The Spanish naval frigate Alvaro de Bazan docked at D Berth in Fremantle Ports’ Inner Harbour on Thursday 1 March for a short visit.

The 5800 tonne, multipurpose frigate uses the AN/SPY-1D Aegis Combat System from Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems.   Alvaro de Bazan is the first European ship with the Aegis weapon system.

Its main roles are fleet protection, anti-air warfare, operation as a flag ship for a combat group, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.   It has a maximum speed of 28.5 knots and a range of 4500 sea miles.

The 147m ship, with a crew of approximately 240, will be in Fremantle for only a few short days before it heads back out to sea again.