Home Europe German Type 212 sub completes NATO patrol after torpedo tube leak repairs

German Type 212 sub completes NATO patrol after torpedo tube leak repairs

U33
Photo: German Navy

German Navy Type 212 submarine U33 is returning to her Eckernförde homeport on May 25, after completing a Baltic Sea patrol as part of the NATO Assurance Measures.

U33 is the first German submarine to be integrated into the NATO Maritime Command, working with the command’s headquarters in Northwood, UK, to observe Russian submarine activity on NATO’s eastern border in the Baltic Sea.

The deployment was part of the NATO Readiness Action Plan, which draws back on the 2014 NATO Wales Summit declaration, which called for a greater presence of alliance assets on the east flank following the events in Crimea and Ukraine.

“We have a special responsibility in the Baltic Sea for the security of the alliance. Our partners expect us to play a leading role,” Flotilla Admiral Christian Bock said. He is the commander of the German Navy’s 1st Operational Flotilla 1, to which the 1st Submarine Squadron belongs.

“The Baltic Sea is an extension of the northern flank. For our allies in Poland and the Baltic States it is the only ‘wet’ supply route. Even in times of crisis, before any emergency, reinforcements and supplies for the population come via this sea route. We must therefore ensure the freedom and security of these routes. This includes knowing who is moving in the Baltic Sea, when, where and with what intentions.”

The submarine started the patrol in February this year, but was forced to make a short stop in April to undergo torpedo tube leakage repairs in Kiel.

U33 is one of six German Navy submarines in service, with two more to come, once the Type 212CD (Common Design) submarine program the country is negotiating with Norway officially kicks off.