Vidar-class minelayer

Vidar-class ship serving in Lithuanian Navy
Class overview
Name	Vidar class
Builders	Mjellem and Karlsen
Operators	Royal Norwegian Navy  Lithuanian Naval Force  Latvian Naval Forces
Built	1977–1978
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics as built
Type	Minelayer
Displacement	1,500 t (1,500 long tons) standard 1,722 t (1,695 long tons) fully loaded
Length	64.8 m (212 ft 7 in)
Beam	12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught	4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	2 × 4,200 bhp (3,100 kW) Wichmann diesel engines
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	50
Armament	2 × 40 mm Bofors guns 1 × Mistral surface-to-air missile 320 Naval mines

The Vidar-class minelayers consists of the two ships, HNoMS Vidar and HNoMS Vale built by Mjellem & Karlsen in Bergen for the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1977 and 1978. Used as multi-role ships, the Vidar class were tasked with minelaying, personnel/cargo transport, fisheries protection, torpedo-recovery ships and as anti-submarine warfare escorts in Norwegian service. In 2003, Vale was transferred to the Latvian Navy via donation and renamed Virsaitis and used as a flagship and tender to patrol craft. In 2006, Vidar was transferred to the Lithuanian Navy and renamed Jotvingis and served as flagship and tender to mine countermeasures craft. Both vessels had their ASW equipment removed upon transfer.