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Comparisons  –  NATO Allies  –  Current Danish Naval Projects  –  May  2008 An Overview of Current, On-Going Danish Naval projects  2005-2009 Standard Mk I  Survey, Training, and MCM Vessels  —  the Holm class Update: June 2009 – First of class, A541 Birkholm, is currently off  Greenland doing survey work. Birkholm left Denmark on 20 May  travelling via the Faroes being escorted by  Knud Rasmussen. [Ed: The Danes originated the Standard Flex concept whereby specific equipment and armament modules can be  "plugged in"  to match a particular mission.  As the name suggests, the result is a highly flexible arrangement where a given hull type can be quickly and easily adapted to the role required. Since first adopted in the mid-'90s, this Standard Flex approach has being applied to all new Danish naval vessels. The Standard Mk I (or Holm class) is at the small end of  this concept.] Small, Flexible Patrol and Training Craft for the Danish Navy   —   Standard Mk I  Holm class Denmark has no coast guard. The tasks assigned to coast guards elsewhere are incorporated into the daily activities of the Royal Danish Navy (Kongelige Danske Marine or Søværnets). All ships that would  form a  Danish coast guard are assigned  to the KDM's First Squadron or  1. Eskadre. The six new-build  Standard Mk I  Holm class boats are an example of vessels which perform both coast guard-type roles – such as hydrographical surveys – as well as more traditional naval roles such as the training of officer cadets and  mine countermeasures in this case, using MCM drones. In the survey (or Søopmålingsfartøjet ) role, the Holm class carry forward-looking imaging sonar. The six new Holm class vessels are to be divided evenly among these roles. Two of these boats – A541 Birkholm and A542 Fyrholm  –  are equipped to do hydrographical surveys.  Two  –  A543 Ertholm and A544 Alholm  –  are to be used for training naval officer cadets.  And the final two  – MSD5 Hirsholm and MSD6 Saltholm  –  can be used as remotely-controlled MCM drones. When operating as unmanned  MCM sensor carriers, the last  two Holm class boats would be controlled from a nearby "mother ship"  (probably the larger Flyvefisken class or similarly equipped vessel ). FMT (Forsvarets Materieltjeneste – DALO, the Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization) lists a Holm class budget (including consultants, training and spares, etc.) of 206M Kroner ($34.8 M in 1999 dollars), amounting to 50M Kroner (then $5.9M) for each completed Holm class vessel.   Holm Class   Standard Mk I  (Standardfartøj Mk I )   Displacement:   98 tonnes   Dimensions:   length 28.9m, beam 6.3m, draught 1.74m   Complement:   3 crew (normal, but accommodation for 10)   Propulsion:     2 x 375 kW (500 hp) Scania DC 16 V8 diesel   2 azimuthing propellers, 1 HRP411 thruster   Range:   600 nautical miles at 10 knots   Performance:   top speed  about 13 kts, cruising  10 kts   Armament:   None  (except crew small arms) The six Holm class patrol boats were built by Danish Yacht A/S of Skagen. Construction began in November 2004. The hull is a fibreglass-polyester sandwich of  FRP (fibreglass-reinforced plastic).   Hull         Name           Launched       Commissioned   A541     Birkholm      12/10/2005           01/27/2006   A542     Fyrholm        08/05/2006          12/21/2006   A543     Ertholm         03/25/2006          05/08/2006   A544       Alhom          01/06/2007          02/07/2007  MSD5    Hirsholm       06/05/2007          06/29/2007  MSD6    Saltholm       11/03/2007          03/28/2008 Further reading: Danish Naval History (Holm class and Launch), Forsvaret Mk I (pdf, in Danish).