Aradu ( F89 ) " Aradu " ( F89 ) ( meaning " thunder " in Hausa ) is a Nigerian frigate . She is the first of the MEKO 360 General Purpose frigates built by the German Blohm + Voss company of Hamburg . The 125 . 6 m ship is the biggest in the Nigerian Navy . She is a multi - purpose frigate with capabilities for anti - air , anti - surface and anti - submarine warfare effectively , and participated in the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Trafalgar . The ship also possesses capability for naval fire support and electronic warfare . Additionally , she carries a ship - borne helicopter for anti - submarine warfare , search and rescue , and enhanced surveillance / detection . Construction . The ship is unique in the adoption of the modular approach in the design of hull and the containerization of armaments . By the modular design concept , various sections of the hull of " Aradu " are built to specific measurements separately and then assembled at a shipyard . The advantage of this style of construction is that every section of the ship can be produced independent of the other sections . In case of damage , it is thus easier to replace the affected section of the ship separately and then fixing it back at a shipyard . This same flexibility is adopted in the armament of the ship . These are kept in containers and can be tested ashore independent of the various stage of construction . Once the hull is ready , the containerized armaments are then easily fitted into the hull the same procedure adopted in case of major repair or replacement . The MEKO class of ships is thus able to proceed on other missions while defective units are left for repairs at workshops . This is different from other designs where the ship for example has to sacrifice other missions in order to repair or replace a unit of her armament . Another advantage is that with the " Meko " concept , whole sections of the ship can be produced and stored as spares . In case of emergency , the ship simply enters a dockyard to replace whatever section that is needed . Modernization of armaments and systems can thus take place with minimum interruption to the ships ' program . History . The need to have a modern sophisticated frigate to complement and eventually replace Nigerian Navy ' s long serving frigate , NNS " Nigeria " ( now " Obuma " ) became apparent to naval planners in the mid - 1970s . The old lady , as NNS " Nigeria " , was popularly known then was fast becoming irrelevant in the fast changing world of naval technology . Nigerian Navy needed to reach blue waters with the appropriate ships in terms of firepower , extended operational range and enhanced surveillance capability . NNS " Aradu " became the answer to these aspirations . The ship initially named " The Republic " was ordered in 1978 . Her keel was laid in December 1978 and she was launched on 25 January 1980 . In November of the same year , following a new policy of the Nigerian Navy was renamed " Aradu " . It was commissioned on 22 February 1982 . " Aradu " was acquired by the regime of former President Shehu Shagari in 1982 . She was recently refitted , refurbished and equipped after being alongshore for over 12 years . The ship proved it was still seaworthy by taking part in celebrations commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by sailing to Great Britain in 2005 . The ship , which carries a crew of about 250 officers and men , requires 500 , 000 litres of petrol per voyage . Mission capabilities . " Aradu " is an all - purpose fighting ship capable of undertaking the following missions alone or in concert with other units : Service history . Since she entered naval service , NNS " Aradu " has taken part in major naval exercises , fleet reviews and diplomatic cruises . She played a prominent part in " Operation Seadog " in 1985 and " Operation Odion " in 1987 . The ship has undertaken extensive diplomatic visits to countries like Gabon , Congo , Zaire , Equatorial Guinea and numerous European countries . She has also participated in joint exercises with visiting ships of the German , Indian , French and the Brazilian Navies . She had a total of two groundings and a major collision in 1987 . She ran aground again early in 1994 during post refit trials , and was assessed as beyond economical repair in 1995 , but then managed to go to sea again in early 1996 , and again in 1997 when she broke down for several months in Monrovia . She then steamed back to Lagos on one engine in 1998 . In August 2005 , " Aradu " participated at the International Fleet Review to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in memory of Admiral Lord Nelson at Portsmouth with other 100 warships from 36 navies . It also participated in two major exercises in 2005 and 2006 , called " Igbochi " and " Idabo " . In a bid to strengthen Nigeria / Brazil military cooperation , 2 naval ships , NNS " Aradu " and NNS " Nwamba " , departed Nigeria on 3 August 2007 to take part in Brazil BiCentenary Celebrations . The ships arrived in Monrovia , Liberia , on 9 August to a rousing welcome by Liberians and Nigerians resident in the West African country . They were received by the Chief of Defense Staff of Liberia , Major General Abdurahman of the Nigerian Army . In 2001 , another refit ( with American assistance ) was undertaken , and the ship returned to operation . The obsolete AWS 5 radar and PHS sonar were replaced with a Signaal STIR ( I / J / K ) 60NM fire control ( range , bearing , altitude ) , DA - 08 90NM air ( search , track ) as well as an Atlas EA80 20NM passive anti - submarine sonar ( bearing , class ) , in addition to these , all other systems including weapons were cleaned , overhauled and put in good working order . The non - operational Lynx helicopter was replaced by a Augusta 109E . In 2005 , " Aradu " sailed to the UK for the Trafalgar Fleet Review , taking part in exercises in the West and North Atlantic along the way . She was the only warship from sub - Saharan Africa to attend , apart from the South African naval support vessel SAS DRAKENSBERG ( A 301 ) . Cultural references . " Aradu " is visible in the background of the Hamburg harbour close to the shipyard in the third episode of the 1982 BBC production of John LeCarré ' s " Smiley ' s People " , in the scene where Smiley parks his car near the Landungsbrücken .