German frigate Hessen

Last updated
F221 FGS Hessen (8641416122).jpg
Hessen in 2013
History
Naval Ensign of Germany.svgGermany
NameHessen
Builder Nordseewerke, Emden
Laid down14 September 2001
Launched26 July 2003
Commissioned21 April 2006
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and type Sachsen-class frigate
Displacement5,800 tonnes
Length143 m (469 ft)
Beam17.44 m (57.2 ft)
Draught6 m (20 ft)
Propulsion
Speed29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Range4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)+ at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement230 crew + 13 aircrew
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • 1 FL 1800 S II ECM suite
  • 6 Sippican Hycor SRBOC launcher
Armament
Aircraft carried2 Sea Lynx Mk.88A or 2 NH90 helicopters equipped with torpedoes, air-to-surface missiles Sea Skua, and/or heavy machine gun.

Hessen is a Sachsen-class frigate of the German Navy.

Contents

Construction and commissioning

Built by Nordseewerke, Emden, Hessen was the third and final ship of the Sachsen class to be launched and then commissioned into the German Navy. She is based at Wilhelmshaven with the other ships of the Sachsen class as part of 2. Fregattengeschwader, which itself forms part of the Einsatzflottille 2 . [1]

Service

Shortly after her commissioning in 2006, Hessen was deployed with other ships of the German Navy to guard the Mecklenburg coastline during the 33rd G8 summit in 2007, which was being held in the region. In 2008 she was part of the Maritime Task Force deployed in support of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. [2] In late 2009 Hessen was involved in a Composite Training Unit Exercise off the east coast of the US, in company with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. [3] In March the following year she was part of the USS Harry S. Truman combat group. [4] In June the Hessen transited the Suez Canal with the US force and deployed with the US Fifth Fleet. [5]

From January to June 2013 Hessen was part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, as the flagship of Flotilla Admiral Georg von Maltzan. She also participated in Operation Active Endeavour during this period. [6] From December 2013 to April 2014, Hessen was deployed with EUNAVFOR in Operation Atalanta, tackling piracy off the coast of Somalia. [7] From May to June 2015, Hessen deployed in the Mediterranean alongside the replenishment ship Berlin. Together the two vessels saved several hundred migrants from shipwrecks and other incidents. [8]

In 2017 Hessen was responsible for securing the airspace at the G20 summit in Hamburg. On 28 January 2018 Hessen arrived at Naval Station Norfolk. [9] She and the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen took part in Composite Training Unit Exercises with the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, after which Hessen accompanied the combat group on the first half of its deployment to the Mediterranean. [10] [11] In October 2022, Hessen was assigned to the Carrier Strike Group of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) for the carrier's maiden deployment. [12] In 2023, "Hessen" took part in the UK NATO exercise "Joint Warrior 23-2", which started from King George V dock, Glasgow. [13]

In February 2024, the frigate departed from the port of Wilhelmshaven for the Red Sea with about 240 people on board in order to assist the EU mission Aspides, which aims to protect shipping from Houthi attacks. [14] During the mission it succeeded in shooting down two unmanned aerial vehicles, one with her 76mm cannon and another with her CIWS system. [15] while also failing to shoot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone in a friendly fire incident, expending two SM-2 missiles in the process. [16] The frigate's Sea Lynx helicopter sank a surface drone on 21 March 2024, presumably with its 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. [17] Hessen's weapons destroyed "an incoming missile" while escorting a merchant vessel on 6 April. [18]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Dwight D. Eisenhower</i> US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently in service with the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1977, the ship is the second of ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers currently in service, and is the first ship named after the 34th President of the United States and General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The vessel was initially named simply as USS Eisenhower, much like the lead ship of the class, Nimitz, but the name was changed to its present form on 25 May 1970. The carrier, like all others of her class, was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia, with the same design as the lead ship, although the ship has been overhauled twice to bring her up to the standards of those constructed more recently.

USS <i>Harry S. Truman</i> US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. She is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

USS <i>Philippine Sea</i> (CG-58) Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) is a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser on active service in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II and is the second ship to bear the name. She has completed multiple deployments as part of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2001 to 2014.

USS <i>Carney</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Carney (DDG-64) is the 14th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The guided-missile destroyer is the first to be named after Admiral Robert Carney, who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower administration.

USS <i>Mason</i> (DDG-87) American guided missile destroyer

USS Mason (DDG-87) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Black crewmembers who served on board USS Mason (DE-529) during the period of racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.

HNoMS <i>Roald Amundsen</i> (F311)

HNoMS Roald Amundsen is a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

<i>Sachsen</i>-class frigate German air-defense frigates

The F124 Sachsen class is the German Navy's latest class of air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen-class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features designed to deceive an opponent's radar and acoustic sensors. The class incorporates an advanced multifunction radar APAR and a SMART-L long-range radar which is purported to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and stealth missiles.

