Editing Belgian frigate Leopold I (section)

==''Leopold I''==
{{stack|[[File:LEOPOLD I 6875.JPG|thumb|Belgian frigate ''Leopold I'']]}}
On 20 July 2005, the Belgian government decided to buy two of the remaining six Dutch M-class frigates to replace the two remaining frigates of the {{sclass|Wielingen|frigate|4}} (''Wielingen'' and ''Westdiep'') then in service with the Belgian Naval Component. On 22 December 2005, ''Karel Doorman'' and ''Willem van der Zaan'' were sold to Belgium.

''Karel Doorman'' was taken out of service in 2006 and turned over to the Belgian Marine Component on 29 March 2007 where the ship was [[Ship naming and launching|christened]] ''Leopold I'', in honour of the first [[Belgian monarchy|King of the Belgians]], by [[Queen Fabiola of Belgium]] at [[Zeebrugge]] Marine Base. The patronage of ''Leopold I'' was accepted by the city of [[Nivelles]]. ''Willem van der Zaan'' was commissioned into the Belgian Marine Component as {{ship|Belgian frigate|Louise-Marie|F931|2}} in April 2008.

===East African deployment===
''Leopold I'' embarked upon her first official mission for the Naval Component on 5 September 2007. She was deployed to East Africa as part of the international mission against [[Piracy in Somalia|Somali pirates]]. The operation was given the codename ''East African Venture''. On 30 November 2007 she arrived back at her home port of Zeebrugge, marking the end of the deployment.

=== Fight against ISIL ===

In November 2015, a [[French Navy]] press release stated that ''Leopold I'' would be part of the {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle|R91|2}} task force launching strikes against the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]. Her deployment took place from 18 November 2015 to 4 January 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/7674 |title=Mission Arromanches 2 : Déploiment du GAN en Méditerranée orientale et dans l'Océan Indien |website=colsbleus.fr |language=fr |date=18 November 2015 |access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

=== Coronavirus pandemic ===
[[Belgian Armed Forces|Belgian Defense]] announced on 25 March 2020 that a crew member had tested positive for [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|SARS-CoV-2]].<ref name="leopold.twitter">{{cite tweet |url=https://mobile.twitter.com/BelgiumDefence/status/1242815074127020033 |title=Despite all the precautions taken, a case of contamination COVID19 has been confirmed among the crew of the frigate Leopold I.|user=BelgiumDefence |number=1242815074127020033 |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>  The sailor had been evacuated via air to [[Den Helder]] on 20 March 2020 after he began showing symptoms, and was [[quarantine|quarantined]] at home when the test returned positive on 24 March.<ref name="leopold.mil">{{cite web |url=https://www.mil.be/fr/article/contamination-au-coronavirus-le-leopold-i-reste-quais |title=Contamination au Coronavirus: Le Leopold I Reste à Quais |language=French |publisher=Belgian Military |date=27 March 2020 |access-date=4 August 2020 |archive-date=22 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422104651/https://www.mil.be/fr/article/contamination-au-coronavirus-le-leopold-i-reste-quais |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="leopold.vrt">{{cite web |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2020/03/25/corona-infection-on-board-belgian-frigate-leopold-i/ |title=Corona infection on board Belgian frigate Leopold I |work=vrt.be |date=25 March 2020 |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="leopold.bruxelles2">{{cite web |url=http://www.bruxelles2.eu/2020/04/covid-19-did-belgium-make-the-right-choice-by-interrupting-the-foch-mission/?lang=en |title=Covid-19. Did Belgium make the right choice by interrupting the Foch mission |work=bruxelles2.eu |date=10 April 2020 |access-date=4 August 2020 |archive-date=26 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426144739/https://www.bruxelles2.eu/2020/04/covid-19-did-belgium-make-the-right-choice-by-interrupting-the-foch-mission/?lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a precaution, the ship broke off from its operation with the [[carrier battle group#France|French carrier battle group]] led by ''Charles de Gaulle'' and returned to Zeebrugge on 27 March 2020, about a month earlier than planned.<ref name="leopold.mil"></ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/01/french-carrier-strike-group-begins-foch-deployment/ |title=French Carrier Strike Group Begins 'Foch' Deployment |work=navalnews.com |date=22 January 2020 |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>