Belgian frigate Wielingen (F910)

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History
Belgium
Name:	Wielingen
Builder:	Boelwerf, Temse
Laid down:	5 March 1974
Launched:	30 March 1976
Christened:	20 January 1978
Out of service:	Sold to Bulgaria in February 2009
Homeport:	Zeebrugge Naval Base
Motto:	"Fit via Vi"
Bulgaria
Name:	Verni
Acquired:	February 2009
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Class & type:	Wielingen-class frigate
Displacement:	2,200 tonnes
Length:	106.38 m (349.0 ft)
Beam:	12.30 m (40.4 ft)
Draught:	5.60 m (18.4 ft)
Propulsion:	Combined Diesel or Gas Turbine 2 × ABC type DZC Diesel engines providing 4,200 hp (3,100 kW) each 1 × Rolls Royce Olympus T M - 3 B gasturbine providing 27.575 hp 2 inverted screws with variable pitch
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h)
Range:	6,000 mi (9,700 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	14 officers, 71 NCO's and 74 sailors
Armament:	1 100 mm Creusot-Loire automatic cannon 1 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launcher with 8 missiles 1 MM-38 Exocet launcher with 4 missiles 1 375mm Bofors depth charge launcher 2 Ecan Type l5 torpedo tubes with 10 torpedoes

Wielingen was a Wielingen-class frigate of the Belgian Navy, launched on 30 March 1976 at the Boelwerf in Temse, and christened by Queen Fabiola of Belgium, on 20 January 1978. The patronage of the Wielingen was accepted by the city of Malmedy. Wielingen was the first ship in the Wielingen class, and had the pennant number F910.

The ship was sold to the Bulgarian Navy and left the Zeebrugge Naval Base in February 2009 under the Bulgarian flag. She was renamed Verni, with the new pennant number 42.

File:Bulgarian frigate Verni (42) in the Black Sea in July 2015.JPG

Verni in the Black Sea, 8 July 2015.