<i>Baden-Württemberg</i>-class frigate Series of frigates of the German Navy

The F125 Baden-Württemberg-class frigates are a series of frigates of the German Navy, which were designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. The Baden-Württemberg class is the heaviest displacement of any class of frigates worldwide. They have replaced the Bremen class. They are primarily designed for low and medium intensity maritime stabilization operations, where they are supposed to provide sea-to-land tactical fire support, asymmetric threat control at sea and support of special forces.

USS <i>Gravely</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Gravely (DDG-107) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Commissioned in 2010, she has been on several overseas deployments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VFA-105</span> United States Navy aviation squadron based at NAS Oceana, Virginia, USA

Strike Fighter Squadron 105 (VFA-105) also known as the "Gunslingers" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The "Gunslingers" are an operational fleet squadron and fly the F/A-18E Super Hornet. Their radio callsign is "Canyon" and the tail code is AC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 10</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group 10, is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. As of August 2022, CSG-10 consists of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the strike group's current flagship, with Carrier Air Wing Seven embarked on board, as well as the Ticonderoga-class cruiserLeyte Gulf, and four ships of Destroyer Squadron 26.

German frigate <i>Sachsen</i>

Sachsen is a Sachsen-class frigate of the German Navy, the lead ship of her class.

German frigate <i>Hamburg</i>

Hamburg is a Sachsen-class frigate of the German Navy.

German frigate <i>Schleswig-Holstein</i>

Schleswig-Holstein is a Brandenburg-class frigate of the German Navy.

German frigate <i>Mecklenburg-Vorpommern</i>

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218) is a Brandenburg-class frigate of the German Navy.

German frigate <i>Bremen</i>

Bremen was a Bremen-class frigate of the German Navy. She was the lead ship of the class, and the second surface warship to serve with one of the navies of Germany to be named after the city of Bremen, in the state of Bremen. Her predecessor was the cruiser SMS Bremen of the Imperial German Navy, one of the Bremen class cruiser.

German frigate <i>Karlsruhe</i> (F212)

Karlsruhe was a Bremen-class frigate of the German Navy. She was the sixth ship of the class to enter service, and the fifth ship to serve with one of the navies of Germany to be named after the city of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg. She is currently laid up, pending disposal as a trials and target ship.

German frigate <i>Augsburg</i> (F213)

Augsburg is a Bremen-class frigate of the German Navy. The vessel was laid down in April 1987 by Bremer Vulkan, in Bremen, Germany and launched on 17 September 1987. The vessel was commissioned on 3 October 1989. The ship has been deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa and Operation Atalanta in the Middle East and Indian Ocean and has seen service in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel is currently based at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

German frigate <i>Lübeck</i> (F214) Bremen-class frigate

Lübeck was a Bremen-class frigate of the German Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Aspides</span> European Union military operation to protect Red Sea shipping

Operation Aspides, also known as EUNAVFOR Aspides is the European Union (EU)'s own military operation in response to the Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. In contrast to the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, EU officials have underlined the "purely defensive" nature of EUNAVFOR Aspides. The purpose of the operation is to provide escort to merchant vessels in the area, defend against attacks and increase the maritime surveillance in the region. The name of the operation comes from the Greek word for shields.

References

  1. "Fregatte "Sachsen"-Klasse (124)" (in German). marine.de. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. "Marine : Drittes deutsches Boot für libanesische Marine" (in German). presseportal. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. "German Frigate Hessen Teams With Eisenhower for Training". navy.mil. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. "Truman Strike Group Deploys". navy.mil. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. "Truman Carrier Strike Group Transits Suez Canal And Enters U.S. 5th Fleet". navy.mil. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. ""Mission erfüllt" - Fregatte "Hessen" zurück in Wilhelmshaven" (in German). marine.de. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. "Federal German Ship Hessen Hosts EU Navfor Commander". navaltoday.com. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  8. "German navy saves 400 Mediterranean refugees". thelocal.it. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. "German, Norwegian frigates arrive in Norfolk to join Harry S. Truman carrier strike group". navaltoday.com. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. "USS Harry S. Truman deploying to the Mediterranean, Middle East". navaltoday.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  11. "Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group Departs on Deployment". navy.mil. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  12. "221005-N-AL206-1056". U.S. Navy. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  13. "221005-N-AL206-1056". uk defencejournal. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  14. "German military ship sails toward Red Sea to join EU mission against Houthi attacks". FOX News. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  15. "Rotes Meer: Fregatte »Hessen« wehrt ersten Huthi-Angriff ab". February 28, 2024 via www.spiegel.de.
  16. "Doppel-Panne im Roten Meer: Deutsches Kriegsschiff zielt auf US-Drohne". bild.de.
  17. Luck, Alex (2024-03-21). "German Navy Helicopter Destroys Houthi Drone". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  18. "Rotes Meer: Fregatte »Hessen« wehrt Huthi-Angriff auf Frachtschiff ab". Der Spiegel (in German). 2024-04-06. ISSN   2195-1349 . Retrieved 2024-04-06.