Brandenburg-class frigate

The F123 Brandenburg class is a class of German frigate. They were ordered by the German Navy in June 1989, and then completed and commissioned between 1994 and 1996 to replace the Hamburg-class destroyers. These frigates primarily carry out antisubmarine warfare, but they also contribute to antiaircraft warfare defenses, the tactical command of squadrons, and surface-to-surface warfare operations. Their design includes some stealth features.

F218 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Class overview
Name: Brandenburg class
Builders:
Operators:  German Navy
Preceded by: Bremen-class frigate
Succeeded by: Sachsen-class frigate
Cost: €303 million per ship
Built: 1992–1996
In commission: 1994–present
Completed: 4
Active:
  • Brandenburg
  • Schleswig-Holstein
  • Bayern
  • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
General characteristics
Type: Frigate
Displacement: 3,600 tons (4,490t full load)[1]
Length: 138.85 metres (455.5 ft)[1]
Beam: 16.7 metres (55 ft)[1]
Draught: 4.35 metres (14.3 ft) (6.3 metres (21 ft) over sonar)[1]
Propulsion:
Speed: >29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)[1]
Range: 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1]
Complement: 26 officers, 193 enlisted[1]
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • 1 EADS FL 1800S ECM suite
  • two OTO-Melara SCLAR launcher
  • four TKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) decoy launcher (currently under procurement)
Armament:
Aircraft carried: Two Sea Lynx helicopters equipped with ASW torpedoes, or air-to-surface missiles Sea Skua, and a heavy machine gun.

Currently the F123 class is being upgraded under the auspices of the Fähigkeitsanpassung FüWES (FAF) project. The primary component being upgraded under this program is the Combat Management System, for which a version of the Thales Nederland TACTICOS system will be used. The ships will also receive an IFF upgrade, to the EADS MSSR 2000 I secondary radar system. However, its primary radars, specifically its long-range 2D search radar, the Thales Nederland LW08, and its medium-range 3D surveillance radar, the Thales Nederland SMART-S, are to remain. The ships were to receive low-frequency active sonars under the Franco-German LFTASS programme but the French withdrew in 2000[2] and are now using a derivative of the British Sonar 2087; Bayern received the prototype TASS 6-3 sonar but it seems unlikely that more units will be ordered in the current budget environment.

List of ships

All ships of the class are named after German Bundesländer and are based in Wilhelmshaven as 2. Fregattengeschwader (2nd Frigate Squadron) of the German Navy.

Pennant Name Call
sign		 Laid down Shipyard Launched Commissioned
F215BrandenburgDRAH11 February 1992 Blohm + Voss28 August 199214 October 1994
F216Schleswig-HolsteinDRAI1 July 1993 Howaldtswerke8 June 199424 November 1995
F217BayernDRAJ16 December 1993 Nordseewerke30 June 199415 June 1996
F218Mecklenburg-VorpommernDRAK23 November 1993 Bremer Vulkan23 February 19956 December 1996

Kiel Canal incident

On the morning of Wednesday 9 December 2015, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was transiting the Kiel Canal when she was involved in a collision with the container ship Nordic Bremen causing damage to both vessels.[3] Mecklenburg-Vorpommern suffered a 4 metres (13 ft) gash along her bow at the level of the main deck, whilst Nordic Bremen fared better, having only to offload two damaged containers before continuing its voyage.[4][5]

See also

Images
  • F218 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • F215 Brandenburg
  • F217 Bayern
  • F216 Schleswig-Holstein in Hamburg Harbor

References
  1. Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. Naval Institute Press. p. 246. ISBN 9781591149552.
  2. "German LFTAS programme moves ahead". Jane's Navy International. 13 December 2001.
  3. "VIDEO: German Warship Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Collided With Container ship Nordic Bremen in Kiel Canal - Vesselfinder". www.vesselfinder.com.
  4. ""Minor damage" after clash". 10 December 2015.
  5. "Boxship and frigate collide". 9 December 2015.
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