailed to the United States in early January to train with a U.S. aircraft carrier group before deployment later in the year.

The weather forecast had promised harsh weather as Iver Huitfeldt passed the Azores in the Atlantic on his way to Norfolk, USA. According to the weather forecast, Iver Huitfeldt made a route that would keep the ship clear of the harsh weather.

But along the way, the weather changed suddenly and the frigate couldn’t able to sail around or avoid the heavy storm. Instead, the crew had to sail in the storm at the lowest possible speed over 24 hours. The wave height was up to about 15 meters when the weather was harsh.

No one was injured as a result of the harsh weather. But Iver Huitfeldt suffered some damages, including detached cabinets, pressure damage to the hull and a few leaks in the hatches. Iver Huitfeldt also lost his sonar dome – a large shield of fibreglass on the front of the ship below the waterline that protects the sonar.

However, the frigate arrived Norfolk and was able to train with the carrier strike group. During its deployment, the crew of the frigate had repaired most of the damage.

Iver Huitfeldt and crew are currently returning to Denmark after training. The new sonar dome will be fitted in Denmark.