German frigateBrandenburg

Brandenburgin 2013
History
Germany
Name	Brandenburg
Builder	Blohm+Voss,Hamburg
Laid down	11 February 1992
Launched	28 August 1992
Commissioned	14 October 1994
Identification	Pennant number:F215 MMSI number:211210160 Call sign:DRAH
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Brandenburg-classfrigate
Displacement	3,600 tons (4,490t full load)
Length	138.85 metres (455.5 ft)
Beam	16.7 metres (55 ft)
Draught	4.35 metres (14.3 ft) (6.3 metres (21 ft) over sonar)
Propulsion	CODOG(combined diesel or gas) twopropeller shafts,controllable pitch propellers twoMTU20V 956 TB92diesel-engines,8.14 MW each twoGeneral Electric LM2500gas turbines,38 MW total twoRenkBGS 178 Logearboxes
Speed	>29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Range	4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	26 officers, 193 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	OneThalesLW08 air searchD bandradar one Thales SMART-S air/surface surveillanceF bandradar two Thales STIR 180fire-controlradar twoRaytheonRedpathI bandnavigation radar one STN Atlas DSQS-23BZ hull-mountedsonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	1EADSFL 1800SECMsuite twoOTO-MelaraSCLAR launcher fourTKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System)decoylauncher (currently under procurement)
Armament	Naval guns: OneOTO-Melara 76 mm/62Mk-75 multi-purpose naval gun TwoMauser BK-2727 mm rapid-fire cannons Antiaircraft warfare: OneMk 41 Mod 3 vertical launch systemfor 16Sea Sparrow antiaircraft missiles(ESSMplanned) CIWS: Two x Mk 49 launcher for 21 xRolling Airframe Missiles Antiship missiles: Four xMM38 Exocet antiship missiles(To be replaced by 8Harpoon missiles) Antisubmarine warfare: Four 324 mmtorpedo tubes,Mk 46 torpedoes
Aircraft carried	TwoSea Lynxhelicoptersequipped withASW torpedoes,or air-to-surface missilesSea Skua,and a heavy machine gun.

Brandenburgis aBrandenburg-classfrigateof theGerman Navy,and thelead shipof her class.

Construction and commissioning

Brandenburgand the three other frigates of theBrandenburgclasswere designed as replacements for theHamburg-classdestroyers.She was laid in 1992 at the yards ofBlohm+Voss,Hamburgand launched in August 1992. She waschristenedby Ingrid Stolpe, the wife of the thenMinister-President of BrandenburgManfred Stolpe.After undergoingtrialsshe was commissioned on 14 October 1994, and assigned to6. Fregattengeschwader.After the naval structure was reorganised,Brandenburgwas assigned to2. Fregattengeschwader,based atWilhelmshaven.

Service

Brandenburgspent some time in 2006 assigned to the maritime element of theUnited Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,serving as theflagshipof the maritime taskforce commander Flotilla AdmiralAndreas Krause.On 30 November 2006 she was visited by Foreign MinisterFrank-Walter Steinmeierwhile docked inLarnaca,Cyprus.In 2009 she was deployed withOperation Atalanta,theanti-piracy patrolsoff theHorn of Africa.On 3 August 2009 the captured merchant vesselMVHansa Stavangerwas released from pirate control, withBrandenburgand the frigateRheinland-Pfalzescorting her into port inMombasa,Kenya.On 7 SeptemberBrandenburglaunched aSea Lynxhelicopter to perform a reconnaissance mission on a suspected skiff just south ofMukalla,Yemen.Five suspects were observed throwing ladders and weapons overboard.Brandenburgfired warning shots across the skiff's bow after she refused to stop, and then disabled the skiff with gunfire. A team was sent aboard using arigid-hulled inflatable boat,took control of the crew and seized a number of weapons. One of the suspects was injured by gunfire during the incident, and later died of his wounds onboardBrandenburgwhile receiving medical treatment.This was the first fatality caused by theBundeswehrin the course of Operation Atalanta.The weaponry found on board the skiff was later destroyed, and the four surviving suspects released.

In 2010Brandenburg,the frigateNiedersachsen,the replenishment shipFrankfurt am Mainand the ammunition transport shipWesterwaldcarried out exercises together as part of theEinsatzausbildungsverband(Operational Training Association), withBrandenburgalso participating in the German-South African missile exercises Good Hope IV. The following yearBrandenburgand the other ships of theEinsatzausbildungsverbandwere temporarily involved inOperation Active Endeavour.In late February 2011Brandenburg,Rheinland-Pfalzand the replenishment shipBerlinwere ordered to the Libyan coast to assist in the evacuation of German citizens during theLibyan Civil War.They assisted in the evacuation of several hundred people, and also transported Egyptian citizens from the port ofGabes,Tunisia toAlexandria,Egypt.

From March to August 2014Brandenburgwas again deployed with Operation Atalanta, serving as the flagship of the Force Commander, Flotilla AdmiralJürgen Mills.On 20 March 2017Brandenburgleft Wilhelmshaven to replace the frigateSachseninStanding NATO Maritime Group 2,taking over from theSachsenin early April atSouda,Crete.During her time with the Group she served as the flagship of the force's commander, Flotilla AdmiralAxel Deertz.While leavingPiraeuson 17 April 2017,Brandenburgcollided with a pier, damaging her steering gear and a propeller. The Greek tugChristos XVIIescorted the damaged frigate to thefloating dockatPaloukia,Salamis Naval Base.On 22 May 2017Brandenburgwas able to resume her patrol activity after repairs. On 4 July 2017, Deertz handed command of the Group over to a British commodore, and theBrandenburgceased to be the flagship.