The Hydra class are a group of four frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

s in service with the Hellenic Navy

Hellenic Navy

The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...

. They were designed in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and are part of the MEKO

MEKO

The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm + Voss.MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" . It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of...

 group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200

MEKO 200

The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.-Anzac class :...

 design. The programme was authorised in 1988 and partially paid for with FMS aid and previsioned for the commission of six vessels. The First ship was built in Germany and commissioned in 1992 but suffered a serious fire while working up near Portland

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Repairs were completed in 1993. The Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 built warships were delayed due to financial problems on the part of the Hellenic Shipyards

Hellenic Shipyards Co.

Hellenic Shipyards is a large Shipyard in Skaramangas near Athens, Greece.Its origins are connected with a shipyard created in 1937 in order to build warships...

 completing in the late 1990s which also led limiting the total number of vessels into four mainly after the acquisition of eight Kortenaer class frigate

Kortenaer class frigate

The Kortenaer class was a class of frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. They were built to be a general purpose frigate; able to combat all surface, submarine and aircraft targets. Like some of the other frigates of the 1970s and 1980s, they featured a COGOG propulsion system...

 from Holland in the late '90.
In 2007, an upgrade of the STIR fire control system to allow the firing of the RIM-162 ESSM surface to air missile was launched. Salamis

Greek frigate Salamis (F-455)

The Greek frigate Salamis is the fourth ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas...

 has been firstly upgraded and, in August 2008, successfully completed a live firing test. The other three Hydra vessels were upgraded during 2008.

Ships

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Commissioned	Status
F452 Hydra Ύδρα Greek frigate Hydra (F-452) The Greek Frigate Hydra is the lead ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class and flagship of the Hellenic Navy. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built in its shipyard; Three more vessels were built by Hellenic Shipyards Co...	Hydra, Saronic Islands Hydra, Saronic Islands Hydra is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Saronic Gulf and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by narrow strip of water...	Blohm + Voss Blohm + Voss Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...	November 12, 1992	In Service 2010
F453 Spetsai Σπέτσαι Greek frigate Spetsai (F-453) The Greek frigate Spetsai is the second ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. She is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas. She is the fifth ship of the Hellenic Navy to be named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses...	Spetses Spetses Spetses is an island and a municipality in the Islands regional unit, Attica, Greece. It is sometimes included as one of the Saronic Islands. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolidocorinthia, which is now split into Argolis and Corinthia...	Hellenic Shipyards Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hellenic Shipyards is a large Shipyard in Skaramangas near Athens, Greece.Its origins are connected with a shipyard created in 1937 in order to build warships...	October 24, 1996	In Service 2010
F454 Psara Ψαρά Greek frigate Psara (F-454) The Greek Frigate Psara is the third ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was buil by Hellenic Shipyards Co...	Psara Psara Psara is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small uninhabited island of Antipsara it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called...	Hellenic Shipyards Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hellenic Shipyards is a large Shipyard in Skaramangas near Athens, Greece.Its origins are connected with a shipyard created in 1937 in order to build warships...	April 30, 1998	In Service 2010
F455 Salamis Σαλαμίς Greek frigate Salamis (F-455) The Greek frigate Salamis is the fourth ship of the Greek Hydra frigate class. It is based on the Blohm + Voss MEKO 200 frigate class and was built by Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas...	Salamis Salamis Island Salamis , is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamina , lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf...	Hellenic Shipyards Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hellenic Shipyards is a large Shipyard in Skaramangas near Athens, Greece.Its origins are connected with a shipyard created in 1937 in order to build warships...	December 16, 1998	In Service 2010

See also

• Vasco da Gama class frigate
  Vasco da Gama class frigate
  The Vasco da Gama class is a class of frigates of the Portuguese Navy. Named in honor of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the ships are based on the German MEKO 200 design, and are Portugal's major surface ships...
  
   - built for Portugal
• Anzac class frigate
  Anzac class frigate
  The Anzac class is a ship class of ten frigates; eight operated by the Royal Australian Navy and two operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy...
  
   - built for Australia and New Zealand
• Barbaros class frigate
  Barbaros class frigate
  The Barbaros-class frigates are the most modern frigates in the Turkish Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design. Two ships were built in Germany and two in Turkey with German assistance...
  
  - Built for the Turkish Navy