Bremen class frigate

Frigate F214 Lübeck

Frigate F207 Bremen - see also a and b.

The eight F122 Bremen class frigates of the German Navy have been commissioned between 1982 and 1990. The design is similar to the Dutch Kortenaer class but uses a different hull and propulsion system. The ships were built for anti-submarine warfare as primary task even though they are not fitted with towed array sonars. They are also suited for anti-aircraft warfare and anti-surface warfare. This class of ship was one of the last to be constructed under post-war displacement limitations imposed by the WEU on West Germany. The Bremen class will be replaced by the planned F125 class frigates, starting probably around 2014. Until then they will serve as the backbone of the German Navy.

Employment

During the Cold War period the ships' main war task was to escort convoys for the reinforcement and resupply of Allied forces in Europe. They frequently took part in NATO Standing Naval Forces. Since 1990 all ships have served in additional peace supporting missions such as the embargo operations against the former Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea or Operation Enduring Freedom against the international terrorism.

Specifications

During their lifetime the ships' equipment has been modernised frequently and a further adaptation of combat systems is foreseen in near future. The present data are:

• Length: 130 m
• Beam: 14.4 m
• Draft: 6.3 m
• Displacement: 3680 t
• Propulsion: 2 independent combined diesel or gas systems
  • 2 MTU 20V956 TB92 diesel engines, 8.14 MW total
  • 2 General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 38 MW total
  • 2 Renk STG 150-50 gearboxes, 10:1 (diesel) and 720:47 (turbine)
  • 2 propeller shafts, controllable pitch, five bladed Sulzer-Escher propellers,
    later replaced with seven bladed ones from Wegemann & Co ("Bremen" only).
  • 4 Deutz MWM diesel-generators, 750kW
  • Range: more than 4,000 nautical miles (7,000 km) at 18 kn
  • Maximum speed: 30 knots (56 km/h)
• Sensors:
  • 1 EADS TRS-3D air search radar (three dimensional)
  • 1 WM 25 combined surface search and fire control radar I/J band
  • 1 Thales Nederland STIR 180 fire-control radar I/J/K band
  • 1 Kelvin Hughes Nucleus 5000 I band navigation radar
  • 1 STN Atlas DSQS-23BZ hull-mounted sonar
• Countermeasures:
  • ESM/ECM EADS FL 1800S
  • 2 SCLAR decoys
  • SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy
• Communications:
  • Link 11 and Link 16 (link 16 to be fitted)
• Armament:
  • 1 8 cell launch system, 16 Sea Sparrow surface to air missiles
  • 2 MK 49 launcher, 21 RAM each
  • 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers
  • 1 OTO-Melara 76 mm dual-purpose gun
  • 2 Rheinmetall Rh202 20 mm autocannons, will be replaced with Mauser MLG27 27 mm autocannons.
  • 2 Mark 32 324 mm twin torpedo launchers, 8 DM4A1 or Mark 46 torpedo
• Hangar: Place for 2 Sea Lynx Mk.88A helicopters equipped with torpedoes, air-to-surface missile Sea Skua, or heavy machine gun.
• Endurance: up to three weeks
• Complement: 203 plus 20 air crew

Ships

All ships are based in Wilhelmshaven together they form the 4. Fregattengeschwader (4th Frigate Squadron) of the German Navy.

External links

• naval-technology.com

See also