The Alta class is a ship class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy. An almost identical class of minehunters is known as the .
Design
The Alta class was built by Kværner Mandal during 1996 and 1997, while the related Oksøy class was built in 1994 and 1995. A total of nine vessels were built, five minesweepers and four minehunters. The catamaran hull is built in a fibre-reinforced plastic sandwich of very low magnetic signature.
Two large fans located on each side create an air cushion between the two hulls and a front and aft rubber skirt, lifting the vessel, giving small drag and a high cruise speed, as well as low susceptibility to the shock of exploding mines since only a small portion of the hull is actually exposed in the water. Propulsion by water jet, again one in each hull, gives a low acoustic signature. A degaussing system gives the vessels extremely low electromagnetic signature.
Ships
{| class="wikitable"
|colspan=6 align=center|Alta class
|-
! Number
! Name
! Builder
! Commissioned
! Status
|rowspan=6|thumb|KNM Orkla burning outside [[Ålesund, Norway in November 2002]]
|-
|M350
|Alta
|rowspan=5|Kværner, Mandal
|12 January 1996
|Scrapped some time prior to 23 July 2022
|-
|M351
|Otra
|8 November 1996
|
|-
|M352
|Rauma
|2 December 1996
|
|-
|M353
|Orkla
|
|Destroyed by fire on 19 November 2002
|-
|M354
|Glomma
|1 July 1997
|Sold 2009
|}
Service history
Orkla was destroyed by fire on 19 November 2002.