The second of four German Navy F125 frigates, FGS Nordrhein-Westfalen, is entering service in a ceremony in Wilhelmshaven on June 10.
The ship will become part of the 4th frigate squadron, one of the units of the Einsatzflottille 2, and will be based at the naval base in Wilhelmshaven.
“We are delighted that the second unit of the F125 class has entered service. It is a major milestone towards full operational capability, as we now have two platforms that will enable us to conduct operational training on our own responsibility and thus make the weapon system fully available to the Navy,” Flotilla Admiral Ralf Kuchler said.
“After an intensive and successful test phase, the commissioning of the frigate ‘Nordrhein-Westfalen’ is a further milestone in the modernization of our German Navy” frigate captain Stefan Schulz added.
Nordrhein-Westfalen is entering service four years after the lead ship in the class, the FGS Baden-Württemberg, was delivered in 2016. The final two frigates are scheduled for delivery by 2021.
The 7,000-ton frigates are replacing the eight Bremen-class frigates currently in service with the German Navy. The ships are delivered by the ARGE F125 consortium, comprising thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the lead company and the Bremenbased Lürssen shipyard. The pre-fitted bow sections were produced at the shipyards of the Lürssen Group in Bremen and in Wolgast on the Baltic Sea. Construction of the stern sections, the joining of the two vessel halves, further fitting-out, commissioning and testing all took place at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg under the direction of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
F125 frigates are armed with HARPOON and RAM missiles, a 127 mm naval gun, two 27 mm and five 12.7 mm guns. The 150-meter ships will have a crew of 190 and will be able to stay deployed for up to two years, with regular crew changes enabled by the multi-crew concept.
