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Displaying items by tag: De Zeven Provincien class frogate

The Dutch Navy's HNLMS De Ruyter (F804), one of four De Zeven Provinciën-class air-defence and command frigates (LCF) docked in Dublin Port this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Displacing 6,050 tonnes the 144m frigate is on a weekend visit to the capital. She has a striking angular lines, this is due to her stealth design technology. Armament consists the bow-mounted Oto Breda 127 mm cannon, vertical launch systems for various missile types, a 'goalkeeper' rapid-fire gun, an Oerlikon 20mm machine gun and a Mk. 46 Torpedo weapon system. At the stern she can carry a Lynx or NH-90 helicopter.

The class have two roles, to command operations and deployment of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Netherlands Maritime Force (NLMARFOR). In addition they are equipped for air-defence tasks and must be capable of providing protection for an entire fleet.

This dual-role task is the reason that the ships are known as air-defence and command frigates (LCF). The frigates all entered service between 2001-2005 and were built by the Royal Schelde Group, of Flushing, Netherlands. The design also involved participated from Spain and Germany.

Published in Navy

Esailing & Virtual Sailing information

The concept of e-sailing, or virtual sailing, is based on a computer game sailing challenge that has been around for more than a decade.

The research and development of software over this time means its popularity has taken off to the extent that it has now become a part of the sailing seascape and now allows people to take an 'active part' in some of the most famous regattas across the world such as the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Sydney Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup and some Olympic venues too, all from the comfort of their armchair.

The most popular model is the 'eSailing World Championship'. It is an annual esports competition, first held in 2018 and officially recognised by World Sailing, the sports governing body.

The eSailing World Championship is a yearly competition for virtual sailors competing on the Virtual Regatta Inshore game.

The contract to run the event was given to a private company, Virtual Regatta that had amassed tens of thousands of sailors playing offshore sailing routing game following major offshore races in real-time.

In April 2020, the company says on its website that it has 35,000 active players and 500,000 regattas sailed.

Virtual Regatta started in 2010 as a small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers.