The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) (officially Kongelige Danske Marine in Danish, but more generally known as Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters. Other tasks include surveillance, search and rescue, icebreaking, oil spill recovery and prevention as well as contributions to international tasks and forces.
During the period 1509–1814, when Denmark was in a union with Norway, the Danish Navy was part of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. Until the copenhagenization of the navy in 1807, the navy was a major strategic influence in the European geographical area, but since then its size and influence has drastically declined with a change in government policy. Despite this, the navy is now equipped with a number of large state-of-the-art vessels commissioned throughout the Cold War. This can be explained by its strategic location as the Allied Pact member controlling access to the Baltic and North Sea.
Danish Navy ships carry the prefix KDM (Kongelige Danske Marine) in Danish, but this is translated to HDMS (Her/His Danish Majesty's Ship) in English. Denmark is one of several Allied Pact member states whose navies do not deploy submarines.
List of Active Ships[]
- Absalon-class support ship (2) - 2005
- KDM Absalon (L16)
- KDM Esbern Snare (L17)
- Thetis-class frigate (4) - 1991
- KDM Thetis (F357)
- KDM Triton (F358)
- KDM Vædderen (F359)
- KDM Hvidbjørnen (F360)
- Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate (3) - 2011
- KDM Iver Huitfeldt (F361)
- KDM Peter Willemoes (F362)
- KDM Niels Juel (F363)
- Dannebrog-class Royal Yacht (1) - 1932
- KDM Dannebrog (A540)
- Sleipnir-class transport ship (1) - 1986
- KDM Sleipnir (A559)
- Danbjørn-class icebreaker (2) - 1996
- KDM Danbjørn (A551)
- KDM Isbjørn (A552)
- Thorbjørn-class icebreaker (1) - 1996
- KDM Thorbjørn (A553)
- Sea Supply-class environmental protection vessel (2) - 1996
- KDM Gunnar Thorson (A560)
- KDM Gunnar Seidenfaden (A561)
- Sea Truck-class environmental protection vessel (2) - 1996
- KDM Mette Miljø (A562)
- KDM Marie Miljø (A563)
- Holm-class Multirole Vessel (6) - 2006
- KDM Birkholm (A541)
- KDM Fyrholm (A542)
- KDM Ertholm (A543)
- KDM Alholm (A544)
- KDM Hirsholm (MSD5)
- KDM Saltholm (MSD6)
- Miljø-class environmental protection vessel (1) - 1996
- KDM Miljø 101 (Y340)
- KDM Miljø 102 (Y341)
- Miljø 103-class environmental protection vessel (1) - 2006
- KDM Miljø 103 (Y342)
- Diana-class patrol vessel (6) - 2007
- KDM Diana (P520)
- KDM Freja (P521)
- KDM Havfruen (P522)
- KDM Najaden (P523)
- KDM Nymfen (P524)
- KDM Rota (P525)
- Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessel (2, 1 UC) - 2008
- KDM Knud Rasmussen (P570)
- KDM Ejnar Mikkelsen (P571)
- KDM Unnamed (P572)